This is not my usual dairy-free banana bread. This is my crowd-pleaser. It’s the one I make for certain family members who aren’t very enthusiastic about cakes made with olive oil, spelt and coconut sugar. They like their cakes buttery and sweetened with good old cane sugar. Not the wholesome kind I bake for myself, and for friends like me who like their cake on the verge of savory.
That said, this cake isn’t too sweet or too indulgent. It’s still homemade, nothing processed, and made with good ingredients.
What makes it so good
The secret is kefir. Its tang balances the sweetness of very ripe bananas and keeps the loaf moist for days. I use a mix of all-purpose flour and almond flour. The all-purpose gives the bread structure, and the almond flour makes it rich and tender, with a subtle nutty flavor. It’s just sweet enough to have with your morning coffee or with afternoon tea.
The strawberry topping
The topping is optional, but for me, strawberries and bananas together bring back a particular memory.
My friend Dorit and I are picking up her family’s mail at the post office. Her small hands reach all the way to the back of the mailbox, and through into the next one. There’s an envelope with money in it. We take it and run to the nearest makolet, (grocery store). We buy a family-size carton of strawberry-banana ice cream.
It’s hot outside, and the ice cream is melting too fast. It drips all over us. Our faces and hands are sticky, and our clothes are covered in yellow and pink stains. I don’t care about that. I feel bad for the person who will never get that envelope. And I’m afraid I’ll be punished. Not by my parents. By God.
Memories aside, the strawberries add a fresh, fruity contrast to the buttery loaf. And they make the cake pretty enough for company.
A few tips
- Use very ripe bananas. The more brown spots, the sweeter and more fragrant the bread.
- Don’t overmix. Fold the dry ingredients in just until there’s no more flour, so the loaf stays tender.
- Let it cool before slicing. Banana bread keeps setting as it cools, so the slices come out cleaner.
- Storage: Without the topping, keep it wrapped at room temperature for 2–3 days, or freeze slices for up to 3 months. With the strawberry topping, keep it in the fridge.
I
Banana Strawberry Bread
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan
- baking paper
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas - mashed
- ½ cup cane sugar*
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup kefir - buttermilk or yogurt
- ¼ cup ghee or butter - melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 large strawberries - sliced – optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan and line it with baking paper.
- Put the bananas, sugar, kefir, ghee and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the eggs and whisk. Add dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the lined pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let it cool down before slicing it.
Notes
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