August 14, 2011: Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe

When I’ve got ripe bananas to use up, this is one of my favorite recipes to make. It’s light, flavorful and oh-so-good! It’s perfect for summertime, when blueberries are in season. If you can’t find blueberries, try substituting raspberries or blackberries.

Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)

1/3 cup light sour cream

2 T. grated lemon rind

1 t. vanilla

2 cups flour

¾ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan (or spray with baking Pam).

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Add egg, banana, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon rind and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir together dry ingredients and add them to the wet mixture. Carefully fold in blueberries.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool. When completely cool, drizzle with an icing of lemon juice (use the juice of one half lemon) and powdered sugar (about 1 ½ cups).

June 30, 2011: Coconut Lime Loaf Recipe

I had a baking disaster recently… I promised Margaret I would make a rhubarb custard pie to take to my women’s Bible study group. I got the pie made before dinner the night before but noticed that it didn’t cook quite like the last one I’d baked. As I was watching TV that night just before bedtime, I thought back over the recipe and realized – to my horror – that I’d forgotten to add the sugar! Needless to say, that pie ended up in the trash.

But I still needed to bring something to the Bible study group. Using what I had on hand, I quickly threw together this sweet bread the next morning and all was saved!

Coconut Lime Loaf

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
¾ cup milk
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
Zest from 3 key limes
Juice from 3 key limes (about 1/8 cup)
3 drops green food coloring

Topping:
3 T. butter
3 T. milk
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flaked or shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl or bowl of stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add alternately with milk to butter mixture. Stir in coconut.

Spread 1/3 of the batter in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. To the remaining batter add the zest, lime juice, and green food coloring. Carefully spread over the top of the batter in the loaf pan.

Prepare topping by melting butter in a small saucepan. Mix in remaining ingredients. Slowly pour over the top of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.