Banana-Coconut Cream Cheese Nut Bread

Banana bread is my go-to quick bread to make when I'm pressed in time but I really, really want to bake.  In this case, I want to finish an opened cream cheese package and there's some ripe bananas on the counter.  I've always had bananas in the house; they're eaten frequently and my family doesn't say no to banana bread.

I'm pretty sure I've made this banana bread before but I don't remember where I got the recipe.  Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue.  Judging from the way the recipe is I can tell that this one is a keeper.  I traced it back to Southern Living magazine website and it was one of their most popular recipes to be made over and over again.  The original recipe had some cinnamon crisp topping but the recipe that I found from Pinterest eliminated that topping.  So I made my own modification which was to add shredded coconut on the top of the loaves.  It gives a nice texture to the bread and goes together with the flavor profile.  And I love that this recipe yields two loaves, one for me, none for you :D!

Banana-Coconut Cream Cheese Nut Bread

Yields 2 loaves

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Greased and floured two 8-x4-inch loaf pans.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.  Spoon batter into the loaf pans.  Sprinkle coconut equally on top of loaves, pad lightly so the coconut will adhere.

Bake for about an hour or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan; shielding with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary.  Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.


Source:  adapted from Southern Living

Bitter Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

My ideal weekend would be doing something that doesn't require my brain to work.  I can be very energized during weekdays but when it comes to weekend, my brain suddenly switches to off mode.  I actually looking forward to Friday afternoon when I know I will be done with chores and obligations.  Saturday is usually spent at church and baking activities, this is the day when I want to be busy in the kitchen.  Sunday is family time, whether we go out to eat, swim, hike, or bike.  Don't we all love the weekend?

Sometimes even having game night during the weekend is too much for me.  I see it as an exercise, i.e. I have to use my brain and I have to interact with people.  I'm just about done with people after church :)  I want to decompress and stare at nothing.  So don't be offended if I say no to anything on the weekend.  It's just my way of saying I want to spend time with family and stay at home.

Speaking of doing baking on the weekend, this easy loaf is one of things I love to make.  It's simple and quick but yet it's tasty and keep for a few days for afternoon treats.  When I made this, I wanted to eat a poppy seed cake and I found a recipe that used Seville orange marmalade and poppy seed.  I love citrus, both in food and as a fragrance.  It's fresh and uplifting which cheers up my mood right away.  Anyway, this cake is moist and delightful!

Bitter Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

Makes 1 loaf

For the cake:

3 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade

150 g plain Greek yogurt

3 large eggs

175 grams sugar

200 g self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

175 g unsalted butter, softened

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 orange

2 teaspoon poppy seed

For the glaze:

1/4 cup orange juice

5 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade

Heat oven to 325F.  Butter a 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper.

Put the marmalade into a small pan, heat gently until melted.  Beat in the yogurt, then let cool for a few minutes.

Put the remaining cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with a hand held mixer until smooth.  Quickly beat in the yogurt and marmalade mix, then pour into the prepared pan.  It will be quite runny.  Leave the mix mounded in the middle of the tin rather than leveling the top, to help it rise.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes until golden and well-risen; a skewer should come out clean.  Take a look at the cake after 45 minutes; if it browns too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.  Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and marmalade in a small pan over a gentle heat until the marmalade melts.  Set aside to cool, stirring now and again, until you have a thick, but still runny glaze.  When the cake is ready, cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack.  Spoon the topping over the cake while it's still warm.  

The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep for up to 3 days tightly wrapped in an airtight container.

Source:  adapted from BBC Good Food, by Jane Hornby

Butternut Squash Bread with Dark Chocolate and Walnuts

Last year when my parents traveled to Indonesia, I had to take care of their house and yard.  I didn't have to do much with the yard though but I had to make sure the plants were watered well and picked a few handful of produce from their vegetable garden.  One day, as I was looking out the window from their living room, I noticed there's a vine that's growing over and around the short hedges lining up the front pathway.  It seemed like a squash plant tried to grow.  My parents and I love kabocha squash very much and there was a talk in the past of planting one or two plants in the vegetable garden.  We just love the sweet and smooth texture of this squash that when it's in season, my mom would buy one or two.  She then would slice it thin, dredged it in tempura batter, and deep-fried it.  That was our afternoon snack, and between us, we could probably eat the whole squash ourselves.  My mom wouldn't choose an overly big one, but she smartly picked the small one.

That plant was growing like weed and there's also one in the backyard, but when I asked my dad about it, he said he actually didn't plant any in the front yard so that was a surprise.  As summer progressed, I watched it bore fruits; the one in the front bore green fruit and the one in the back bore bluish-colored fruit.  From the look of it, one must be blue kuri squash and the other one was kabocha squash.  When my parents came back home, we waited until the stems became corky and the shape went blocky.  My dad loves it plain, steamed, and would eat it with a spoon.  I baked my share until soft and divided the flesh into several freezer bags.  These can be frozen for 3 months.

And here's one way to use up the squash, I made a quick bread with dark chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cranberries.  I adapted the original recipe by using all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour because that's what I had at home at the time.  This won't last long in my house, everyone would eat slice upon slice with a drink of their choice!

Butternut Squash Bread with Dark Chocolate and Walnuts

Yield 1-9x5 inch loaf


2 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
7.5 ounces peeled, seeded, steamed and pureed kabocha squash
2/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purposed flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 generous teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground dried ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts, plus extra for decorating top
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 F.  Coat a bread loaf pan with coconut oil or butter, or spray with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugars, cooked/pureed kabocha squash flesh, and oil until smooth.  In a second bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts, and cranberries.

Fill the prepared loaf pan about three-quarters full with batter.  Gently tap the bottom of the filled pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.  Sprinkle additional walnuts over loaf, using your hand to gently press them into the batter.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing into thick chunks.


Source:  adapted from Breadtopia

PB&J Banana Bread

Look at that beauty, how enticing is it?  Banana bread is one of the easiest homemade treats one can make, anytime.  

I've these few ripe, soft bananas on my fruit bowl.  I asked my husband what kind of banana bread he would like to have and his answer was "with peanut butter."  I remembered seeing this recipe in my magazine collection so here it is.  The strawberry jam is homemade as well, in fact, very soon I have to make a batch of it again.  June is coming and strawberry season will be here.

Make sure that you watch the streusel topping while it's being baked.  I covered it loosely with foil about 20 minutes before baking time ends, just to make sure the peanuts aren't over baked and bitter.

I like to chase its morsels with a cup of cold chocolate milk and if you like peanut butter and jam with your banana bread, this is a recipe for you!

PB&J Banana Bread

Makes 16 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (4 to 5 medium)

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup chopped peanuts

⅓ cup strawberry preserves

1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, oil, and peanut butter.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in peanuts.  Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading evenly.  Drizzle with ¼ cup of the strawberry preserves; swirl slightly to marble.  If desired, sprinkle with Streusel-Nut Topping.

Bake about 60-70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the remaining strawberry preserves on 100 percent power (high) for 15 to 20 seconds or until melted, snipping any large pieces of fruit.  Drizzle melted preserves over the top of bread before slicing.

Streusel-Nut Topping:  In a small bowl stir together 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.  Using a pastry blender, cut in 4 teaspoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in ¼ cup chopped peanuts.

Source:  adapted from Better Homes and Garden Fall Baking 2013

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I found these zucchini in my parents' garden Monday afternoon.  Two plants grew healthy this summer in the sunny patch and they're starting to produce yields big enough to enjoy.  My mom couldn't contain her excitement when she saw these babies in her garden, she could hardly wait to pick more of them.

The day I picked those zucchini, I saw a post from King Arthur Flour's Facebook page about the double chocolate zucchini bread.  I was salivating looking at the picture that I determined I would make that the next day.  Even I couldn't contain my excitement about making a zucchini bread!

There're a lot of recipes using zucchini and chocolate but I have to say that this one is one of the best.  The amount of zucchini needed isn't outrageous (I hate grating zucchini), the chocolate flavor is really there, the bread isn't overly dry or wet, the crumb was tight, and the level of moistness is just right.  What I did differently were using half bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in the bread and save 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top of the bread; otherwise everything stayed the same.  Baking time was slightly reduced for my oven, it was around 60 minutes that the bread was done.  And I smeared some Nutella on my bread, mmm....

A bread like this makes me smile; it makes me think of a wonderful summer weather, the harvest from our own garden, and how connected we are to the food we grow ourselves.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Yield one 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf



2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

1/3 cup cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed on a colander over a bowl or sink to release some of its moisture

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (a combination of bittersweet and semisweet), save the 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top of bread



Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Scatter the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of the batter.

Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done (a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean, save for perhaps a light smear of chocolate from the melted chips).

Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack.  Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Lemon-Coconut Bread

Quick bread is nothing sort of spectacular for a dessert but even if it posits to be humble, the effect is most often sweet and delectable.  Give way to lemon-coconut bread, made a few days ago because I wanted to escape the ho-hum of everyday chores.  I was in a good mood and had lots of energy because I accomplished not just one bread but two types of breads; one was my favorite bread of the week, three-seed whole wheat.

That bread was almost gone, only a slice or two left in the bread box, but I still  have the lemon-coconut bread.  It has stayed moist for two days and was meant to be savored piece by piece with a warm drink.  Perfect for a storm that's brewing in the horizon.

Lemon-Coconut Bread

Makes one 9x5-inch loaf



2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3/4 cup sweetened coconut

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

For lemon icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice



Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Grease one 9x5-inch loaf.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl.  Stir in coconut.

Beat oil, eggs, and milk with an electric mixer in a separate bowl until frothy.  Stir in lemon juice.  Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 70-80 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the icing:  Stir confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl with a wooden spatula.  Add more lemon juice if it's too stiff.

When the cake is done, let it cool in pan over rack for 10 minutes.  Remove pan and let it cool completely on rack before icing it.



Source:  adapted from 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt