Banana Bread with Cajeta

Imagine a moist banana bread with a crunchy and chewy exterior and an interior that has the perfect balance between sweet and tart. Drooling much? Yes? Well lucky you because today I'll be sharing my easy banana bread recipe! This bread has everything you dream of, a slight tartness from the dried cranberries, a bit of crunchiness from the roasted nuts, and chewiness from the cajeta and honey topping. 

If you are wondering what is cajeta, it's basically a goat's milk caramel that's rich in flavor with a slight silky texture. Cajeta is often sold in glass jars or squeezable plastic bottles located in the Hispanic section of most super market. If you don't like cajeta or can't find any in your local super market then you can easily substitute it with caramel sauce.

You may notice that the bread in the photo is slightly burned around the edges. Do not worry, that's just flavor (excuses excuses). Anyways, thank you for stopping by and I hope you give this recipe a try!

Makes ~2 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas 
• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 3 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped mix nuts (i used walnuts, almonds, and pecans)
• 2 tablespoons cajeta
• 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon  honey

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F and place oven rack to middle position.  Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 4x8 loafpan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. whisk and set aside.
• In a separate bowl combine mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, sugar, powdered milk, milk, and vanilla extract.
• With a rubber spatula, lightly fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Do not over mix the batter.
• Pour batter into the buttered and floured pan. Set aside.
• To prepare topping, in a small bowl mix instant coffee, honey, and cajeta. Pour over batter to all corners and sprinkle nuts on top.
• Bake until bread is golden brown for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middel. Place bread on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan.