Mango Spice Banana Bread

Mango Spice Banana Bread

Necessity was again the mother of invention when it came to this new version of Banana Bread. I'm not sure why Spouse keeps buying so many bananas when they never seem to all get eaten before they start to get over ripe. This time a sweet, very ripe mango shared the bottom of the fruit bowl with the bananas. First, I figured I'd make spice muffins with the mango and banana bread with the bananas but then it occurred to me, "Why not combine the two?" The result was really delicious and well worth trying.

Make sure you dice the mango quite small (under 1/2 inch), especially of it is very ripe, to make sure the mango pieces stay evenly distributed in the batter. This is my new favorite banana bread. These flavors really do go together exceptionally well.

Mango Spice Banana Bread

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

A different mango and spice twist on a traditional banana bread. A great addition to packed lunches or as an afternoon snack. Makes a terrific bake sale contribution too.

Prep time: Approximately 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: Apprroximately 1 hour 15 miutes
Yield: 1 large or 2 small loaves
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest, finely minced
• 1 large ripe mango, diced small

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs, mashed banana and orange zest.
3. Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with orange juice.
4. Fold in diced mango.
5. Pour batter into 1 large or two small greased loaf pans and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired for a little extra crunch.
6. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour depending upon pan size. A toothpick inserted in the center which comes out clean is the best indicator that the loaf is fully baked. 

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

While Spouse still dearly loves her bread puddings, my favorite comfort food dessert still remains the English classic Sticky Toffee Pudding. The pudding is dense and sweet, served warm with a delicious toffee sauce. The texture of the pudding appears cake-like but it sort of collapses in your mouth to a dense, rich, caramel-y, luscious bite that is simply addictive.

Like in our Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake, I've taken that texture and translated it into an outstanding dessert cake, this time with the seasonal favorite flavor of pumpkin spice. It is abundantly obvious that as a result of writing Rock Recipes website, our family has more than our fair share of delicious desserts but truth be told, it is quite rare that anyone in our family will eat any more than a single serving. Friends and neighbors on the "Leftover List" are always the lucky recipients of the surplus dessert.

While that is now normal procedure at our house, yesterday it became a matter of absolute necessity of practically emergency priority. My resistance can be quite high for many desserts but this cake, with it's amazing texture, spicy pumpkin flavor and caramel hints from the brown butter in the frosting, was practically irresistible to me. I had only a single slice and within an hour or so after I took the photos, I had cut the cake into 4 chunks and had them delivered them to 4 different households in the neighborhood.  A mixture of relief and regret immediately ensued but in the end I know this will become a seasonal Autumn favorite and I already have plans to serve it again at an upcoming gathering. Be sure to add it to your Fall favorites.

Click the links below to check out our other "sticky toffee" themed desserts.

Perfect English Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Banana Cake

Sticky Banana Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Inspired by the famous British dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding and another banana cake version of it that I developed, this dense moist cake is the perfect way to use those Fall pumpkins. This cake does not have a typical cake texture; like a good sticky toffee pudding, it sort of collapses in your mouth to a dense, rich, caramel-y, luscious bite that is simply addictive. Using brown butter in the frosting adds a beautiful caramel note to the cream cheese icing.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes to 1 hour
Yield: 12 - 16 servings
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (you can use canned pumpkin puree if you prefer)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dark corn syrup (or golden syrup)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
• 1 kilo bag (2.2 lbs) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1-3 tbsp milk enough to bring the frosting to a spreadable consistency
• 1 cup butter, browned
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract vanilla extract

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. The parchment paper greatly aids the release of the cakes from the pans when baked.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Mix together the pureed pumpkin and baking soda and set aside.
4. Cream together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla well.
5. Beat in the dark corn syrup (or golden syrup).
6. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add the pumpkin mixture and blend until smooth.
8. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and baking powder.
9. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in three equal portions mixing until smooth after each addition.
10. Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 -15 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
12. TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
13. You must first brown the butter over medium heat. It will simmer until all the water boils off then quickly turn a golden brown. As soon as it turns a deep golden brown remove it from the heat, let it settle for 5 minutes, then decant it into a heatproof glass measuring cup. Chill until it solidifies.
14. Mix the cooled brown butter with all the frosting ingredients and beat well until smooth and fluffy. Add only a little milk at first and just add a little at a time until you get the perfect spreadable consistency. 

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Sweet Potato Spice Snack Cake

A lunchbox favorite and close cousin to gingerbread. Another very easy way to use up leftover baked or steamed sweet potatoes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine for about 2 minutes:
2 eggs
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
¼ cup molasses
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil

Sift together:

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon

Fold dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture to combine well but do not over mix. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x9 inch square baking pan and bake in a 325 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve. Delicious warm or cold; also delicious with butterscotch or rum sauce.