coconutty bananarama!

i've been doing a lot of baking lately. must be the weather...and the amazing smells you get especially when it's something sweet in the oven. this time around, i decided to make a banana bread. there were exactly three bananas that was getting to the point of overripe and i thought that it was high time that they went into something besides the trash can. so, i took a gander in my cupboards and spied a can of coconut milk.

didn't i see a recipe for that?

so off to the computer i went and looked in my pins for a coconut bread recipe that i had saved. lo and behold, i did have one! and amazingly enough, i also had all the ingredients for it. it was a sign and, by golly, i took it!

the bread smelled wonderful while it was in the oven and filled our apartment with the scent of sweet baked bananas. the best part of it all? it tasted as good as it smelled! nice and most, slightly coconutty with a strong almond flavor, but with a great texture without losing the fact that it was still a banana bread...oh my god, was it good! i couldn't help myself...i ended up getting a couple of pieces right when i got it out of the oven. :) this is definitely a keeper!

 

Coconut Banana Bread
(from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract (i doubled this cuz i love the stuff. >:D )
2 1/2 cups self rising flour (use all purpose and increase baking soda to 1 tsp)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup light coconut milk (used a full can of lite coconut milk)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (or shredded coconut)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In the bowl using a wooden spoon mix the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the mashed banana and the coconut milk.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients. Start and end with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in the flaked coconut.

Pour the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour and 15 minutes, when a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. *Adjust time if you use mini loaf pans...about 45 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.