A Lovely, Cakey Banana Bread, And a New Product Review

This rich banana bread recipe is much more like a cake than a quick bread. I greatly altered the original recipe I found in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, but like all the recipes I've chosen from that book and altered to suit my restrictions, it worked like a charm. Bittman said that the key to the success of his original is the coconut, "although the butter helps too." Sure it does, Bittman. There's a STICK of butter in that 9 x 5 in. pan!

So, saying it's rich (although I made it richer yet) is pretty much an understatement. But it's so tasty! I wouldn't even put anything on it, exept maybe a simple coconut frosting. I'd be willing to try it in minimuffin pans as tiny banana coconut cupcakes in another try.

Below is the recipe, followed by a review of the One-Click Butter Cutter that I used while making Bittman's Banana Bread.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup agave nectar
2 egg yolks
3 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 cup dry roasted cashews
1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9 x 5 in. loaf pan.
2. Sift and combine the dry ingredients.
3. Cream the butter and beat in the eggs and bananas.
4. Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended.
5. Stir in the vanilla, then the nuts, then the coconut until just blended.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes until removing from the pan and cooling on the rack until completely cooled.
8. Enjoy!

While I was making this recipe, I tried out the One-Click Butter Cutter.
Here are three very short clips showing how I used the Butter Cutter and what I thought of it.