MAKES 1 LOAF
TIME 1½ HOURS
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This dense, ultramoist banana bread is modeled after hummingbird cake, a glorious layered cake beloved in the South. Like the cake, which has roots in Jamaican cooking, it’s packed with bananas, pecans, shredded coconut, and crushed pineapple and mounded with billows of tangy cream-cheese frosting. For deep banana flavor, we make sure to use soft, heavily speckled specimens—even blackened bananas aren’t too ripe—and we mash them thoroughly to extract their moisture. Canned crushed pineapple with all of its juices adds more tropical flavor and moisture. Toasting the pecans heightens their nuttiness. We combine these ingredients with cinnamon, vanilla, and melted butter in a simple dump-and-stir batter. The cream cheese frosting comes together easily in a food processor, which also ensures a velvety smooth texture.
Ingredients For Banana Bread
- 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup toasted pecans, chopped coarse
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
Ingredients For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch table salt
Instructions For Banana Bread
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. Combine bananas, sugar, pineapple and juice, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in separate large bowl. Fold banana mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in pecans and coconut until evenly dispersed.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. Let bread cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Tilt pan and gently remove bread. Let bread continue to cool on wire rack until room temperature.
Instructions for the Cream Cheese Frosting
- While loaf is cooling, process cream cheese, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl with silicone spatula as needed.
- Spread frosting on top of cooled hummingbird banana bread (there will be a generous amount) and serve. (To store frosted bread, transfer to refrigerator, uncovered, until cream cheese frosting is firm, about 1 hour. Then wrap tightly in plastic and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
🍽️ For more recipes like the one above, visit SCETV Food or Cook's Country.
