I love baked goods but I tend to buy all my goodies at a local bakery, except banana bread, I make a mean banana bread. I am actually famously known for it amongst my family and friends. But I was getting tired of the same old loafs I would make. I wanted to try something new so I thought I’d make my recipe in a bundt pan, the only problem is I needed one. I started shopping online and was surprised how much they cost. I wasn’t prepared to pay $25 for my project just in case it was a fail. So naturally I called my mom and said “next time you’re in the Goodwill can you try and find me a bundt pan and while you’re there, why not search for a cake dish with a lid”.
The very next day I got a phone call from my mom “guess what I picked up today from the Goodwill”. She waited for my response as she always does so I said “a bundt pan” because I knew that would be an easy find. “Yes she said, but guess what else I found”. So I answered “a cake dish”….I’m not sure why we play this guessing game when it’s what I challenged her to find. “Yes” she said, “but guess how much it cost for both, only $6” she said before I could even guess. WOW now that’s a bargain.
When it arrived I couldn’t believe the quality of the pan and the dish. They were heavy duty and I’m guessing would have cost $50+ regularly. Another great find thanks to my mom and her thriftiness.
We immediately put our new purchases to the test and made my famous banana bread. It turned out perfect…so perfect that half of the cake is gone already, which you might be able to tell in this picture.
Oh and we must not forget to give a shout out to Granny’s little helper who’s always available for clean up duties.
For those wondering what’s in my banana bread, here’s my secret recipe:
Note: this recipe uses double the amount of one banana bread loaf so don’t be alarmed by the amount of ingredients. You can choose to half the amount if you like but it does freeze really well!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 2 tsp’s baking powder
- 1.5 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 2 tsp’s cinnamon
- 4 or 5 very ripe bananas (large ones I use 4, smaller I use 5)
- 1.5 cups bluberries (I normally use frozen but fresh are good too)
- 1.5 cups softened butter (not melted, softened only)
- 4 eggs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl
- In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients with a hand mixer if you have one (note: I beat the eggs first before adding them)
- Pour wet incredients slowly into dry ingredients and mix well
- Pour mixture into bundt pan (make sure bundt pan is well greased). Note: some pans are larger than others, don’t fill to the very rim. If you have too much batter you can make the remaining as muffins.
- Bake for 60 mins and check. If toothpick or knife come out clean it’s ready. It may require a bit more time, you be the judge.
Tip: if you’re making this recipe as muffins, they cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 mins.
On the Thrift 