Jamaican Banana Bread

I found this recipe recently from a newspaper. I have absolutely no clue as to which newspaper though. My pile of recipes that I want to try has grown from a few to a stack that are bulging out of a folder. I don't know when I will ever find the time to try them all. And of course, I add more all the time! Seems every day I want to try something I have seen on someone else's blog so I don't get around to making anything from my pile! Oh well......I did make this! It is a very, very good banana bread. I didn't have any of the oil the recipe calls for so I just used vegetable oil and the bread turned out great. It has a wonderful flavor and the next time I make it I might try using some coconut. I also used the lemon juice instead of rum, but I might try the rum next time too.

1 1/2 cups flour, plus another tablespoon for coating the nuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut, grape-seed or light peanut oil, or a mixture of all three (I used vegetable oil)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 or 4 tablespoons dark rum or lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan or a 6 cup ring mold pan or cake pan, and dust lightly with flour. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Combine eggs, oil and sugar in a large bowl, and beat vigorously with a wire whisk or an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until well blended. Add the mashed bananas, rum or lemon juice, and allspice and beat until just smooth.

Stir in the flour and leavening, mixing only until blended. Coat the walnuts all over with the 1 tablespoon of flour and stir into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and shake the pan gently to settle the batter.

Set the filled pan in the middle of the oven and bake the bread for 55 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, but still moist. When done, set the pan of bread on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Then turn the bread out of the pan and serve warm, if desired.

(I never have banana bread warm and I always let it cool off 90% and while it is still very slightly warm wrap it in plastic wrap and then tin foil and have it the next day. It has always tasted much better this way.)