Boozy Banana Bread or Banana Bread Fit for a Pirate

You heard that right. I just made a banana bread that has liquor in it, and that liquor is rum (as in yo ho ho and a bottle of). You see, I just started taking evening classes, so my non-work hours are filled with studying, and when I think of studying, I think of snacks and booze. Okay, that might be a little stretch of the truth, but hey, we're all grown-ups here, right?

The real name of this banana bread is Bananas Foster Bread. Bananas Foster is one of my favorite desserts (keep in mind I have at least 10 favorite desserts). When I went to New Orleans with my dad 7 years ago I ate Bananas Foster at every restaurant that served it. The combination of bananas, butter, brown sugar and rum is genius. And that, my friends, is precisely what makes this bread so awesome.

The recipe itself is very easy to put together. Except the part where I had to let the heated banana mixture cool- I'm really not that patient. Luckily, I had studying to keep me occupied! The upside was being able to cut into the banana bread while it was still warm (because I hate waiting for things to cool, but I always do if the recipe says so). That just gave me a thought- baking is all about rules, just like the law, and I'm taking classes to become a paralegal so I can work with the law. Interesting...

But I digress. Here's the recipe:

Bananas Foster Bread
from Cooking Light October 2010

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
6 tbsp butter, melted and divided
1/4 cup rum, divided
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 large eggs
6.75 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine banana, 1/2 brown sugar, 5 tbsp melted butter, and 3 tbsp of rum in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.

3. Weight or lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat until just blended. Pour batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

4. Combine remaining 1 tbsp melted butter, remaining 1 tbsp rum, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.