Pecan Banana Bread

 

This cardamom pecan banana bread is the perfect excuse for baking, when you need to use up those bananas that are feeling sorry for themselves in the fruit bowl!

This recipe is prepared in less than 15 minutes, and has the additional crunch of pecans and the sweet spice of cardamom to take it to the next level.

Of course, you also get to savour the delicious aroma of baked banana while it cooks. The hardest bit will be waiting for it to cool before you eat it!

Bon appétit!   

Jump to:

•  
• ❤️ Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Baking time
• 🥗 Side Dishes
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• More cakes like this
• 📋 Recipe
• 💭 Top tips
• 💬 Comments

Whether you call this a pecan banana bread, a banana loaf or banana cake, this is such an easy recipe to bake. It's perfect if you want something easy to bake with the children.

Delicious for breakfast, a snack or as a dessert, this cardamom banana bread is packed full of flavours and crunch.

There are also lots of different ways to vary this recipe, according to your tastes.

❤️ Why you will love this dish

• Great for using overripe bananas.
• Easy to make in one bowl.
• Change the ingredients to taste.
• Enjoy cold as a snack or with cream or custard as dessert.

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🥘 Ingredients

Most of the cake ingredients you will already have to hand.

• Butter - softened butter for a richer cake.
• Sugar - soft light brownsugar will give it a fudgier texture than plain granulated sugar
• Flour - self raising flour If you don't have this add half a teaspoon of baking powder per 100g/half a cup, but note this is not the same as baking soda
• Eggs - I prefer to use large free range eggs.
• Pecans - chopped for the cake and and some to decorate.
• Ground cardamom - used frequently in curries, this sweet and aromatic spice is perfect in cakes and biscuits as a change from nutmeg and cinnamon.
• Apricot jam - for glazing but this is totally optional.
• Icing sugar - optional, mixed with water to drizzle on the bread if you like

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• loaf tin - approximately 11 cm x 24 cm / capacity 1.2 litres, (about 2 pints)
• sieve
• mixing bowl
• wooden spoon
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• wooden spoon

🔪 Instructions

Mash the bananas with a fork and set aside.

Start by creaming together the butter and sugar until it's fluffy. You can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or in the mixer. The mixture should be much paler than yellow, with all the sugar incorporated

Beat in the eggs and bananas. Don't worry if it looks grainy at this stage.

Roughly chop the pecans by hand. You could use a food processor. but just pulse a few times as you want there to be some crunch and it's easy to turn them to dust.

Sift the flour with the ground cardamom and fold into the wet mixture with the chopped pecans. 

Line a loaf tin with baking parchment that is about 11cm by 24cm or holds 1.2 litres, (about 2 pints), and scrape the mixture into the tin.

Decorate the top with whole pecans.

• If you can't get hold of ground cardamom then buy green cardamom pods. Remove the seeds from the pods and either grind them in a pestle and mortar or in a grinder. I find it's easier to keep a small electric coffee grinder just for spices, especially as ground cardamom can lose it's flavour quickly.
• When you have ripe bananas, but aren't ready to make anything, simply freeze them by putting whole peeled bananas in a freezer bag and defrosting before use.

⏲️ Baking time

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for 50 minutes to an hour.

If you insert a skewer into the middle of the loaf it should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

If you like you can melt a tablespoon of apricot jam with a little water in a pan. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of the cake.

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add a few drops of water at a time until it is just pourable.

I find it's easiest to use a fork to drizzle the icing back and forth over the top of the cake.

Be sure to let the pecan banana bread cool completely before serving or it will be difficult to cut.

🥗 Side Dishes

Serve as a brunch with some of these ideas.

• Sable Biscuits
• Almond Financiers
• Gluten Free Friands
• Cardamom and Lime Madeleines
• Nutella Macarons
• Croissants
• Sacristains

Serve in slices as it is or, if you choose not to ice the cake, it's a delicious tea time treat spread with butter.

This cake is also delicious served hot. Cut a square of cake and microwave on full power for 10-20 seconds and serve with ice cream or custard.

Perfect for a last minute dessert!   

🥙 Substitutions

• Butter - use baking spread.

📖 Variations

• Nuts - use chpped walnuts, brazils or macadamias.
• Spice - use cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger for a change.
• Dried fruits - add some raisins or dried cranberries for extra texture.

🍣 Storage

• Container - cool and store in an airtight container. Best eaten within 5 days.
• Freezer - slice and freeze in airtight containers for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais

More cakes like this

• White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies
• Cherry Madeira Cake
• Jamaica Ginger Cake
• Avocado Cake with Banana and Pecans
• Orange Marmalade Drizzle Cake
• Chocolate Easter Bundt Cake with Ganache

📋 Recipe

More baking ideas

🍲 Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.

However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.

However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.

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