I am on a quest to find the quentessential banana bread recipe - I make one about once a month and each one is better than the last. I really love the idea of soaking cranberries or sultanas in liquor - the cranberries in this one are soaked in coffee liqueur and they taste utterly fantastic.

ingredients:

	100 g dried cranberries
	75 ml coffee liqueur
	175 g whole wheat flour
	2 teaspoons baking powder
	½ teaspoon baking soda
	½ teaspoon salt
	125 g unsalted butter, melted
	150 g white sugar
	2 large eggs
	2 large (or 4 small) very ripe bananas (about 300 g without skins), mashed
	60 g chopped pecans
	1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. Rut the cranberries and coffee liqueur in a small saucepan and bring to the boil (it won't take long). Remove from heat, cover and leave for an hour, or until the cranberries have absorbed most of the liqueur.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F (approximately 170 C). Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and combine with a spoon or whisk. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between and then add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract. Drain the cranberries and with the mixer on low, add the cranberries and pecans. Then add the flour mixture, a third at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Scrape into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 10 - 15 minutes then turn out onto rack to fully cool. Serve thickly sliced with coffee...breakfast lunch or dinner.

after-thoughts:

* the original recipe called for white flour and I substituted whole wheat in this and it didn't taste heavy or "good for you"...it tastes dense and decadent.

recipe origin: * adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe ("How to Be a Domestic Goddess")

Filed under:   Breakfast Foods   Bread   Cakes

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