In the spirit of using things up, this bread came to fruition. I’ve had some dates in the fridge for a while now, and haven’t been inspired to do much with them, and recently acquired some very ripe bananas. Solution? Banana date bread! It’s tasty, but still feels somewhat healthy (although I’d say that about banana ice cream too, which I LOVE!), and the chopped dates give it the perfect texture. This is a winner of a loaf!

Spiced Banana Date Bread

Loosely adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup dates, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9×5 loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and combine. Add sour cream and mashed banana, and combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and all spices. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and stir gently until combined. Add chopped dates, pour into prepared pan, and bake for 70 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.