Strawberry Banana Bread

Overripe bananas + (nearly) overripe strawberries + an upcoming project launch at the office = reason enough to make Strawberry Banana Bread. I’d had my eye on a recipe for a month or so, and had all of the ingredients readily available. I knew I also wanted to surprise my team with a breakfast treat to kick off a big project launch. (Last time around, I made these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins for my team.) One hour later, my kitchen smelled like a delicious berry-filled brunch occasion. And yes, by this point it was past 10 pm, but we had to try the spoils, so we had breakfast for dessert. (For a strawberry banana flavored fix at any time of day, my family also loves these Pure Organic Strawberry Banana Fruit Bars.)

My favorite part about this bread is the strawberry topping. Next time I make a loaf, my plan is to add more of the strawberry mixture and swirl it into the batter itself so that you get a bit of berry (and banana) with every bite. :)

The Makings:

• All-purpose flour – 2 cups, 1 Tablespoon
• Baking soda – 3/4 teaspoon
• Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
• Sugar – 1 cup (I used a vanilla bourbon sugar we had in our spice cabinet)
• Butter – 1/4 cup, softened
• Eggs – 2
• Bananas – 3, mashed
• Vanilla yogurt – 1/3 cup
• Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons
• Almond extract – 1/2 teaspoon

Strawberry topping

• Strawberries – 10-12, hulled
• Sugar – 1 teaspoon

The Sweetness:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan. (I used a 9×5 inch pan.)

2. To make the strawberry topping, use a food processor or blender to pulse the strawberries and sugar until smooth.

3. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl using a mixer. Slowly beat in the eggs and then add in mashed bananas, yogurt, vanilla extract and almond extract. Once blended, mix in the dry ingredients, too.

4. Transfer batter into loaf pan. Add dollops of strawberry topping and swirl mixture into batter using a butter knife.

5.  Bake for approx. 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This recipe was adapted from Happy Food, Healthy Life