This is how to make Cranberry Banana Nut Bread and a little background if you are interested. If not, feel free to skip ahead to the recipe or photos. My mom comes over and asks for a recipe to make for her church group, but forgets that I am without an oven. She mentions banana bread and I say I have it on the website.

As she is leaving, I see a bag of dried fruit and toss it to her. “Oooh! Put in cranberries!” So she called me over the phone later and I walk her through a recipe because she is out of butter, naturally. The ingredients had to do with what she had on hand. It went over so well that I decided to share the modified recipe with everyone!

That is how recipes are sometimes created, folks. Of the foundation of another recipe, out of necessity or lack of ingredients. There is nothing wrong with substituting ingredients or adding to them as long as you know the basic principals of baking. You wouldn’t want to take out the baking powder and replace it with salt, for instance. But replacing one fat for another in this case is perfectly acceptable.

She sent me a few photos and I have added a few since testing out the recipe. It has almost a delicate cake-like consistency because of the oil, but it is very delicious.

Cranberry Banana Nut Bread

This is a quick and easy bread that will be in the oven within minutes. The cranberries give a tart taste to compliment the sweetness of the banana while enhancing the earthiness of the walnuts.

Print Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Cook Time45 minutes minutes

Servings1 loaf

Calories 389.2

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups (375g) flour
• 3 medium (300g) mashed bananas
• 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
• 3 large (150g) eggs
• 1 cup (113g) chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup (100g) dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup (80mL) olive oil
• 2 tsp (8g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5g) salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F (180C.)
• Use a non-stick or grease and flour a 9x5x3 bread pan (23x13x8cm.)
• Remove two tablespoons of the flour. In a small bowl, coat the nuts and cranberries with flour. Set aside.
• Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. With a spoon or mixer on low, combine eggs, oil, mashed bananas and sugar. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Pour batter evenly into pan.
• Bake 65-75 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Center of bread should read between 200F (93C) and 212F (100C.)
• Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes; remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

If pan is dark, reduce temperature to 325F (160C) and increase baking time 10 – 15 minutes.

This also makes two small loaves.  Divide batter equally into two 9×5 bread pans and bake 50 – 60 minutes or until center reaches between 200 – 212F (93 – 100C.)

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Banana Nut Bread

Serving Size

 

1 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories

389.2

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

15.4

g

24

%

Saturated Fat

 

1.6

g

10

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5.9

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

5.9

g

Sodium

 

215.8

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

60.3

g

20

%

Fiber

 

2.1

g

9

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

* Calories provided as a courtesy and not guaranteed.