Growing up, I often sang that nursery rhyme Apples and Bananas with the well known line:
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas!
Twenty or so years later, I can definitively say that I still like to “eat, eat, eat” apples and bananas! Especially in the form of a super moist quick bread with a crusty and sweet top! After a day trip to an apple farm upstate a few weeks ago, I have been both blessed and cursed by an abundant supply of apples taking up all of my refrigerator space, and despite my (and my roommate’s and my fiancé’s) best efforts, the apple supply seemed to be ever persistent.
There’s only so many apple pies that you can bake, right? So when I had a batch of bananas start to brown, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to unite these two nursery rhyme fruits into a tasty treat! I promise you, this is a recipe to lean on when you’re looking to spice up the ol’ banana bread recipe :)
Every slice of this heavenly banana apple bread is packed with chunks of naturally sweet apple, giving a little texture surprise in every bite! Luckily for me—or rather my co-workers who benefited from my taking it to work—I had enough ripened banana to make TWO batches, one in the traditional loaf and another in an 8″ round. And you know what? I really liked how the round quick bread turned out.. perhaps in part because there was more of that sugary crust to go around!
Have you ever bucked the traditional “loaf pan” in favor of a differently shaped quick bread? I’d be happy to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of each!
For those who celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It’s back to the grind for many of us come tomorrow, but stay tuned—there’s a few exciting changes in store for penny for her thoughts!
-E
- 2 c all-purpose flour (280g)
- ¾ c sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ c ripe banana, mashed (about 2-3)
- ¼ c Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs applesauce
- 4 Tbs butter, melted
- 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
- 1¼ c and ¼ c apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2)
- (optional) cane sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9" x 5" loaf pan, or an 8" round pan. Line the bottom with parchment, grease the sides.
- Whisk together dry ingredients--flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, beat then mix eggs together with mashed banana, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, applesauce, and melted butter until combined.
- In a small bowl, toss and coat diced apples with 1 Tbs of flour. This helps contain the moisture from the apple pieces during baking, and helps with suspension in the batter.
- In 2 or 3 additions, fold in dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until batter is incorporated with no streaks. Be careful to not over mix.
- Fold 1¼ c of the coated apples into the batter. Reserve the remaining ¼ cup.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- With the remaining apples, arrange on top of the poured batter. Optionally sprinkle with a handful of cane sugar as desired for a crusty, sweet top!
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until golden brown. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the loaf; it should come out clean.
- Remove and cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy!
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