Pumpkin Banana Pecan Loaf

This is one of my new favorite loaf recipes, it's so good you just can't stop eating one slice! After some recipe testing, playing with different types of sugar s and flours I finally found the perfect texture: it's so moist, spiced and tender it really doesn't need any frosting, or icing...nor even some confectioner's sugar on top, though my sister suggested me that paired with cream cheese frosting would be awesome. But I'm trying to control my sweet tooth at least until march (my mom's birthday) so I decided to leave this cute pumpkin loaf 'au naturel', I love cakes and desserts that scream homemade and rustic.

I was very impatient to cut the first slice and check the texture but I highly recommend you to wait until it is completely cool so you'll get perfect slices with no crumbling problems. I decided not to call it 'pumpkin bread' cause I think it's more moist (and less crumbly) and sweeter than regular pumpkin bread, though I've seen some recipes on the internet that contains a lot of sugar and honestly I don't think this recipe should call for more sugar cause the banana, apart from adding moisture, also adds sweetness and helps to create a great texture.

The addition of the banana was kinda a last-minute decision cause my pumpkin was quite small and I got less puree than expected so...banana to the rescue! Now I'm so glad I combined these two, they make such a great combo.

I hope you try my recipe at home and tell me what you think or what changes and/or additions you have made. My stomach is growling right now and I'd love to enjoy a freshly baked slice of this loaf with a big cup of warm oat milk, but it's time to write down my ideas for february and start preparing some Valentine's Day special recipes.

Wasn't it yesterday when we were all baking Christmas desserts?! Can't believe how fast time flies, it's the last week of january and I haven't done half the things I was supposed to do. :-p

Receta en español aquí!

Banana Pumpkin Pecan Loaf
(makes one 8 x 4-inch/20 x 10 cm loaf approx.)

Ingredients
3/4 cup pumpkin puree.
1/4 cup mashed banana.
1 1/2 tbsp flax meal + 3 1/2 tbsp water.
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp sunflower oil (95 ml).
1/2 cup light raw cane sugar.
1/4 cup organic brown sugar.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour.
1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
1/2 tsp salt.
3/4 tsp baking soda.
1/2 tsp baking powder.
1/2 tsp organic pure vanilla powder.
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped.

Notes: 

- I recommend using homemade pumpkin puree. It's as easy as baking some butternut squash or other sweet pumpkin and mash it with a fork.

- You can use mild-tasting olive oil instead of sunflower oil.

- Flax meal = ground flax seeds. I combined the ground flax seeds with water to make an egg replacer.

- The vanilla powder can be replaced with pure vanilla extract, you should mix it with the wet ingredients then.

Directions

Lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper an 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC).

Make the flax egg by stirring together the ground flax seeds with the water in a small bowl, let sit for 5 minutes. With these quantities we have 1.5 flax egg.

In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin puree, banana, flax egg, oil and vigorously mix with a hand whisk.

Add in sugar and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula just until combined. Finally, stir in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 50 minutes approximately, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few tiny moist crumbs are okay).

I recommend to check the loaf at 40 minutes and, if necessary, rotate the pan to ensure an even browning.

Once baked, transfer to a cooling rack and allow the loaf to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan.

Let cool completely on the wire rack, it is important to wait until it's cold to slice the loaf cake with no problem.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.