Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Here’s what happens in life. You ready?

The gas light comes on in the car. Your six-month dental checkup comes due. You realize you didn’t pay your credit card bill. Somebody gets the promotion you deserved. Your favorite pair of shoes loses a heel in the middle of the workday. And the bananas lie forgotten on the counter, turning from green to yellow to spotty to brown.

But that last one has a definite upside because all you do is bake it into banana bread. Moist, delicious, banana bread filled and glazed with brown sugar. Just for those days when things aren’t going quite your way!

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

The other day, we took the kids to a swim center with a three-foot therapy pool. If you’ve never been to one of those, I must recommend it. The water is warm (like in the 80s warm), and the pool is surrounded by hot tubs.

Sadly, I never actually bonded with the hot tubs because I was with my four year-old (who cannot swim), but it felt good to sit with her in the warm water, waves gently lapping to and fro. The pool also had a slide and splash fountains, which means my older kids had a blast.

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

See, here’s the thing. We’ve been desperately trying to get our children, especially our oldest, to swim. He’s fighting it like nothing else. We’ve been through six rounds of lessons and it’s still not technically happening. At least he’s not doing what he did last summer, which was holding onto the side with a death grip while floating his legs out, screaming, “I’m swimming! I’m swimming!”

Now we’ve got some head under water progress, and I’m waiting for the day when they can all float so I can breathe a little easier. I see families at the pool relaxing and I think, hey, that could be me someday. But somehow I doubt it. No matter how soon or how well my kids swim, I’ll always be that mom squatting at the edge of the pool, eyes darting back and forth at all her spawn. Yes, even when they’re 25. I can only relax at a pool when my kids aren’t there.

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

So after we all trooped back from the swim center, we had this banana bread waiting for us. It was a good after-pool snack because you know everyone is always starving after a swim. This bread is hearty and doesn’t disappoint.

To make sure everyone could enjoy it, I used gluten-free oat flour as the base. And instead of using just white sugar, I put a great deal of brown sugar into the batter to make it super moist. The top is covered with a buttery, thick brown sugar glaze. It tastes like caramel.

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Life is full of inconveniences, but nobody ever complained about the leftover bananas on the counter. Or at least, they shouldn’t. Because they make the sweetest brown sugar banana bread ever. Whether you bake this up for Mother’s Day or just for a random day of the week, it’s a fantastic breakfast treat!

 

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Ingredients

Bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 medium or 3 large ripe mashed bananas
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oat flour (certified gluten-free)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
1/4 cup unsalted butter (salted if you want it to taste like salted caramel)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a loaf pan generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and both sugars until well mixed. Add the mashed bananas, oil, yogurt and vanilla, stirring until smooth (there will be some banana lumps). Add the dry ingredients, mixing again until the batter is well combined.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  4. Cool completely and remove the cake to a plate.
  5. Make the glaze. On the stovetop, heat the butter, brown sugar and heavy cream until boiling, stirring regularly. Let the mixture boil for a minute and then turn down the heat. Simmer for an additional minute and then remove the saucepan from the heat completely. Add the sifted powdered sugar, stirring until it dissolves.
  6. Wait a few minutes for the glaze to thicken slightly. Spoon it over the bread and let it set.
  7. Slice the bread when you're ready. Store covered.
http://justaboutbaked.com/brown-sugar-banana-bread/

 

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 20 Comments

  1. Jasline (Foodie Baker)

    Spotty / brown bananas are the best! I usually buy bananas and pretend to forget about them until they can be made into cakes, and this is another banana bread recipe that I’m going to try, looks so moist and delicious!
    Jasline (Foodie Baker) recently posted…How to Make Homemade Clear Bone Stock / Broth (Chicken / Pork / Beef)My Profile

    1. Mir

      I don’t pretend to forget them. That’s so funny though! I actually can’t remember they’re there!

  2. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    Maybe this will be the year that your oldest will finally like to learn swimming a little more! I don’t have kids, but I can definitely relate with the worrying part. I think I would be the exact same way…water is just too dangerous! This banana bread looks amazing, Mir! I purposely let bananas go brown (since my husband won’t eat those) just so I can make banana goodies. Why have I never thought to use brown sugar in the glaze? Love this!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Mini Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheesecake PiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Yep, the water freaks me out on their behalf. I’ll just hope he picks it up soon!

  3. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    Hahaha. So true, life is FULL of inconveniences, Mir… but I’m so glad lack of a delicious, brown sugary banana bread doesn’t have to be one of them! I LOVE banana bread, like it is definitely one of my all time favorite breads, and this looks flippin’ amazing!! All that brown sugar and that glaze has me like whoa!! Serious drool fest over here! I need a few loaves of this in my life, ASAP. Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend!
    P.S. Good luck with the swim lessons this summer! Fingers crossed for your oldest… and that all your kids learn to float. 😉
    Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…30+ Cocktails for Cinco de Mayo {or any Mexican Themed Party}My Profile

    1. Mir

      Floating can be so relaxing, too…

  4. Michele @ Alwayzbakin

    We have that same problem with our youngest son. He is afraid of the water. He does better and better each time we go to the pool, but I feel like you when you say you will never be able to relax at the pool. 😮 This banana bread sounds so SINful! Love the way the glaze looks on top.
    Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…May The 4th Be With You Cheese CrackersMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I guess it’s common, then. But it’s tough to have pooltime!

  5. Aria

    Ooh I love swimming, but I always get so hungry afterwards too! And it’s funny – I took lessons for a while, but I’m still not sure if I can swim. Haha! Oh my word, the glaze on this looks so good!! I love making banana foods!
    Aria recently posted…20 DIY Mother’s Day GiftsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Swimming also makes me ravenous. It’s the best feeling!

  6. Ami@NaiveCookCooks

    Girl I love banana bread but this looks super moist!! I am ashamed to admit but I am seriously bad at swimming too. I mean I can swim around but ask me to even put my face inside water and I freak out!! I can understand how you get worried with your kids. I don’t have kids yet but I am same with my younger baby brother!
    Ami@NaiveCookCooks recently posted…Summer Fruit Cake TrifleMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Oh no! Well, maybe you just aren’t a water person. Stay on land where it’s safe! 🙂

  7. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Mir, I love this post! First off, re: this delicious banana bread. . LOVE it! and re: swimming, ok, with my oldest, I did the thing that most parents don’t do, I signed her up for classes with the “swim Nazi”. I’m not even joking, this is what she is called. This was back when we lived in WA. Anyway, I did this for her safety. . you can probably tell by her name what her method of training was. . everyday, kids would be crying and I would be sitting there, with the rest of the mothers, on the edge of our seats, wondering if I had made the wrong decision to sign her up. I think one the day, they were learning how to dive, the teacher may have literally pushed her in. With notice and there was an assistant close by. Her method of teaching isn’t the best but it did work for us.. and for many others. She basically isn’t soft and thinks of learning how to swim as survival and safety. I hope some of this is making sense. Anyway, for my oldest it worked. For my youngest, I would never put her into a class like this. . so it’s to be evaluated on a kid-by-kid basis. This is certainly not for all children. But again, it worked for my oldest. She still isn’t the best swimmer but she can swim and knows what to do in the water. . and surprisingly she isn’t afraid of the water anymore. Thank you God that the lessons didn’t traumatize her. anyway, I’m trying to figure out how swimming lessons for my 5 year old for this summer. . so maybe just consider an option that you might not have considered before. And there will be another promotion, don’t you worry. Buy another pair of heels and I hope you have the GREATEST Mother’s Day this Sunday!!!! xoxoxoxo!
    Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Strawberry Salad TartMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Oh my lord. I don’t know if I could do the Swim Nazi thing. I’m such a wuss about stuff like that. Though it would be a little hilarious to watch someone push my kid into the pool. Now we’re doing another round of lessons in what is essentially a heated kid pool tank, and I just really want it to work. So badly. Maybe we should start a trauma group for the moms instead of the kids?
      And thanks for the words of encouragement. I’ve had a rough season, but that’s the way of life. The important stuff is still great!

  8. Jen | Baked by an Introvert

    I need this banana bread in my life! When everything else is going wrong, you can count on sweet, delicious banana bread to make you feel better.
    Jen | Baked by an Introvert recently posted…Cold Stone Strawberry Splendor Cake™My Profile

    1. Mir

      So true, Jen. It’s never let me down!

  9. Manali @ CookWithManali

    the bread looks gorgeous, brown sugar makes everything better
    Manali @ CookWithManali recently posted…Mango MastaniMy Profile

    1. Mir

      It sure does, Manali. Thanks!

  10. Mary Frances

    Perfect use of leftover bananas– and seems good for dessert or snack!

    1. Mir

      Or anything in between, Mary Frances!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge