Key Lime Coconut Banana Bread

I love cooking, but baking is not my bag. Baking is more of a science and there is not room for making mistakes. Putting in a little too much or not enough of an ingredient can completely destroy the outcome of a cake or bread. So that does not leave a lot of room for customization of the recipes. When I was younger, my mom’s Betty Crocker Cookbook, which is now mine with pages sticking together and falling apart, has some amazing recipes that I still use today. One of my favorite baking recipes is for banana bread. When I have some overripe banana I do usually bake a loaf so as not to waste them. But not once in all my years did I ever change a single thing in the recipe until this weekend. Being in the Keys, I decided why not make it really tropical by adding coconut and Key lime juice to it. The results were amazing! None of the flavors were overpowering and they all meshed well together. My husband even said that he liked this version of the bread better than Betty’s! Here is the recipe below.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Key Lime juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Cup coconut milk
  • 2 smashed bananas

Method:

Grease loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 65 minutes or until set.

Variations:

  • When I was making this, I was going to add some shredded coconut which I think would be amazing. But my husband does not like chunks of coconut so I did not incorporate it into my recipe. If you do add it in, use 1/2 cup. Either sweetened or unsweetened would work fine, depending on the sweetness you desire.
  • If you have an actual Key Lime that you are juicing for the lime juice, zest the skin and add about a Tablespoon to the mix.
  • Add a half a cup of lightly toasted macadamia nuts or other nuts of your choice.