Think of a beautiful setting — you’re sitting in a Zen Garden with a harp playing in the background. Your mind is at peace, heart full of joy, and body so relaxed and comfortable. That’s where I am transported to every time I savor my comfort food — “The Banana Bread”. I got my first taste of this deliciously scrumptious dessert when I happened to come across a café nestled in the corner of my favorite apparel store called Fab India in Bangalore, India. I still remember the very first flavorful bite of this very moist cake glazed with an amazing buttercream frosting. It was a sinfully deep love with this wonder food, and since then never have I been deterred from expressing my intense feelings for this delight. Such has been my obsession for this that if I can’t go to Fab India, Fab India comes to meet and greet me in the kitchen. After multiple painstaking tastings and numerous baking attempts, I have managed to create a concoction for my insatiable palate: a shout out to all the master bakers who made it possible for me. Many times, you will find me unabashedly partaking it with my favorite beverage, tea.
So, what are you waiting for? Don your apron and let’s get baking!
Ingredients
Banana Bread
Two cups all-purpose flour
Three-fourth teaspoon baking soda
Half teaspoon salt
One cup sugar
One-fourth cup butter softened
Two large eggs
Three ripe bananas mashed
One-third cup plain low-fat yoghurt
One to Two teaspoons vanilla extract
One-eighth of a teaspoon nutmeg — I grate fresh nutmeg
Half cup chopped walnuts
Loads of enthusiasm and appetite
Buttercream Frosting
One-fourth cup butter softened
Two cups powdered sugar
One teaspoon vanilla
Three to Five tablespoons whole milk depending on the consistency you want
Instructions
Banana Bread
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with butter and line it with parchment paper.
2) In a small bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together like flour, baking soda, and salt. In another larger bowl, take sugar and melted butter and whisk it until well combined. Add the eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla extract, whisking the mixture after each addition until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients along with nutmeg and the walnuts just until moist.
3)Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake it 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4) Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes on the countertop.
5) After 10 minutes remove from the pan and transfer this masterpiece to a large plate and let it cool completely.
While the bread is getting ready whiff up a batch of buttercream frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
1) In a bowl, take melted butter and add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until smooth. Depending on your preference, add more sugar for thicker consistency or more milk for thinner consistency. It should be thicker than a glaze, but a little thinner than a frosting.
2) Spread on the banana bread while the bread has cooled and refrigerate for a couple of hours for the frosting to set.
When you are ready to devour it, take it out of the fridge, warm it a bit, and Bon Appetit!!!!