Cherry Banana Bread

Feeling like it has been a decade. Yes I am blogging after almost 7 months. The main reason was my health and the new addition to the family. I was blessed with my second daughter 2 months back and surprisingly both my girls were born on the same date. I didn't have any complications except an uncomfortable back pain which totally restricted me to sit with my laptop. Otherwise I was pretty flexible with long walks and doing all the daily chores. In fact this time I was hardly get any time to think of myself since I had to keep myself fully busy with the elder one. But my only concern was to keep my diet healthy. Only the last month restricted my movement. I had a risk of water breakage which led me to confine myself at home for almost 3 weeks. And then the baby arrived and made our life happy. Lil K wished for a sister and she was gifted a sister on her Birthday. So she was more than happy as we were. She is a doting "DIDI" to her baby sis - very protective and concerned about her each and every movement. And thus we spent 2 months and my darlings were growing together making our each and every day from brighter to brightest.

From this year Lil K's school hours got extended from 4 to 6 hours. This made me tensed, worried and forced me to spend some sleepless nights. The main concern was what to give in her lunch box. Lil K is a picky eater when it comes to her tiffin. She hardly eats anything and I get the lunch box returned almost full. So every day I have to go for a brainstorming session to add something new to her lunch box which can satiate my princess's taste bud. I was always very sceptical using bananas in my bakes. I have never tasted any so was totally unsure about the fact what would be the outcome. But again the passionate baker inside me forced me try this recipe. I have bookmarked it long back. This time I thought of executing it crossing my fingers if by any chance my luck favours. And to my surprise not only I but Lil K and all the family members appreciated a lot. It happily adorned the lunchbox and the box came home empty.  So here is the recipe Cherry Banana Bread..
{Note: I was pretty surprised why a recipe that could be easily justified as a cake, named after a bread. Then a few read made me understand that since were baking it in a bread loaf pan, it was therefore considered as a bread, nothing else. }

{Recipe adapted from HERE}

Ingredients

Ripe bananas – 2 -3 medium size (approx 1 cup mashed)

Butter – 4 tbs (room temperature)

Hung Curd – ¼ cup

Brown sugar – ¾ cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Flour - 1 cup

Baking soda – 1tsp

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Cherry – 10-12

Flour – 2 tbs

Chocolate chips – ½ cup

Chopped Cashew nuts – ¼ cup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade for 7-8 minutes.
2.  Peel and mash the bananas.
3. In a mixing bowl pour the sugar. Add the bananas and mix well unless the sugar blends nicely. Add the egg and mix. 
4. Then slowly pour the hung curd and add the vanilla essence. Mix until well combined.
5. In a separate container combine nicely the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Do not over mix.
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix well but do not over mix.
7. Add the chocolate chips and the cashews nuts.
8. Seed and slice the cherries and fold them in 2 tbs flour and add them gently to the mixture. Again do not over mix.  .
9. Grease and flour a 9'x 5' loaf pan and then pour the mixture in it.
10. bake it for for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool it completely and then serve. It tastes better when it is served chill.                                                              

Note:

1. After it gets cool one can keep the bread outside for a day, depending on the temperature. Otherwise suggested to refrigerate and consumed within 3-4 days.

2. It tastes better when it is served chill.