Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze (Gluten Free)

I know it sounds like a strange combination of flavors.  I was skeptical when I first saw it.  But I so wish you could taste it tonight so you too could become a fan.  I was looking for something new and fun to make for my cousin, Leigh, who just adopted a little boy.  And I stumbled upon this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Our Best Bites.

Please make this for your family.  They will be so glad you did.  My kids went crazy over it.  I can’t tell you how wonderful the texture is and how interesting it is to get the sweetness of the bananas and coconut with a little tang from the lime glaze.

I did make the mistake of not letting it cook long enough, which resulted in the middle sinking a little. But that didn’t stop anyone in this house from devouring it.  🙂  Next time I will let it cook longer and hopefully avoid the sinking.  Or I’m thinking about making it into mini loaves so it would cook faster.  It would also probably be great made into muffins and then glazed individually.  I don’t think you could go wrong with any of those.

I made this gluten free by using Pamelas Baking Mix.  But if you want regular, you can certainly just use all purpose flour.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
adapted by Our Best Bites from Cooking Light

2 C all purpose flour (or Pamelas GF baking mix or your fav GF baking mix)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/4 C (4 Tbs) real butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1/4 C sour cream or plain yogurt
3 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C coconut

Topping: 2 Tbs additional coconut
Glaze: 1/2 C powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended.  Add eggs and beat to combine.  Add banana, sour cream or yogurt,  milk, and vanilla.  Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture and beat at a low speed until just combined.  Stir in 1/2 C coconut.

Pour batter into a 9×5″ loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. I buttered my loaf pan and then sprinkled it with rice flour.  GF baked goods tend to stick more than others and this will make sure it releases well. Sprinkle additional 2 Tbs coconut on top.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Note: Check bread after about 40 minutes.  If the top has browned and the coconut pieces are looking toasty, cover top of bread lightly with a piece of foil.  Continue baking until done.

When done, remove pan from oven.  Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove from pan.  Whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together for the glaze and then drizzle over top.    Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!