Fall Spiced Banana Bread

I am not going to call a spice mixture pumpkin spice when there is no freaking pumpkin involved in the spice at all. If there is in fact some pumpkin in the whatever you are eating and or drinking, well then sure. But people need to stop referring to things as pumpkin spice if the pumpkin is not there. It is very misleading and it drives me nuts.

Sorry (not sorry) if you disagree, but friend, you know I am right.

With that said, I offer you a warm fall spiced (because there is no pumpkin here) banana bread. It is your basic, fantastic, banana-y bread with a good kick of warm fall spices to make it just a tad more fantastic. A loaf to celebrate the cool and cozy season to come. And a great way to use up all the bananas that we (me) might have forgotten were in the fridge.

And really, who doesn't want to turn on the oven now that it is a bit chilly these days, no? Banana bread will keep you warm while baking and make your house smell amazing. Win win win!! (Third win is because you get to eat banana bread.)

Now to the spiced banana bread!

The stuff. Really ripe bananas, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, brown sugar, oil, apple cider vinegar, an spices. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and a touch or black pepper.

Banana bread basics. Mash bananas in a big bowl until a small chunky goop. Add in sugar, oil and vinegar and mix until combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small separate bowl then add to the wet. Gently fold the dry into the wet until the mixture is completely incorporated but then stop, do not over-mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan and sprinkle the tip with sugar then pop that bad boy into the oven to bake. After about an hour, once it loos all nice and dark brown and a tester comes out clean, remove pan from oven. Let cool a minutes then pop the bread from pan and place on a wire rack to cool for a little bit.

Once cooled (or cooled enough), slice it up and eat it. Make sure the slices are nice and thick, then pour yourself a hot drink (I recommend coffee or strong black tea) and go sit someplace warm and cosy and enjoy yourself a nice fall moment.

-C

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Fall Spiced Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*

• 1/4 teaspoon clove*

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger*

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper *

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice*

• 4 very ripe bananas (about 2 cup mashed banana)

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar (to sprinkle on top. Optional)

*Note. If you already have a spice blend like pumpkin spice, you can just use a tablespoon of that.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grab a big bowl and throw in unpeeled bananas. With a fork or potato masher, mash bananas up until kinda smooth (some chunks are good). Add in brown sugar, oil, and vinegar and mix together. Add flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and all the spices into a separate bowl and whisk together. Then gently fold the dry mixture into the wet until completely combined but do not over mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan then sprinkle the top with raw or brown sugar (optional). Place pan in oven and bake for 55- 60 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and when a test poke comes out clean.

Remove pan form oven and carefully remove bread from loaf pan. Place on a wire rack to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into it, but when you do, cut thick slices and eat warm or cold or whatever.

Store bread at room tepature in a airtight container for 3-4 days or in fridge for a week. Individual pieces can be wrapped and frozen as well, but you probably will just eat it all before that needs to happen.

Raspberry Swirl Banana Snack Cake

Why make banana bread when you can make banana cake? But really, isn’t it the same thing, the same batter just baked in different pans? The answer is yes, yes it is.

Whatever you call it, (bread, cake, muffins), it is banana and everyone loves it so who the heck cares what it is called. This banana cake is basic with the basic stuff but I decided to add some raspberry jam swirl to the mix. Raspberry jam because well I had raspberry jam and banana and raspberry are a great paring. And I made the swirls into hearts because well I love hearts and also it doesn’t hurt that Valentines day is this weekend so it just made all the since to me. I mean, just look at it. It is a stunner of a cake if I do say so myself. And I know that it taste just as good, especially since the mr ate half of it in one day.

Again, people love them their banana cake (bread, and or muffins) so you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Now to the banana cake!

The stuff. Ripe and ready bananas, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar, oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and raspberry jam.

So now make the batter. Peel bananas and mash them up in a big bow with a fork. Pretty mashed up, almost pureed but with some small chunks. Add in the oil, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar and mix until mixed then add in the dry and mix everything is incorporated.

Banana cake batter.

Dump batter into a well greased cake pan.

Now warm up the jam for a few seconds in the microwave just so it thins out a little. Not completely luquid, just lose. Take a small spoon and dollop jam all over top of batter.

Now to make the jam heart swirls, all you do is take a sharp knife, stick it into the jam blobs and pull down. They might not be perfect but that is perfect. And if you don’t care for hearts just swirl sharp knife all around the blobs to look however the way you want it to look.

Once swirls, pop the cake into a the hot oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is a nice deep golden brown and a tester comes out.

Just look at that. Gorgeous! Let cool for a few minutes then carefully pop it out of the pan and let it finish cooling on a wire rack.

Now you eat cake.

-C

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Raspberry Swirl Banana Snack Cake

makes a 10 inch round cake

• 2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 3 bananas

• 1/2 cup oil

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 heaping tablespoons raspberry jam (can substitute any flavor jam you want)

Preheat oven to 350

Peel bananas and place into a large bowl. With a fork, mash until pureed. Some chunks are good, but not too chunky. Add in the oil, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar. Mix until completely incorporated. Add in the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt gently mix into wet until just incorporated then dump into a greased 9-10 inch round cake pan. (You can use a rectangle if you want)

Grab jam and heat up in microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm and it has become more lose but not super runny. Take a small spoon and add dollops of the lose jam all over top of cake. Take a sharp knife and run it through each dollop into the cake to create a heart. Or just run the knife through all the jam blobs and swirl it around.

Pop cake into hot oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until top of cake is a nice deep brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove form oven and let cool in pan for a few minutes then carefully remove cake form pan place on a wore rack to finish cooling.

Eat whenever.

Sore in airtight container on counter or 3-4 days. Or refrigerator a week.

Banana Oat Smoothie

It’s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.

So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).

This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.

You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it’s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can’t complain about that.

To the smoothie goodness!

The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.

Everything goes into blender.

And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.

Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender… it’s totally cool)

And done.

A banana oat smoothie.

Let the good time roll!

-C

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Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

makes 1 smoothie

• 1 very ripe banana

• 1/3 cup raw old fashion oats

• 1 1/2 cups water

• pinch of salt

• a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)

• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.

Roasted Banana Strawberry Popsicles

These popsicles are bananas!!!!! (pun intended) I forgot how much I freaking love roasted strawberries and don't even get me started on roasted bananas.  Then when they are all mash up and stuck into a popsicle mold... Just amazing. Rich, creamy and full of so much good flavor plus made with only good stuff. I mean you can't get much better. This is now my new favorite go to frozen treats.

So a little confession. I made these popsicles with the intention to give them to the littles for a special popsicle breakfast but when I took the first bite of the first popsicle I changed my mind. These popsicles where too good and I wanted then all to myself. I know that makes me sound like a ass but really, they can't miss something they didn't know they were going to get.  Don't worry,  we ended up at the store that night getting ice cream (for dessert) and a box of Captain Crunch with crunch berries for breakfast the next day instead (which they didn't even eat because the mr made them with chocolate chip pancakes instead). They were happy, I was happy. Win win.

And lesson learned, make two batches for next time so I can share. I will share next time (maybe).

The stuff. 3 ripe bananas, ripe freshly picked strawberries (they don't have to be freshly picked) cashew milk, and salt.

Chop bananas into chunks and strawberries in half ans place onto a greased baking sheet.

Pop into a hot oven to roast.

Roasted and all sorts of good (If you are prone to eating you roasted fruit before using it for popsicles, roast extra).

Scoop all the banana into a blending device (I used a hand blender so they went into a measuring cup) add in a pinch of salt ans the milk. Blend until creamy smooth.

For the strawberries just mash them up with a fork on the baking sheet.

Grab your popsicle mold and fill. Start bu scooping a bit of the banana in first, add in a little strawberry, then banana again. Keep layering until the mold is full. Then top off with a popsicle stick.

Into the freezer for the freeze.

And once frozen there are no rules. Eat a popsicle and be super happy.

Enjoy and stay all sorts of cool.

-C

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Roasted Banana Strawberry Popsicles

Makes four 3.5 oz popsicles

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup plant milk (I used cashew, but any is good. Cow milk would work too)
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400

Grab a baking sheet and lightly grease it up. Peel bananas and cut into i inch pieces. and place on baking sheet. Remove stems from strawberries and cut in half. Stick those onto baking sheet as well then place the baking sheet into the hot oven.

Roast for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Place the roasted bananas into a blending device, add a pinch of salt and the milk. Blend until smooth. Take a fork and mash up the strawberries, which can be done directly on the backing sheet.

Scoop a bit of banana into each mold, then add a little mashed strawberry.. Continue layering until each mold is filled to the fill line. Add in popsicle stick then pop the filled molds into freezer,

Freeze for at least 4 hours, but 6 to 8 is safer.

Once frozen, pop from molds and eat. You can share but you don't have too.

Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread

What do you do when you have a bazillion ripe bananas? A sweet banana bread? Banaer ice cream? Mash them up in your oatmeal? These are what I usually do, well these things and just stock my freezer full of bananas because I am pretty sure that there should always be bananas in the freezer. .

I went grocery shopping and bought like a billion bananas because they were dirt cheap (19 cents a pound) and why not. There is plenty of room in the freezer.

And it was a bread making day. I wanted to make bread that involved a good knead, that the mr could have as a sandwich loaf, and that had bananas in it. (I love adding fruit and veggie purees to breads) I needed a multi functional loaf that can be used for toast and sandwiches. So I made it.

This bread doesn't have a crazy powerful banana flavor, just a light bananerness that adds a touch of sweetness and yum to the bread. Perfect for slices and slathering with peanut butter.

Pretty sure I scored on this one. It was well loved by many and eaten within days. Lucky for the mr I have a billion bananas.

The stuff. Some all purpose flour and some whole wheat (with germ) flour. A couple really ripe bananas, a little earth balance, salt, yeast, and water.

Peel and blended bananas into a smooth banana puree.

Add enough water to the bananas to make 2 cups of liquid.  Add in the yeast and earth balance and blend that in too.

Wet gets dumped and mixed into the (mixed) flours and salt.

Wet shaggy dough gets dumped onto the floured counter and kneaded for about 10 minutes into a nice uniform and smooth ball

In a bowl doing the rise

Once risen twice it's size, dump dough onto counter, shape into a log and place into a well greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again. Second rise will take a little less time then the first, just wait for the dough to dome over the sides of the pan.

Once it looks good, stick the thing into a preheated oven, close the door, and watch it bake (for about 50 minutes)

Golden brown, hollow sounding, and the instant read thermometer reads 190....Bread is all baked.Now hard part. Let that loaf sit and cool completely. (trust, it needs to cool or you will just mush it)

Now that its cooled, you slice and eat. A loaf of bread with a slight hint of banana ready for you face.

The mr has been eating it toasted with peanut butter like I predicted or dipping it into his split pea soup. (he really liked it with the soup) Just suggestions.

Bye.

-C

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Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread

makes one loaf

• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat with bran flour (plus a little more for kneading)
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons yeast (or 1 packet)
• 2 teaspoons earth balance (or butter)
• 1- 1/12 cups warm water

Peel bananas and blend them into a smooth puree. Add enough warm water to the banana mixture to equal 2 cups of liquid. Add the yeast and earth balance to the puree and mix until fully incorporated. Let sit for a few minutes to active yeast.

Whisk together the flours (start with the lesser amount) and salt in a large bowl. Dump the wet mixture into the bowl and mix together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you can no longer mix. If the dough is really wet, add in the other 1/4 of flour. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes.

Place in a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic or wax paper and a towel and place in a warm place to rise. Depending on how warm your place is, it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to double in size. Once risen, dump onto counter, shape into a log and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover again with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again for about 1/2- 45 minutes or until the dough forms a dome over the pan.

Preheat oven to 350.

When dough is done second rise, stick it into the preheated oven and bake. It should be in there for about 50 minutes, but check at 45 for a deep golden color and a internal temperature of 190. Once done, remove from oven, gently remove from pand and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled you can go for it.

Stay fresh for about 3 days in a air tight container, but I would slice and freeze any if not gone by then.