Bless Your Heart (Thomas Nelson, 2010) by Patsy Caldwell and Amy Lyles Wilson is a collection of Southern food out to change the world one covered dish at a time. These well-crafted comfort food recipes are accompanied by stories of everyday life and around-the-table traditions. This banana bread recipe, an excerpt from the chapter on treats to bring to book clubs, is made even more delicious with ambrosia topping.
Buy the book in the GRIT store: Bless Your Heart.
More from Bless Your Heart:
• Pepper Jack Cheese Spinach Dip Recipe
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie Recipe
• Corn and Black Bean Salad Recipe
Southern Banana Bread Recipe With Ambrosia Topping
I personally think banana bread is close to perfect. This ambrosia topping gets it all the way there.
Banana bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large bananas, mashed
1 cup chopped pecans
Ambrosia topping:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
To make the banana bread: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and bananas and mix well. Fold in the dry ingredients and the pecans. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan to cool.
To make the ambrosia topping: In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pineapple, coconut, almonds, and sugar. Stir to mix well.
To serve: Spread the ambrosia on the sliced banana bread. Makes 12 servings.
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from Bless Your Heart by Patsy Caldwell and Amy Lyles Wilson, published by Thomas Nelson, 2010. Buy this book in our store: Bless Your Heart.
