Bibingka Banana Bread Recipe

Bibingka Banana Bread

3.5

(2)

2 Reviews

Sweet and glutinous rice flour give this playful Filipino-American dessert a chewy interior full of banana flavor.

By Woldy Reyes

Updated on July 20, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Bibingka Banana Bread — Photo:
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 5 mins

For Filipinos, bibingka is traditionally made for a gathering, usually around a holiday. Baked in a banana leaf, the dessert is both sweet and salty because of the salted duck egg inside and sharp Cheddar cheese topping. The version here from chef Woldy Reyes is a sweeter take that merges the Filipino treat with classic American banana bread.

The lining of banana leaves in the loaf pan for this satisfying bread helps deliver a moist crumb and rich banana fragrance. For Reyes, baking banana bread in a banana leaf is both nostalgic and represents his heritage. “It’s like banana on banana, or banana squared,” says Reyes. The leaves protect the bread during the bake and impart a bit of their floral aroma into the bread.

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Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 (14- x 12-inch) banana leaf piece
1 1/4 cups sweet rice flour (such as Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour)
1 1/4 cups glutinous rice flour (such as Erawan)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup very ripe mashed bananas (from 2 to 3 medium bananas)
3/4 cup well-shaken and stirred unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.
Using scissors, cut a 12- x 4-inch strip from banana leaf piece, cutting parallel to the leaf’s center vein. Cut remaining portion of banana leaf into 3 (12- x 3-inch) strips, cutting parallel to the leaf’s veins.
Place 3-inch-wide banana leaf strips crosswise over bottom and sides of loaf pan, overlapping as needed to completely line bottom of pan. Make sure leaf ends extend over sides by 1 to 2 inches. Place remaining banana leaf strip lengthwise along bottom of loaf pan and partway up shorter sides. Set pan aside.
Whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together sugar, bananas, coconut milk, butter, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; whisk until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread in an even layer.
Bake in preheated oven until banana bread is golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, loosely covering with aluminum foil during final 20 minutes of baking time to prevent overbrowning. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack, 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours. Carefully remove loaf from pan using banana leaves as handles. Slice banana bread, and serve on banana leaves.