Sweet Bread

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

/ Jodi / 33 Comments

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What do you do when you have over-ripe bananas and a half of a can of leftover pumpkin puree (from making Chewy Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies – which Hubby has officially declared his current all-time favorite cookie!)?

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Well – you make wonderfully sweet and delightful Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread of course!

Have you ever thought of combining pumpkin and bananas in a yummy sweet bread?

Wowza!  Pure blissful deliciousness!

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If you are looking for a lovely Autumn sweet bread to enjoy with your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or to curb your after-dinner sweet tooth, look no further.  And how fun is it to make four mini loaves instead of one big loaf so you can keep one (or two) and share the others as sweet surprises for friends or loved ones!  To me, that is more than half the joy in baking…. creating something I can share to make someone smile and brighten their day and tantalize their tummy.

Make this bread to share as a Thanksgiving hostess gift or guest’s sweet surprise.  Or just make it to enjoy!  I’m betting you will!  Warm from the oven, a slice with some melting salty butter is just about heavenly!

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

  • Servings: 4 mini loaves
  • Print

Ingredients:pumpkin-banana-chocolate-chip-bread-1

  • 3/4 cup softened butter
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 3 mashed ripe bananas
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on high approximately 2 minutes.  Add eggs and continue mixing until light and fluffy – 1-2 more minutes.  Add pumpkin and mashed bananas.  Mix well.

Add dry ingredients:  baking soda and powder, cinnamon, salt, and flour, and beat just until blended.   Remove from mixer.

Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips with wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour into 4 greased mini loaf pans.  Sprinkle tops with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 mins or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pans and then remove loaves to cooling rack to completely cool.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Jewish Apple Cake (Bread)

/ Jodi / 39 Comments

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What better smell is there in Autumn than cinnamon and apples baking up in yummy cakes and pies and breads?

This recipe for Jewish Apple Cake is one I got from my BFF Jill, who doesn’t necessarily love to bake or cook, but when she does, she has some amazing recipes.  This is one of them.  The first time I tasted it, I had to have the recipe, and now I make it more than her.

In fact, she texted me yesterday morning, and I said, “Guess what I just took out of the oven?”  She mentioned she hasn’t made it in “forever.”  (That might be why she is thin, and I’m – well  – Not!)

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I’m not sure why this is called “Jewish” Apple Cake, so I did a little Wiki research (and I’m going to look forward to hearing what my BFF Bubby has to say.)

Per Wikipedia:  Jewish apple cake is a kind of dense cake made with apples and sold mostly in Pennsylvania in the United States. It has limited known connections to Jewish cuisine. It is thought that this cake is actually a Pennsylvania Dutch culinary item that was erroneously attributed to Jews because it seemed “old world.”  It may also be considered Jewish because it contains no dairy, and it may therefore be eaten with meals containing meat, in accordance with Jewish laws of kashrut.

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Seems most people make this in a bundt cake or springform cake pan, but Jill always made it in loaves of bread, so that is the way I do too!

Besides… when you do, you can keep one, and give two away… which is exactly what I plan on doing.

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This cake/bread tastes delicious with coffee or tea for breakfast or a snack or dessert.  It is not too sweet, but cinnamony, and apply, and nutty enough to rock your world!

Hope you’ll give it a try.  Let me know if you do.

Jewish Apple Cake (Bread)

Ingredients:jewish-apple-cake-3

  • 4-5 pared apples, sliced thin (I used Honeycrisps)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup oil
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour 3 bread loaf pans (approx. 8″x4″).

Mix together, apples, walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon.  Set aside for sugar and cinnamon to soak into the apples and nuts.

Whisk together 2 cups sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, and oil.  Add baking powder and flour, and stir just until batter is incorporated.

Alternate layering:  batter, apples, batter, apples, batter.

Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool  in pan 10-15 mins.  Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Store in airtight bag.  Freezes well.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi