One of the best things about autumn here in America is apple-picking time. From the bounty of apples we brought home, I made this easy Banana Bread with Apples. This is my standard recipe for banana bread which I have shared with so many friends and my own family. Truth be told, I can’t remember where the original recipe came from. But it is my favorite banana bread recipe because I don’t have to haul out the large cake mixer. All you need is a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon to mix it all up.
Apples remind me of happy times. Apples were a luxury and an imported fruit in the Philippines during my childhood. In fact, I associate the fresh, fragrant aroma of an apple with Christmas. When we were kids, we only ate apples during December along with other imported fruits of grapes, pears and American oranges. Every time I sensed a whiff of these fruits from gift baskets our family received at our home in Tarlac, I knew it meant Christmas had arrived and it was time to rekindle happy memories.
Apple picking during autumn is my favorite fall activity.
It was only when I came to live in America that I learned there were different varieties of apples. It got me so excited when I saw a list of varieties which could be harvested at the apple farm near our house. Do I have a favorite? I grew up knowing how scrumptious a shiny, bright red delicious apple could be. Since then, I’ve made that type of apple my benchmark. But now I found out the wide range of flavors in apples is as numerous as there are leaves on a tree. For this type of loaf cake, I had on hand a choice of Fuji apples or the red delicious variety. I used the former which are my current favorite.
Red delicious apples are one of my favorite varieties.
It was easy to mix all the ingredients together in a few minutes. This is the type of banana bread that you can bring to welcome a new neighbor, to a potluck, a bake fair or even bake as a weekend dessert treat for the family. Filipinos love banana bread. Bananas are abundant, and a major fruit produce in the Philippines.
Start with very overripe bananas because the riper they are the better tasting the outcome. You want those bananas that are laying forlorn and abandoned in the fruit bowl – too unattractive for anyone to desire. If they have black specks on the outer skin, then even better. Mix and fold in the sliced apples together with the rest of the ingredients. Bake it in a loaf pan and inhale the sweet, freshly-baked aroma floating from the oven, warming you up amidst the autumn chill outside. Make some wondrous fall memories with this superb loaf.
Banana Bread with Apples
Equipment
- Large loaf pan - 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine softened at room temperature; 1 stick
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 whole large, overripe mashed bananas
- 1 whole large apple any variety, peeled, seeded, sliced
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) to sprinkle on loaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Prepare a large loaf pan - one that is about 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches. Grease the bottom and sides. Place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom. Set aside.
- Mix together in a large bowl : Softened butter or margarine, sugar, salt, mashed bananas, flour, baking powder and soda, eggs, vanilla, sour cream. Blend ingredients well by hand.
- Fold in the apple slices.
- Pour the banana- apple batter into the loaf pan. Bake at 375 F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.Pierce the top of the loaf with the tip of a sharp knife. If knife comes out clean from the center, then cake is done.
- Cool on the counter. After loaf has cooled for at least 30 minutes, sprinkle the top with confectioner's or powdered sugar.
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Nutrition
Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking or baking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Did you love this recipe? I have more Philippine dessert recipes in my popular cookbook How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks.
If you need Filipino Instant Pot recipes, find more in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
This sounds delicious!
Apples are such a staple fruit here in Ontario that I barely give them a second thought. It was really cool to read about what they meant to you. 🙂
Thanks, Lydia.