Luscious brandy sauce instantly upgrades banana-walnut bread

Banana bread is always delicious, but when you pour decadent brandy sauce on top, it absorbs all that goodness, and boom — the flavors explode.

Banana cakes or breads are great recipes to use when we have very ripe bananas hanging around in the fruit bowl. Rather than discard them, we can always make something beautiful and (arguably, even more) delicious out of them. These breads are dependably good, but there is one thing I love adding to them that makes them even more delectable: walnuts. They make perfect partners in banana bread. And one more thing — there is the reduced and slightly thick brandy sauce I pour on the warm loaf that gets slowly absorbed for even more outstanding flavor. Now that makes the banana-walnut bread extra special. You should try it too.

Banana-walnut cake with brandy sauce recipe

Yields 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf

Prep time: 25 minutes | Bake time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 big, ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 1/3 cup brandy

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter the inside of a 9 x 5-inch baking pan, and line it with baking paper.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, and then add the eggs 1 at a time while continuing to mix. Fold in the bananas and sour cream, and mix until well incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture, and then fold in the walnuts. Mix until well combined.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake for 1 hour or until a knife or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
6. While the bread is baking, prepare the brandy sauce by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. When the sugar melts, add the butter. After 3 minutes, add the brandy, and increase the heat to medium-high to let the alcohol evaporate. Turn off the heat when the sauce becomes slightly thick.
7. Pour the sauce on top of the bread while it is still warm after taking it out of the oven.

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