The Diary of a Displaced Housewife is now Life In Fuchsia…


'The Diary of the Displaced Housewife' is now 'Life in Fuschia'

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Banana Bread with Apricot Glaze


Sometimes you need a little something to perk you up in the afternoon, to make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure… yesterday it was a humble slice of banana bread that made my husband and me take a moment and just indulge!  When I first read the recipe for the bread, I’ll admit I had major doubts about the moistness or the taste of the bread. It was a deceptively simple recipe but one that yielded a slice of absolute decadence. One of the things I love about cooking is how the simplest of ingredients come together to create the most magical flavors.

The bread was moist, flavorful with a beautiful dark rich color that just called out to you to take a bite.  The overtones of banana were in perfect harmony with the bite of the walnuts and the sticky sweetness of the apricot glaze. Now tell me… how can you resist making this banana bread?


Banana Bread with Apricot Glaze

What you need:
2 Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/1/4 cups Sugar
A pinch of Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
¾ cup Milk
1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
½ cup Canola Oil
¼ cup chopped Walnuts (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons Apricot Jam to glaze the loaf

Getting down to business:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit . Grease a 9 by 5 standard loaf pan with butter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and milk ensuring there are no lumps. Keep aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the bananas and sugar. Mix well for about 5 minutes till well combined and sugar is almost dissolved. Add in the salt and beaten eggs. Mix well.
Add in the mil mixture. Combine till blended. Then add in the flour. On a low speed, combine till it is just incorporated.
At this stage, add in the oil. Mix well.
Transfer the batter to the buttered loaf pan. Bake for about 60 to 65 minutes or till golden brown. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. If the cake takes longer than 65 minutes to bake, that’s fine. Just ensure it doesn’t over bake and dry out.
Once you remove from the oven, let it sit in the pan on a cooling wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then gently loosen the sides with a knife if needed and invert onto the rack. Invert the loaf and let it cool.
Meanwhile, microwave the apricot jam for about 20 to 25 seconds or until runny. Be careful with the hot jam. Spread this warmed jam onto the loaf while it is still warm. I had some extra glaze, so I used it on the sides of the loaf too.
Once it’s completely cooled, cut into slices and serve.

Notes:
This bread is so rich, you can serve it as a cake. Although I’m sure the sweetness of the bread would be great with the tang of cream cheese for a quick snack.
I’d run out of milk, so I diluted equal parts of condensed milk and water to substitute for the milk. As a result, to balance out the sweetness I reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe.
If you don’t have apricot jam on hand, worry not! Try marmalade as a glaze. Or as the cake is quite moist, you could even skip the glaze altogether.


Recipe courtesy Tea & Crumpets by Margaret Johnson




I am sending this delicious banana bread all the way over to the lovely Chaitra's bread event! Don't forget to check it out!




35 comments:

  1. my my..u said it right...cant resist....divine cake and wht a lovely dark brown color......perfectly done dear....

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  2. Wow, looks great !!! Would love to have it with my evening coffee :)

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  3. You're right I cannot resist making this banana bread, apricot jam is just one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. My absolute weakness is banana bread. I'm always sure to have plenty of overly ripe, ugly bananas on hand. I'm always looking for new banana bread recipes...thanks for sharing this one! =)

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  5. wow both very nice,luks awesome...

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  6. Your banana bread with apricot glaze looks great. I would like a slice with a cup of hot coffee :) Thanks for sharing this one =)

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  7. I adore the banana bread! Yours looks so moist and seriously good!

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  8. Apricot jam is my favorite, and on top of banana bread couldn't be better.
    Great recipe.

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  9. i love the flavors you have here, the super sweet banana bread and the flavor the apricot glaze sounds like a wonderful combination. may have to try this in muffin form soon.

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  10. Looks like a very promising recipe, and I love the use of the apricot glaze. I know just what you mean about that moment in the afternoon when you need a little something to transport you into a sweet and tasty place!

    I like your blog!

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  11. This sounds like a perfect mid-afternoon snack. the love the idea of the glaze!

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  12. that looks delicious!!! Great blog just found it now :)


    D E G A I N E

    http://www.fashiondegaine.com

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  13. I love the banana bread. Yours look lovely!

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  14. I love banana bread. Looks like a nice recipe. I just made some but the crust seemed hard. I used less of everything in yours except flour, so maybe that is the culprit!

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  15. We were on the same wavelength this week--I just posted this morning on the same thing. I like your addition of apricot glaze, though. I bet it was good! :-)

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  16. Hy,
    First time here...wondrful space you have with awesome collection of recipes..Happy to follow u.
    Do drop in at my space sometime.

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  17. Looks very appetizing to me, delicious preparation.

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  18. Banana bread is the most popular dessert now. Never have I seen it with an apricot glaze! That looks amazing!

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  19. Love the addition of the apricot glaze:)

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  20. @ Magic of spice - Thank you! It's such a simple step that made a huge difference!

    @ Rick - Thanks Rick! Also thanks for dropping by! :)

    @ Malar - Hey Malar! I hope you try it out too!

    @ Jay - Hi Jay! Thanks for coming by! Will surely drop by your blog...

    @ Lemons and Anchovies - What can I say... great minds think alike! :)

    @ The Hungry Artist - Hey there! I'm sorry your recipe didn't work out. Unfortunately with baking, you need to be precise in the ratio of ingredients to balance every thing out. If you added less fat or liquid in proportion to flour, that could have caused the crust to be hard. Also while baking, if you ever feel your cake is browning too fast, tent it with aluminum foil. Hope this helps!

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  21. @ Rachana - Hi Rachana! Glad to hear from you again :) The bread was really yummy! Hope you try it out!

    @ Farah - Hey Farah! Thanks for coming by! I hope you like the posts here.. do let me know if there are any specific recipes you would like to read about!

    @ A spicy perspective- Hi! This loaf did a lot of damage to my waistline this last week because I kept reaching for it every afternoon!

    @ Jane - Hi Jane! I do need a little something in the afternoons to keep me going! Thank you for your kind words.

    @ Cocina Savant - Ooo! Love the thought of banana muffins! Do let me know how it turns out! :)

    @ Anna - Hey Anna! The glaze really seeps into the loaf and makes a world of difference! Hope you try the recipe out :)

    @ Angie - Hi Angie! The loaf was super moist and stayed that way for a couple days. Thanks for coming by! :)

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  22. @ Elin - Your welcome anytime to join me for a slice and cup of tea! There's nothing like sharing a cup of tea with good company!

    @ Premalatha - Hi there! Thanks for the kind words! :)

    @ Teenie Cakes - I totally am with you in the same boat about the rotting bananas! I don't why it happens but they always end up ripening too much and end up in muffins and cakes :) It must be my sub conscious!

    @ Madin - Hi Madin! Do this try out the bread and let me know how it comes out! :) I love banana bread too!

    @ Priya - Hi Priya Sweetie! This is great with coffee and also as dessert, slightly warmed with vanilla ice cream!

    @ Sanyukta - Thanks Sanyukta! Although I have to say, the pictures don't do it any justice! It was really awesome!

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  23. Thanks for dropping by my blog. This bread looks wonderfully rich. Banana bread with apricots ~ how can you go wrong??

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  24. wow inviting.....i wud love to have a slice of this banana bread....
    Inviting you to my bread mania event...
    http://http//www.athidhyam.com/2010/05/event-bread-mania.html

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  25. Apricot glaze?!? I think I just cried a little. I wish you were my neighbor so I could drop by unannounced and invite myself to a piece of this bread :)

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  26. @ Chaitra - Hi Chaitra! Thank you so much for dropping by :) I would love to be a part of your bread event! I'll send my Banana Bread as an entry! Thanks for the invite!

    @ Lawyer Loves Lunch - Hey there! You're always welcome to drop in anytime you're in LA! I'll bake up a loaf for you and just for you (although we'll have to keep that a secret from my husband)!

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  27. I'm loving the idea of apricot glaze for banana bread! Delicious!

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  28. First time commenter...just wanted to say that your banana bread looks amazing! And I live in LA too!

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  29. The addition of the apricot glaze on the banana bread is lovely. Thank you for dropping in to say hello on my corner and I look forward to many to and fro visits :)

    Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

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  30. This cake looks wonderful and moist nad tasty.Perfect with acup of tea.

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  31. @ 5 Star Foodie - Thank you! The glaze made such a difference and added to the moistness of the loaf.

    @ Fancy that Fancy this -I like your profile name! Thanks for coming by to my blog! Where in LA are you?

    @ Devaki - Hi Devaki! Your blog rocks! Looking forward to mre of your posts. Thanks for coming by!

    @ Simply Food - Hi there! The bread was perfect for coffee or tea. I hope you get to try the recipe!

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  32. This looks fabulous! I am super excited to try the glaze next time!

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  33. This glaze sounds like the perfect compliment to banana bread! I just stumbled upon your blog and am having a great time reading through it :)

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  34. @ Debbie - Hi Debbie! The glaze really adds to the bread and somehow adds so much more flavor to the bread. Let me know how it turns out! :)

    @ Baking.Serendipity - Hey there! I'm glad you came across my blog! Your blog looks really interesting too!

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  35. Lav, this luscious bread is teasing and tempting me! :D must try it out soon... just hope with my still-to-hone baking skills, i manage to do justice to this recipe!

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