Banana Bread with Vanilla Icing Drizzle

Preheat oven to 350ºF. I like to make my bread in a smaller convection oven so I adjust my heat to 330ºF degrees. Prepare a standard size bread loaf pan (mine is 9×5) by lightly greasing it with cooking spray and then adding a couple of tablespoons of flour and using it to coat or flour your pan. If you want, you can also use Baker’s Joy, which is a cooking spray that has flour in it.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, mix bananas until they are a soft mash. Add sour cream. Add sugar and eggs. When eggs are fully incorporated, add baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt, flour and oil. Mix on medium speed until flour and oil are fully blended. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure there are no pockets of flour or bits that are not mixed in.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Remove bread to a plate after 5 to 10 minutes when it gets cool enough to handle. You don’t want the sides getting soggy in the pan.

For the icing:
Whisk sugar, vanilla and water until smooth. Drizzle icing on top. I use a pastry bag with a small hole cut at the end but you could do the same thing with a Ziplock bag.

Notes:
1. If you want to make the bread a little fancier for a brunch, you could also add candied almonds on top. Take 1/2 cup of sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and place them in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts and coats the nuts. Do not leave the stove because once the sugar starts to melt, it can burn quickly. Have a plate or piece of aluminum foil ready to put the nuts on to cool. Place the candied nuts on top of the icing so they will stick to the top of the loaf.
2. Another variation that I have done is to melt semi sweet chocolate and drizzle that on top instead of the icing. No matter what version you choose to make, this bread is downright delicious.