Pina Colada Banana Bread
I love banana bread. Actually, I think everyone does. And if you don’t, you’d better change your mind right quick because this recipe will live rent-free in your head!
Y’all also probably know by now that I love to take normal, everyday things & add my lil Southern-isms to them to make it unique to my world & tastebuds.
Trust, this recipe is unique and might actually sound weird. But also, really tasty!
more than just bananas
I dreamed this up in the middle of summer because I was craving a pineapple upside down cake, but had no idea of the ins & outs of making one. I looked up a recipe & those damn cakes look difficult as HELL. They look daunting, not beginner-friendly (since y’all also know I’m trying to get into baking) and Chris doesn’t like pineapple upside down cakes so I’d be on my own – WOMP WOMP.
ANYWAY.
Tale as old as time – I had some bananas dying an utterly slow death on my countertop because my work schedule has been a little more hectic lately, so I had thought to myself, “I’ll make a smoothie to take with me in the car on the way to my earlier work appts!” – umm yea that didn’t happen, as you probably could have guessed.
So, sorry but this murder mystery ends pretty quickly & in the most uneventful way – the bananas needed a proper burial – BANANA BREAD! But not just any banana bread, tropical banana bread? – even better : PINA COLADA BANANA BREAD!!! I started to get excited. This twist on an old-classic would curb my craving for pineapple upside down cake & probably be a hell of a lot healthier too. ((& surprisingly, Chris actually liked this bread too!)) *wink*
an art & a science
I hope y’all have been enjoying my random journey of adding in a few baking recipes every once in awhile. It’s been fun for me for the most part as well! I’ve only experienced one epic fail that would make my Mamaw strike me from her will – so I won’t say it out loud into the universe….but it was a real bad one. So that hit me where it hurts for awhile ((in my ego)) and shied away from baking for a bit or even dreaming up something new to try. I hurt myself & I hurt myself good.
MOVING ON.
This one was a winner! Read : WINNER! Banana Bread is a user-friendly, easy to follow recipe and usually requires no crazy ingredients – well, my recipe requires a few but, again, worth it! Sweet pineapple, delicious coconut & a swirl of maraschino cherry juice in the middle of the loaf for a tasty & eye-pleasing surprise! Feel free to put your own spin on this as well – add in some walnuts or give the shredded coconut a flash-toast in a pan for an extra layer of flavor! I can dream up a few ways I’d like to add some exciting elements – but I had to make sure this *basic* recipe would fly first, so I’ll save those other extra-exciting ingredients for next time! Let’s get to it!
Ingredients
· 2 Bananas – ripe, VERY soft, on the verge of death
· 1 egg
· 1 ½ cups AP flour
· 1 TSP Baking Soda
· ½ cup white granulated sugar
· ½ cup light brown sugar
· 1 TSP Vanilla Extract
· ½ cup fresh pineapple, diced fine
· ½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut
· 2 TBS Maraschino Cherry Juice
· 1/3 cup salted butter, melted
Instructions, 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Chop the pineapple by hand or in a chopper – fresh pineapple is best and doesn’t have as much excess liquid as the canned kind.
In a large bowl, mash the 2 bananas well with a fork – they should be very soft & easily turn into a mushy, liquidy consistency.
Pour the melted butter directly into the bowl with the mashed bananas – stir well.
Add in both sugars, the egg & the vanilla extract to the banana mixture – use the fork to stir well to incorporate.
Measure out the AP Flour, Baking Soda, Shredded Coconut & Diced Pineapple – the flour does NOT need to be sifted.
One-by-One, pour each ingredient into the bowl with the previous ingredients.
Use a spatula to stir well in between adding each ingredient.
Once all ingredients above have been added, pour HALF of the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Instructions, 2
One TBS at a time, dribble on the Maraschino Cherry Juice & swirl around gently with a toothpick.
Carefully pour the other half of the batter directly overtop of the Maraschino Cherry Juice layer.
Some of the juice may float to the top at the edges – perfectly fine, it will look even prettier once it has fully baked!
Your oven should be preheated to 375 degrees now – place the loaf on the middle rack and set a timer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees & rotate your loaf of banana bread – set the timer for another 30 minutes.
To ensure your Pina Colada Banana Bread is fully cooked in the middle, the toothpick test will do just fine! If it comes out clean, your bread is done!
Allow to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes & then carefully remove the loaf from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack – if you don’t have a wire rack, then a plate will do!
Slice your Pina Colada Banana Bread & serve with…anything you’d like! The toppings & possibilities are endless! A slab of butter is the #1 choice. A dollop of whipped cream would be delicious. My husband grew up eating softened cream cheese with his banana bread – YUM.
Go crazy – maybe a sprinkle of chopped nuts, whipped cream with a whole maraschino cherry on top would be the ultimate! No matter how you choose to top & serve this bread, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy this last bite of summer!
this is a stay-cation
IDK about y’all but food can be transformative. And I love it. I think food also evokes certain core memories based on taste, texture, smell & can really change the idea of what you’re eating. I personally don’t have anything completely committed to memory when it comes to banana bread, but I know many people grew up eating banana bread & it was probably made a certain way, on a certain day or made by a certain person – that’s biscuits for me made by Mamaw – always perfect. The ingredients & flavors of my Pina Colada Banana Bread could totally make you think of a tropical island too! I wish that for you – a vacation in your head. Who Knows?! – This might be YOUR new gateway recipe! When I made this, it was a lazy Friday afternoon & I had the free time to bake so I went for it! I enjoyed the peaceful nature of my kitchen on that particular day & I remembered feeling so relaxed as I made this twist my own! Pina Colada Banana Bread might just turn into a new summer staple in your household & be requested every weekend! – it will probably impress overnight guests as well, just saying!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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