This cardamom banana bread was developed with the Somali tradition of casariyo (afternoon tea)in mind. Casariyo is a time when many Somali families back home and in the diaspora take a pause in their day after praying the asr prayer to drink hot cups of coffee or shaah (chai) and share sweets with loved ones. In addition to snacks like sambuus, cookies, bur (cardamom beignets), bajjiyo and hot sauce, you’ll also find fluffy slices of cardamom-flecked cake. Savory Somali dishes often come with a banana on the side to offset the heat of the basbaas, and this combination has become so famous for Somalis that the love of pairing bananas with our food has become an inside joke. This cardamom banana bread recipe incorporates bananas into our beloved cardamom cake and offers another reason to love them.
1½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
3 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup softened butter
⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
½ cup sugar
½ cup maple syrup
A splash of buttermilk as needed
Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Clean a loaf pan and grease the pan with an oil of your choice. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl. Add in two eggs and vanilla to the mashed bananas and mix.
Step 2 In a third bowl, combine softened butter and sugar and mix. Add in 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt and whip until mixture is airy. Next, add the mixture into the banana and eggs. Add in 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Once all these ingredients are combined, stir in the flour mixture.
Step 3 Pour batter into a loaf pan and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour or until a pick comes out clean.
Tip Add a splash or two of buttermilk (or desired milk of choice) to loosen the batter. Once the loaf cools, it can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
