Jacked-up Banana Bread

I’ve taken a long hiatus from baking so much so that I’ve lost track of the baking inventory in the house. Last weekend I just poked my head about the cabinets to gather what I could find and came up with Smitten Kitchen’s jacked-up banana bread. Banana bread has always been a staple recipe for me because I love the aroma of bananas in baked goods. My go-to recipe is usually Joy the Baker’s Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread, but I was too lazy to set up the mixer to whisk the egg whites so I tried out a new one from Smitten Kitchen instead.

Jacked-up Banana Bread
Smitten Kitchen

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer, I always use the smaller amount)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
5. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean.
7. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

I divided my loaves into two mini loaf pans and baked them for about 45 minutes at 175 Celsius. I skipped the bourbon (because we didn’t have any) and used 5 bananas instead of 4, and I’m wondering how it would taste like with a shot of bourbon in. I used 3/4 cup sugar but found it a little too sweet for my taste. We also ran out of ground cinnamon powder so I had to grind my own spices using a mortar and pestle the traditional way. The end result was wonderful; although it tasted more like cake than quick bread. The nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves really served to heighten the whole thing. It was my first time using more than one spice in baking so was pleasantly surprised with the aromas.