Cardamom Banana Bread (vegan & plant-based with gf option)

Yield: 1-5×8″ loaf

I have yet to run across a banana bread I didn’t love. Years ago, I started adding coffee to the batter thanks to Molly Katzen’s recipe in the Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

In this not-to-sweet vegan iteration that a friend dubbed “perfect,” I add a few other unexpected ingredients to create a warm, savory profile: I brown the vegan butter for a hint of caramel, stir in some miso for rich umami depth, and sprinkle in cardamom for an earthy and slightly lemony note.

The halved banana garnish is the chef’s kiss.

Miso Banana Bread

3 medium bananas + 1 sliced lengthwise for garnish
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted and lightly browned over medium heat (watch closely, remove from heat, and add to banana mixture when just golden)
Optional but highly recommended: add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or cheap instant coffee, and dissolve in banana-butter mixture
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white or yellow miso
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free baking mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Optional: 3/4 to 1 cup pine nuts or pecan pieces plus a few for the top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 5×8″ loaf pan. In large bowl of electric mixer, mash 3 bananas on low speed. Add browned vegan butter, optional espresso, brown sugar, miso, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined. Add all remaining ingredients and beat again on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, just until batter is smooth. Stir in optional chopped toasted nuts until evenly distributed in the batter. Transfer batter into loaf pan and smooth top. Nestle halves of remaining banana, cut side down, side by side, and slightly offset, like parentheses, on top. Sprinkle, if desired, with a few reserved nuts.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or just until well risen, golden brown on top, and a toothpick/skewer inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If bread starts browning too quickly, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil (shiny side up) and continue baking until done. Cool 5 to 10 minutes in pan on wire rack, invert onto a plate, and then again back onto wire rack to cool completely.

Note: I took this bread, simply wrapped in parchment paper and tied with ribbon, to happy hour with a friend, the one who pronounced it “perfect.” She later shared that she ate 2/3 of it herself. I’ll drink to that!