AFAM - Coconut Banana Bread

When cooking magazines first arrive at my house, I seem to whiz right through, only seeing the words that jump off the page at me. I don’t take time to read it carefully, read it completely. I look for things I know I will like and don’t explore the new, the unknown. But on long drives, I find that I go through my magazine 2 or even 3 times. I read through the articles and the recipes – even the ones I don’t think I will like. Then I look through all the pictures, trying to get more ideas of how to get those incredible pictures everyone has on their food blogs! Then, sometimes, I read through again, folding down the corners of what I plan to make.

That is exactly what happened this week. I traveled to the Andes to deliver some Christmas goods to a small mountains town. On the way, I took up the Cooking Light special 20th edition from September of this year. I went through the magazine several times and found myself turning down the corner for something that I had missed the first several times through. It was a quick bread using bananas and coconut. I knew I had brown spotted bananas waiting for me at home and for some reason, I had bought coconut at the store. I think I am finally coming to grips with the fact that I do like freshly grated, unsweetened coconut. I have always lived with the idea that I hate coconut. But what I dislike are those bags of sugar coated white strings – what they say is sweetened coconut. ACK! Natural, I can do…sweetened? Never.

This morning as I pondered what I should bake today (that is a daily question with me!) I decidedly pulled out the magazine I had had with me and began to bake this cake. With coconut as its star ingredient, this is being submitted to AFAM (A Fruit A Month) which is featuring Dry Fruit this month. AFAM was created by Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual, and this month being hosted by Lathama of The Yum Blog.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

1 cup of flour
1 cup of wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup of plain low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons of dark rum
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of flaked unsweetened coconut
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon of flaked unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flours, baking soda, and salt; stirring with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup of coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of coconut. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf. Adapted from Cooking Light, September 2007.

Other AFAM Posts:
Moroccan Chicken