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While I was in St. Lucia, the lovely Cindy of Once Upon A Loaf guest posted here on MBA with a fun, tipsy recipe for Bourbon Banana Bread. From the moment I read the post, I knew a boozy banana bread would soon be in my baking future.
As soon as we were through customs in St. Lucia, we were greeted by an ice cold glass of Rum Punch. And within a few minutes, we learned that rum was definitely the drink of choice on the island. Even though I’m not one to indulge in cocktails on a regular basis, I happily accepted the fruity concoction and sipped away – ya know how it goes… when in Rome!
Upon arriving at Sandals La Toc, I quickly familiarized myself with the island drink specialties and acquired quite an affinity for two tropical beverages – Dirty Banana and No Pressure – the island’s mantra.
Bananas are actually the main export crop in St. Lucia, so they were as plentiful as they were delicious. You can actually see the banana farms along the main highway. The banana trees definitely catch your attention due to their close proximity to the road and the bright blue bags that cover the fruits to protect them. Our lovely driver actually stopped several times on the journey to the resort to educate us on the farming process.
Although we couldn’t bring bananas back to the states with us, we could bring rum, and that we did. With assistance from a couple of locals, we selected a few of the island’s best brands and carefully nestled them into our suitcases. We even brought back a bottle of dried spices that is used to create your own homemade spiced rum. Much like the process of making your own vanilla, you simply add your favorite rum to the spice medley until the spices infuse the liquor. The lovely woman that walked us through the process referred to the drink as the “baby maker” as she jokingly gestured towards her infant son. Needless to say, that bottle has yet to be touched.
As soon as we were back in the states, I picked up a bunch of bananas and anxiously waited from them to turn the perfect shade of brown. I then whipped up my favorite banana bread recipe and, drawing inspiration from Cindy, I infused the batter with St. Lucia rum, cinnamon and coconut; creating an island-inspired delectable quick bread that truly highlights some of the amazing flavors of St. Lucia.
[pinit]
Rum-Coconut Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, slightly packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons dark rum
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 4-5 bananas)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, vanilla, rum, and bananas mixing until fully incorporated.
3. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add the flour mixture into the banana mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in coconut flakes. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack.
Notes:
- For a plain loaf of banana bread, simply omit the rum and coconut.
- This bread does wonderfully with all types of add-ins such as walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, etc.
- The flavor of the banana bread will intensify if allowed to sit overnight.
- To store, wrap the cooled bread in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
My Baking Addiction adapted from All Recipes
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Made this several times, using the recipe as a jumping off point. I have a friend from the islands who makes what she calls fruit bread which basically means she throws everything she has around into the batter and it always comes out wonderful. Today I made it with rum soaked raisins, walnuts and shredded cocoanut. It’s hotter than Hades outside, as it has been for the past two weeks, but I had these overripe bananas sitting on the counter and didn’t want to waste them. I’m a much braver baker thanks to my friend Bernice but still need recipe amounts, so thanks to you I now know how much to “just throw some in”. She also told me something interesting… In Trinidad the bakers take unsold breads and such and throw them in the batter when they are making a fresh batch of fruit breads so as not to waste anything…..who knew that could be done!
How fascinating, Marilyn! Your additions sound wonderful!
I love reading your blog and all your recipes! I would add some dark chocolate chips to this bread and a splash of Angostura bitters! Thanks for sharing. I am from Trinidad and Tobago. Question, can I use another type of rum other than dark?
I made this last night when I probably should’ve been sleeping, but I had all the ingredients and couldn’t resist! This banana bread is perfect in so many ways. The bread is moist but not too leaden, has a lovely crust, and the rum adds so much depth to the flavor. I also really enjoyed the texture that the coconut added. I added about 3 tablespoons of chopped pecans because I wanted to use them before they went bad and was surprised by how well the nutty-ness paired with all the flavors already there. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I will definitely be making again for myself and even friends and neighbors.
Natalie-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. I love your addition of the pecans! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving your feedback. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
I made this yesterday. I dont know what I did wrong!!! Perhaps creaming butter and sugar by hand was a big issue, but it did not turn out very well. I also do not have a bread pan so I put the batter in a round pan and probably baked it too long. I do not know what I did wrong here, but I will try again!
Ashley-
Creaming by hand could definitely create an issue with the overall outcome. A round cake pan would require a shorter baking time. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
I have to try this recipe! I love banana cakes like this. Thanks for posting it.
The search is finally over for a banana bread recipe that does justice to the banana. As a Caribbean national, I must say this made me immediately long for home. At my location, I didn’t have coconut and only had Clark’s Court white rum and it was great. What I love is that it maintained such a golden brown color in and out and gave that banana flavor some umf!! Will be making again and again.
Kizzy-
That’s so nice to hear! Thank you for stopping in to share your experience with making the bread! Have a fantastic day and thank you for following MBA!
-Jamie
I think I’m going to have to make this over the weekend. I have coconut rum on hand which should work nicely. Thanks for the great recipe!
Amazing. I added a few dashes of Angostura bitters for a truly Caribbean feel, and it brought out the flavour of the rum just that much better.
Mmm, delicious! I have a Nigella recipe for banana bread with rum that I want to try, the coconut sounds like a great addition!
Love the rum twist in the delish looking bread…