Pecan Banana Bread with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping

Is the fact that the pollen vortex is over making anyone else extremely happy? No more yellow cars! If I had wanted a yellow car, I would've bought one - but thanks anyway Mother Nature. I've long waited for the day where I can roll my windows down and not suffer a scratchy throat that night.

Because I've recently been in such a good mood and on sort of a banana kick, I made some pretty amazing banana bread that I feel compelled to share. What makes this particular banana bread recipe fabulous is clearly the fact that it's topped with sweet a cinnamon/brown sugar mix (often left out of banana bread recipes)...

...or it could be the fact that it's filled with crunchy chopped pecans.

I think it's both of these, plus buttermilk. Using buttermilk in the recipe makes a huge difference in the moisture content of this bread versus others I've tried. Bake a loaf on Sunday and you've got breakfast for the week!

And of course, topping a slice with a pad of butter certainly helps keep it moist and soft, too.

Oh, happy day!

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Pecan Banana Bread with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping
adapted from What's Katie Cooking

Bread:

• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Caramelized Pecans:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans 
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms of 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.

2. For the caramelized pecans: Melt the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, pecans, and cinnamon, and mix until evenly coated. Set aside and let cool.

3. For the banana bread: Mix together the sugar and butter. Add eggs and stir. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Add in the nuts. Pour into prepared pans.

4. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle generously over batter.

5. Bake loaf about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.