Pumpkin Banana Bread with a Spiced Glaze

Ever make a recipe that calls for an ingredient you don't always have on hand and then you only need about a 1/4 cup of that ingredient? That happened to me. I made vegan cupcakes for my sister-in-law and I only needed 1/2 the can of pumpkin. I hate seeing good ingredients go to waste and lucky for me, I had 3 very ripe bananas. So, you don't have an open can of pumpkin? Make two breads and freeze one for later.

I turned the left over pumpkin and three very ripe bananas into a yummy bread covered in a spiced glaze. This is a scrumptious bread that is perfect with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD WITH A SPICED GLAZE:

1 cup of packed brown sugar or coconut sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

3 ripe bananas

1 cup of pumpkin

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during this process.

Add the egg to the mixer and continue to beat on high for 1 minute, scrape the sides of the bowl.

In a medium bowl, mash together the bananas, pumpkin and vanilla. Dump the mixture into the large bowl with the creamed butter. Turn the mixer on high for 30-40 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this to the banana concoction and turn the mixer on low for about 1 minute or until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides once during this process.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. To check for doneness, stick a toothpick into the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is done. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the loaf pan and leave it to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the SPICED GLAZE: 

1 cup of powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger

A pinch of cloves

3-5 tablespoons of water

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Mix one tablespoon of water at a time to the sugar. You are looking for the consistency of a thick glaze.

Top the warm bread with the glaze and continue to let the bread cool completely. Store the bread in a tightly sealed container for 2-3 days.

PREPARATION TIP: Freeze this bread for a treat later down the road. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for 2-3 weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.