If you love banana bread, you are going to LOVE this banana cranberry bread! The fresh cranberries cut the sweetness of a classic banana bread and the pecans add a little crunch. As with any banana bread it is great the day you make it but even better the day after when all the flavours intensify. This bread would also be great topped with a cream cheese frosting with the addition of the zest and juice of a fresh lemon.
Banana Cranberry Bread
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 large bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-½ cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecan nuts
- ¼ cup milk (whole or 2%)
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C)
Prepare a loaf pan with cake release (here) or non stick spray. To make it easier to remove baked bread from the pan you can line your pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl beat the unsalted butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until light in colour and fluffy. Then add 1 egg at a time and mix until each is fully incorporated.
Mash the bananas and add the lemon juice and pure vanilla extract. Now add the bananas to the butter and egg mixture and blend until incorporated.
In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
Now stir the flour alternately with the milk into the butter mixture, making 3 additions of flour and 2 of milk.
Fold in the cranberries and chopped nuts.
Pour into a prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. You can decorate the top with whole pecan nuts and whole cranberries. If you plan on frosting your banana bread you don’t need to do this. Reserve the nuts and cranberries for decorating the frosting.
Bake in the centre of your 350 F oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Use a cake tester or skewer into the centre of the bread, if it comes out clean your bread is done.
Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing the bread from your pan. Let it come to room temperature.
Of course you can eat it straight away, but it is even better the following day! Just wrap it really well in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The bread will be good for at least 5 days in the fridge, if you don’t devour it before then!
