Carrot Passion Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipes that require a stand mixer for banana bread are a pet peeve of mine. This is a “quick bread” which for me means one bowl and you’re done. If you don’t have passion fruit on hand, make this anyway, use 3 bananas and 1 cup shredded carrot.

Yields 8.5” x 4.5” loaf

Wet Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas

• 1⁄2 c granulated sugar

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 2 t vanilla

• 1⁄4 c applesauce

• 1⁄3 c milk (or coconut or almond milk)

• 2 passion fruits, cut in half, flesh and seeds scooped out 3 T melted coconut oil

• 1⁄2 c grated carrot

Dry Ingredients

• 1⁄4 t kosher salt

• 1⁄2 t cinnamon

• 1⁄4 t grated nutmeg

• 1 t baking soda

• 1⁄2 t baking powder

• 2 c all purpose flour

• 1/3 c chopped pecans, plus more for garnish (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1 T softened butter

• 1⁄2 c confectioners’ sugar

• 1 t vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Butter a loaf pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350. Add all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. Add in the sugar, beaten egg, vanilla, applesauce, milk, passion fruit flesh and seeds and stir to combine. Add the coconut oil and carrot and fold to combine.

Add dry ingredients to the banana mixture and fold to combine. Smooth the top and bake about 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

While cake bakes, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Remove cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread frosting on cooled cake. Top with chopped pecans.