Spiced Rum Banana Bread

I had bananas that were mushy and way past their prime. Now most people would throw out these bananas, but not me. Infact I wait for them to over ripe. I know its weird, but in my opinion over ripened bananas have more potential than its just-ripe ancestor. Not only is it sweeter, making it perfect for desserts, its also melt in your mouth soft. One of the many things I do with leftover bananas, is make banana bread. Did I mention you can make this in one bowl?

Adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com

Makes 1 loaf to fit a tin of approx.16"

4 ripe bananas (I used those big Kerala plantains. If you are using regular bananas I'd suggest using 6)
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (over ripened bananas are generally sweeter hence I cut down on the sugar, you can up the level of sweetness)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 175°C. In a large bowl cut and mash the bananas. Its ok if the bananas are not equally mashed and its lumpy. Mix in all ingredients except the flour and baking soda. Mix to combine. Now add in the baking soda and mix in. Add the flour last, and mix. Pour the mixture into a buttered loaf tin. Bake for approx. 1hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool, and then slice to serve.



I think the best thing I love about this bread is the cracked top crust.



Tip: If you prefer a more savoury bread, add a pinch of salt. But note that I've used salted butter so be careful how much salt you add




You can eat as is. I had some leftover buttercream frosting from my red velvet recipe which I happily slathered here.