I am often asked, “Do you really cook every day?” Yes, because cooking and baking offer so much pleasure! Yes, we do bake every day in the kitchens of Kitchen Conservatory. Stop by and taste some of our delicious samples of wonderfully-aromatic baked goodies. This week features a tropical version of the classic banana bread, flavored with coconut and lime. Kitchen assistant Jean Millner contributed this scrumptious recipe.

Banana Bread with Coconut-Lime Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter at room temperature
2 large eggs
3 to 4 over ripe bananas (1 ½ cups mashed)
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dark rum or apple juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 tablespoons flaked, sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the mashed banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla. On low speed, fold in the flour mixture until just blended. Fold in the 1/2 cup coconut. Pour into a 9 by 5-inch greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of coconut on top of the batter. Bake for an hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes clean. Let cool.

for the glaze:

1 tablespoon flaked, sweetened coconut
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice

For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and lime juice. Stir in 1 tablespoon coconut. Drizzle over warm cake.  Allow to cool completely on wire rack.