Jamaican Banana Bread

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Ingredients

Bread

1. 2 T butter, softened
2. 2 T cream cheese, softened
3. 1 c sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 2 c flour
6. 2 t baking powder
7. 1/2 t baking soda
8. 1/8 t salt
9. 1 c mashed ripe bananas
10. 1/2 c milk
11. 2 T dark rum, or 1/4 t rum extract
12. 1/2 t lime zest
13. 2 t lime juice
14. 1 t vanilla extract
15. 1/4 c pecans, chopped and toasted
16. 1/4 c flaked sweetened coconut

Topping

17. 1/4 c brown sugar
18. 2 t butter
19. 2 t lime juice
20. 2 t dark rum, or 1/8 t rum extract
21. 2 T pecans, chopped and toasted
22. 2 T flaked sweetened coconut

Instructions

Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease one 8x4 inch loaf pan.
3. Beat together softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy.
4. Slowly beat in sugar until well incorporated.
5. Add the egg and mix well.
6. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
7. In a different bowl, mix together the bananas, milk, rum, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla; stir well.
8. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.
9. Fold in pecans and coconut flakes.
10. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
11. When finished, cool for 10 minutes in the pan, remove, and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Topping

1. After you take the banana bread out of the oven, prepare the topping.
2. Stir together the brown sugar, butter, lime juice, and rum in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly; cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, about one minute.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans, and coconut.
5. Poke holes in the top of the loaf and spoon the topping over the loaf while it is still warm.
6. Press the topping onto the surface of the bread.
7. The topping will harden slightly when the loaf cools.