Author Notes
Every year during the holidays I give the gift of baked goods to my friends, co-workers and neighbors. In each gift box I always include several mini loafs and every year I try to come up with something a little different. I have several jars of brandied figs that I made so I thought I would take my favorite banana bread recipe and tweak it to use the brandied figs. I added walnuts (they can be omitted if you have a nut allergy) and spices and the result is a delicious, moist figgy, nutty loaf. If you do not want to use brandied figs poached figs will be fine. —sdebrango
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Ingredients
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1/2 cup
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
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1 cup
granulated sugar
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2
large eggs at room temperature
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1 1/2 cups
all purpose flour
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
baking soda
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1 teaspoon
cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon
ground ginger
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1/4 teaspoon
cardamom
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1 cup
brandied figs chopped and slightly mashed, I added a tsp of the brandy syrup to the figs.
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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1/2 cup
full fat sour cream
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1/2 cup
toasted walnuts rough chop
Directions
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Chop and mash your figs and set aside. Toast your walnuts and give a rough chop.
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In large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy with mixer either hand held or standing using a paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time beating with each addition. In small mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt and spices whisk to combine.
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Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg and stir to combine. Add the figs, sour cream,vanilla and walnuts stir to combine and put in your loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Tester or toothpick should come out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes turn out onto cooling rack, brush the top of the loaf with some of the fig syrup and cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, am self taught learning as I go. I come from a large Italian family and food was at the center of almost every gathering. My grandfather made his own wine and I remember the barrels of wine in the cellar of my grandfathers home, I watched my mother and aunts making homemade pasta and remember how wonderful it was to sit down to a truly amazing dinner. Cooking for me is a way to express myself its my creative outlet. I enjoy making all types of food but especially enjoy baking,
I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I share my home with my two dogs Izzy and Nando.
I like to collect cookbooks and scour magazines and newspapers for recipes. I hope one day to organize them.
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