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Bahamas, Breakfast, Carribean, Cuisine, Dessert, Featured, Recipes, Snack  /  September 16, 2020

Bahamian Banana Bread with Buttered Rum Sauce

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Inspired by the flavours of the Bahamas, banana bread gets an island twist with the addition of shredded coconut, macadamia nuts and a delectable buttery spiced rum sauce.  Plus, the recipe is naturally sweetened and uses wholesome ingredients!

Country Number 12: Bahamas

Welcome to the Bahamas! We are now almost two weeks into our cooking around the world challenge and by some miracle, our kitchen (and friendship) is still going strong.

We have to be honest here. After the struggles of our Antiguan black bean cakes, we were a little trepidatious about facing another Caribbean cuisine. Similar to Antigua, the traditional dishes of the Bahamas feature a lot of seafood, and not a huge selection of vegetarian options. There is a strong Latin American influence on Bahamian cuisine, which is particularly evident in the spices used.

As you’ll see below, there are very slim pickings when it comes to savoury dishes that are meat-free. But hey, who needs proper food when you have cocktails and dessert to get you through the day?

Popular Bahamian Vegetarian Dishes

  • Pigeon peas and rice– a very common side dish in Bahamian cuisine, this rice dish is made with pigeon peas, celery, tomatoes and thyme (for vegetarian version, make it/ ask for it without the pork)
  • Pea and dumpling soup– similar to the above, this soup contains pigeon peas, stewed tomatoes, assorted vegetables and flour dumplings (again, ask for vegetarian version without the ham)
  • Johnnycakes– this is unofficial bread of the Bahamas, made of milk, butter, flour and sugar and cooked in a pan
  • Sky Juice– a popular Bahamian cocktail prepared with coconut water, gin, and condensed milk
  • Guava duff– This local dessert folds guava into pastry dough and boils it, serving it with a rum custard sauce
  • Rum cake– Bundt cake made with a buttered rum sauce
  • Island banana bread– banana bread made with shredded coconut and often topped with chopped macadamia nuts before baking.

Vegetarian rating of Bahamian Cuisine:

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Making Island Banana Bread with Buttered Rum Sauce

We were very close to making a cocktail and calling it a day for the Bahamas when we stumbled upon a site that listed “Island Banana Bread’ as one of the most popular dishes in the Bahamas. Now, we know the internet is brimming with misinformation, so we have no idea if this is true or not. However, banana bread made with shredded coconut and topped with macadamia nuts sounded too good to pass up.

So we decided to run with it, or should I say, rum with it. In an attempt to make the recipe a little more “Bahamian”, we made a buttered rum sauce (similar to what goes on a Caribbean rum cake) to serve with our island banana bread. The results were simply DIVINE.

We made our banana bread slightly healthier than your average recipe, replacing refined sugar with maple syrup, coconut oil instead of butter, and adding in yogurt to make the bread extra moist and delicious. Of course, this is all slightly counteracted by the indulgent buttered rum sauce we served the bread with, but hey, life is all about balance.

How to make island banana bread

Our island banana bread is seriously easy to make and only requires one bowl (hurray for less clean-up). The buttered rum sauce is also super simple to whip up. It is SO worth the extra five minutes of effort as it takes the banana bread to a whole new level. Here are the basic steps/ timings for this recipe:

  1. Mix together all the banana bread ingredients in large bowl.
  2. Pour into a loaf tin and cook for 55 minutes.
  3. Combine ingredients for buttered rum sauce in pan, boil until thick and pour on the banana bread!

Ingredient notes for banana bread

  • Bananas– We used 3 large bananas in this recipe to equal about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana. If your bananas are on the smaller side, use more. Whatever you do, make sure the bananas you use are nice and ripe. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and tastier your banana bread will be
  • Flour- We used a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for our banana bread recipe as we found this combination to give the best texture and taste. However, you can use one or the other if you so desire.
  • Spiced rum– We used kraken spiced rum for our sauce. You can use any spiced or dark rum you like!
  • Dairy-free alternatives- We used normal milk and greek yogurt in our banana bread. However, if you are dairy-free, you can substitute for any plant-based milk or yogurt. For the sauce, you can sub regular butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.

Serving suggestions for banana bread

If you want an enjoyable banana bread experience, you can spread a slice with plain ol’ butter. If you want an extraordinary banana bread experience, drizzle a slice with our ridiculously delicious buttered rum sauce. Trust us. You won’t regret it.

Other sweet treats to make

  • Torrijas (Not-Quite-French Toast from Andorra)
  • Spiced Coconut Porridge (Angolan Cocada Amerla)
Island Banana Bread Butter Rum Sauce

Island Banana Bread with Buttered Rum Sauce

Banana bread that is moist, packed full of flavour and naturally-sweetened- what more could you ask for? The addition of shredded coconut, macadamia nuts and a delectable buttered spiced rum sauce takes this loaf to a whole new level.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 55 mins
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
SERVINGS 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS
  

Banana bread:

  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or sub dairy-free)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1 cup white flour
  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup desiccated coconut

To top:

  • Chopped macadamia nuts
  • Shredded coconut

Buttered rum sauce:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp spiced rum

Instructions
 

Make the banana bread:

  • Preheat over to 165˚C (325˚F) and grease a loaf tin with coconut oil.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Add egg and continue to whisk, then add mashed banana, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract and mix well.
  • Next, add in baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and all spice and mix. Use a big spoon to stir in the flour and desiccated coconut until combined.
  • Pour batter into greased loaf tin and bake for 55 minutes (or until toothpick come clean out of the centre). If topping with macadamia nuts and shredded coconut, take out at 45 minutes, add toppings and put back in oven for a further 10 minutes.

Make the buttered rum sauce:

  • Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in sugar and water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for a few minutes, until mixture becomes thick (but still pourable). Remove from heat and stir in spiced rum. Pour over banana bread to serve.

Did you make this recipe? We’d love to know! Tell us how it went in the comments below or tag us (@gourmetvegetarians) in your photos on Instagram.

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10 comments

  • Shelley
    September 16, 2020

    5 stars
    This whole “cooking around the world challenge” is such a fun idea! And wow – what a banana bread! I love that you made it healthier with a few easy but ingenious swaps – that’s totally how I roll, too. And no doubt, those little tweaks let you feel absolutely ok balancing it all out with the to-die for buttered rum sauce (wow wow wow)!

    Reply
  • Andrea Howe
    September 16, 2020

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh what a fun idea! I love this challenge. And the flavors in this banana bread, oh my. You can’t go wrong!! I mean if you can’t go to the Bahamas, this clearly is the next best thing. And that rum sauce? I’ll take that in a bowl please with a big spoon!

    Reply
  • Amanda
    September 16, 2020

    5 stars
    What a fun take on banana bread! I love macadamia nuts, and the rum sauce is wonderful, so this was perfect for me.

    Reply
  • Alyssa Pera
    September 17, 2020

    5 stars
    I seriously feel like I’m in the tropics eating this. It’s absolutely heavenly and a “next level” take on regular banana bread. Thank you for sharing this fun and fantastic recipe.

    Reply
  • Candice
    September 17, 2020

    5 stars
    These banana bread additions are incredible! I was nervous to add so many goodies in with the usual banana bread, but was so happy that I gave this recipe a try… it’s delicious! Will be making this one again.

    Reply
  • Marta
    September 18, 2020

    5 stars
    My Puerto Rican heart skipped a beat upon reading Buttered Rum Sauce! This banana bread looks absolutely divine.

    Reply
  • Mama Maggie's Kitchen
    September 20, 2020

    5 stars
    This Bahamian Banana bread looks Incredibly delicious. I have to make this soon for my family! I am so loving that buttered rum sauce.

    Reply
  • Uma Srinivas
    September 21, 2020

    5 stars
    Macadamia nuts and shredded coconut in banana bread sounds amazing! I will try this soon 🙂 Rum in bread also sounds interesting!

    Reply
  • Nicole Washington
    September 21, 2020

    You had me at buttered rum sauce.

    Reply
  • Neha
    September 21, 2020

    This butter rum sauce looks to die for good. I like how you have clicked these clicks, pinning it.

    Reply

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ABOUT US

Hey there!

We are Nicola & Floss, another pair of travel-and-food obsessed besties from New Zealand. Given travel is off the cards for the moment, we have decided to embark on a quest to cook our way around every country in the world in a year. Wish us luck- we are going to need it.

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