Pumpkin Banana Bread

It’s September. School is back in session, it is no longer appropriate to wear white and Starbucks released the infamous PSL. Rather than a classic pumpkin recipe I thought I would experiment a little.

What do you get when you mix banana bread and pumpkin bread?

MAGIC!

On a hunch, I decided to intertwine the recipes for my favourite banana bread and pumpkin bread. With a few alterations, the creation came out perfectly. Not too heavy on the pumpkin, not too heavy on the banana – it is truly a delicious concoction. When serving it to someone, ask what flavour they think it is. About half have said pumpkin, the other half banana. Their minds are blown when you say both.

The banana bread base is an older recipe that has been altered over the years, however the pumpkin bread part comes from Gimmie Some Oven. Also a delicious fall dessert that I often make.

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs + 2 egg whites
3/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup greek yogurt (I used vanilla greek yogurt, but can also use plain or toffuti sour cream to be non dairy)
1/2 cup milk (can use almond milk to be non-dairy)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

3) In a large bowl, mix together the first six ingredients (dry ingredients). Make sure to break up any large clumps.

4) In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin and banana well. Add eggs and egg whites, oil, greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract.

5) Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Use spatula to mix well.

6) Fill pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.

This recipe is delicious for a crowd. It makes a 9×13 cake. Cut recipe in half to make a loaf cake and reduce the baking time by 10 minutes. It freezes well. Also works well with frosting (I’m partial to cream cheese frosting), but make frosting after defrosting the cake.

Science Fact of the Week:

Pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is high in potassium, which may help lower blood pressure. It is also rich in beta-carotene and carotenoids, which, as antioxidants, may protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.