For a delicious reminder that content can foster community, look no further than banana bread. The cake-like loaf spiked in popularity and topped the list of most searched recipes last March according to Google Trends as people found ways to cope with early COVID-19 life.
Baking, after all, is calming, creative and yields results that are good enough to eat. But baking can—and did when lockdowns began—lead to content creation. Social media platforms became virtual display cases where home bakers proudly revealed their takes on banana bread. So many personal variances—who knew?
Content marketers can take a lesson from this media star. Make sure any content created is:
- Accessible (easy to do, or take action on)
- Satisfying (don’t you want more?)
- Surprising (was that a walnut in there?)
- Personal (make it your own) and, most essentially,
- Shareable (yes, another slice, please!)
February 23 is National Banana Bread Day, a moment set aside to appreciate this baked good. As we approach a year of lockdowns and recognize that we’ve made it this far, we’re treating ourselves to a loaf (actually, three of them).
Below are some recipes of which we’re fond, and we’d love to see yours—the more creative the better! Let us know what you baked!
Recipe #1: The Minimalist, by Imprint Senior Analyst Will Thomas
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs slightly beaten. Mash bananas and add dry ingredients. Grease pan and dust with flour.
- Bake at 325°F one hour in loaf pan, or 50 minutes in tube pan.
DOWNLOAD RECIPE FOR ‘THE MINIMALIST’
Recipe #2: The Upper (and Nutty) Crust, by Imprint Editorial Director Dan Davenport
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lavishly butter a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.
- Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. Mix well. Add the eggs and mashed bananas and blend thoroughly.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Combine the milk and lemon juice, which will curdle a bit. Slowly and alternately fold in the flour mixture and milk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend well after each addition. Stir in the nuts.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched in the center.
DOWNLOAD RECIPE FOR ‘THE UPPER (AND NUTTY) CRUST’
Recipe #3: The Chocolatier, by Imprint Director Molly Malinowski
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup mashed bananas (from 2 medium ripe bananas)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Set the oven at 350°F degrees, with a rack in the center. Grease an 8 1/2 -by-4 ½ by 2 ½ inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper that fits exactly. Grease the paper.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed. Add the bananas and beat well.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer set on low, beat in the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and eliminate any flour pockets.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Cut into thick slices for serving.
DOWNLOAD RECIPE FOR ‘THE CHOCOLATIER’
