Island Style Banana Bread

Submitted by Anita Harris

"This gives your typical banana bread a new, flavorful twist."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 2 loaves

ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened (not margarine)
• 3⁄4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ripe mashed bananas
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 cup flaked coconut

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease the bottom and half way up the sides of 2 loaf pans; set aside.
3. Combine the next 5 ingredients; set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on high speed for 30 seconds.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the 2 eggs and the vanilla; beat until well combined.
6. Add dry mixture and mashed bananas alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition, until well combined.
7. Stir in pecans.
8. In a medium bowl beat together the cream cheese, the 1 egg and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on medium speed until almot smooth.
9. Stir in coconut.
10. Pour 1/4 of the banana mixture into each loaf pan.
11. Spoon 1/4th of the cream cheese mixture over each banana mixture.
12. Using a spatula, cut through the batter to marble.
13. Repeat the 2 layers as above but don't marble this time.
14. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 mins or until they test done.
15. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.
16. Remove from pans and cool completely.

Reviews

[the_cookie_lady]

I made this for the third week of my 2008 One-A-Week cookbook. I really enjoyed the flavor of this bread, but I got a consistent complaint that it didn't really taste all that "islandy." So, next time I am planning to maybe use only 2 1/2 bananas and add in some drained crushed pineapple to replace the remaining 1/2 banana. I also felt like the swirling bit was a little too much work for my schedule and will probably just mix half of the cream cheese mixture into the banana batter before pouring into pans to see if that works. Thanks for posting!

 

[BlueHyacinth]

This is the best banana bread I've ever eaten. The melody of flavors is fantastic. I will never make regular banana bread again. Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe, it is definatley a keeper!