A little something to enjoy with your beetroot latte, then?
Coming up on six years in California and I still have to pinch myself every time I get to walk out into my backyard to pick fruit for a recipe.
The well deserved rain is falling hard and I’m at the point where I can genuinely say I enjoy the season, even when it means getting soaked to the core, or maybe because of it. The brooding clouds, the lashing wind, the pounding skies — they make you feel alive. Even this sun loving girl can appreciate the contrast.
Surrounded by winter citrus (and a persistent hankering for banana bread), I started to experiment with the combination. The road to the kitchen bio-bin may be paved with good intentions but this my friends, is a beaut.
Little bursts of orange juice tucked into every bite of this deliciously moist and delicately sweetened bread with contrasting nutty texture — and those pretty pops of golden orange… I can’t keep my peepers off them.
A warm, aromatic bread with an extra dose of vitamin C to help support our immune systems and hard working adrenals during flu season.
I made it in a bundt cake pan for fun but you can also use a standard loaf pan, whatever works best for you. It comes together easily and freezes beautifully. Take advantage of winter citrus while they are at their most glorious.
Check out the notes in the recipe card for best results. Enjoy, I’ll see you by the crackling fire.
- 3 large and very ripe bananas, mashed
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or unsalted butter, room temp/softened
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup seedless mandarin orange segments, no need to trim or chop (about 4.5 oz/125 gr)
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice (or orange of choice)
- 1 tsp mandarin zest (grated skin)
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 cup whole grain oat flour (3.5 oz/ 100 gr), certified gluten free as required
- ½ cup whole grain rolled (or quick cooking) oats (1.4 oz/ 40 gr)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (2 oz/57 gr), or nut/seed variety of choice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp (ish) cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp fine grain salt
- Equipment: aluminum bundt cake pan (9W x 3H) or loaf pan (10.75L x 5W x 2.5H)
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine: oat flour, quick cooking oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, walnuts & dry orange segments in one bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend: mashed bananas (I use a potato masher), butter or coconut oil, orange juice, orange zest and maple syrup (the banana does not have to be smooth, lumps & bumps are welcome). Add whisked eggs and blend again.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Pour batter into a greased bundt cake pan (don't forget to grease the inner tube!) or greased loaf pan.
- Place pan in oven and bake for 60-90 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on pan used and heat of your particular oven) until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean - (I find tapping the top of the loaf gives me a very good indication - it should be gently firm to the touch and no longer giggly).
- Carefully remove pan from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes before gently inverting the banana bread onto a plate/cooling rack for another 10/15 minutes or so (if you can wait that long!) before slicing (I sprinkle a few oat flakes on top to finish).
- The flavor of this banana bread only gets better with time.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in fridge for 3-5 days or freeze.
Gluten Free: Oatmeal by nature is gluten-free however the issue with oats revolves around cross-contamination. To avoid this problem, be sure to seek out certified Gluten-Free Oats where necessary.
Oat Flour: If you are unfamiliar, oat flour is simply whole grain oats that have been pulverized into flour - the flour is both fiber and protein rich - containing 7 grams of protein per ⅓ cup. Because I like the texture of whole oats, I use these as well.
The Bananas: You will not get a tasty and moist bread from yellow bananas - you want to reach for those well ripened browning bananas.
If you want a recipe that uses over ripe bananas, but are tired of traditional banana bread , then this recipe is the best. I would not even call it bread, for me it is a cake !
It hits the spot on many levels – texture, nutrition and flavour.
I made it for something to have with with coffee or tea and it ended up being a dessert served with yoghurt, breakfast and a healthy snack on the go.
I’ve made it several times, substituting 1/2 cup of oat flour for almond meal and chopped almonds and sunflower seeds for the walnuts and some sultanas or dried cranberries. All delicious.
This recipe is full of wholesome, healthy ingredients and yet is a very decadent eating experience. Thank you for this great recipe Kelly.
What a joy to read your note Debbie! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this detailed feedback, so helpful and appreciated; I’m delighted to hear how your experiencing this recipe (that healthy/decadent balance is what I aspire to:)) also enjoyed learning about your yummy subs; thrilled this bread (cake! :) is now part of your repertoire. Cheers to hitting the spots, x.
Really like this recipe. It will be one of those “make often” now. Kids liked it too.
Oh, Elaine, I’m delighted to receive your note; thank you for your feedback, so glad you enjoyed! Happy new year, x
Thanks Kelly for your reply and will certainly let you know once I have made the bread but first I will have to shop for bananas as they don’t last very long in this household!
I can understand why the rainy season might make you feel happy and alive, but our dreariness really gets me down. My husband mentioned that November has been Toronto’s cloudiest month since December 2014, with an average cloud cover of 88% during daylight! December, I fared a little better as we spent the month in Arizona, but we came home on the 21st and it was dreary and overcast! We had a short reprieve in Mexico where we spent the weekend for a wedding. It’s been really dark.
This lovely citrus banana bread looks like it would be a wonderful snack with a coffee or tea. I love that you baked it in a bundt pan, it looks beautiful. It caramelized the crust very nicely.
Your Banana Citrus bread sounds delicious and I can’t wait to use your recipe. Just one little question. I never keep quick cooking oats in the house would old fashion rolled oats do? Many thanks
Hi Merle! yes, absolutely, regular oats (old fashioned rolled) should be fine here — there might be a tiny textural difference but likely imperceptible; extra thick rolled oats / steel cut/ Irish oats would be a bit more noticeable. I hope you love this recipe! Would be delighted to hear how it goes.
You’ve been in CA for six years already? My how time flies! I still remember your pictures of the lake house in Canada surrounded by snow. :)
Absolutely fabulous banana bread recipe! The most creative one I’ve seen in a long time. Love those bite of citrus wedges cooked right into the bread and all of the orange components to complement the banana. Great recipe Kelly!
thanks so much MJ. I wasn’t sure about the combination at first but, I use citrus zest a lot in baking so… anyhow, an experiment that turned out well. I made another loaf on Monday (holiday Mondays are the best) and tossed in some dried cherry pieces :) yummy!
Wow…hope to find some really ripe bananas soon… Did you drizzle a little maple syrup over loaf??
I didn’t but you certainly could ;-)