Rum and Raisin Banana Bread

This rum and raisin banana bread is made without refined sugar, packed with punchy banana and rum flavour, and finished with a naturally sweetened vanilla rum glaze.

I can’t adult. Anyone else out there who can relate? I’ve been living away from the comfort of my family home for nearly five years now, and most of the time I still feel like I’m paddling around an ocean in circles.

It’s likely a cliche by now, but I really wish they taught you more useful life skills in school. Understanding mortgages, investing, credit, insurance, hell, even learning how to properly do my taxes would have been more useful than memorising the periodic table. What a joke.

However, I do have one lesson from my school days that I’ve held onto over the years and find very useful in my daily life: discovering that rum and raisin is a delicious combination.

But, as with the best life lessons, this didn’t materialise from school classes; it came from my grandmother. I distinctly remember her ordering two flavours whenever we went out for ice cream. One was maple pecan and the other was rum and raisin. And she loved them. Well, to be honest, she loved all ice cream, but these two flavours stand out in my mind.

As a child who bounced between cotton candy, bubblegum, and mint chocolate chip, I couldn’t quite understand her passion for ice cream that contained dried fruit and booze.

Nana, as an “adult”, I fully appreciate your choices now.

When you’re lost down the Google road somewhere between Fixed, Variable, or Tracker Rate Avenue and Credit Card Comparison Lane, you need a little rum in your life. I’m veering off course slightly, though, and reaching for slices of this Rum and Raisin Banana Bread in place of ice cream.

Because it’s acceptable to have banana bread for breakfast.

Fittingly, this boozy banana bread recipe was developed from my grandmother’s original banana bread recipe! The base of the recipe remains, but instead of using white sugar to sweeten it, I added another banana and a little bit of coconut sugar for some extra caramel notes. I felt it paired very well with the rum.

This is a very easy recipe to make, but it does involve a little bit of prep.

How long should you soak raisins in rum?

The key to making a really boozy rum and raisin banana bread is soaking the raisins in the rum overnight.

I found when I added the rum straight into the batter, all of the flavour cooked off in the oven and it was barely noticeable. The absorption method allows the dried raisins to become super infused with the alcohol, so when they’re baked in the bread, most of the rum flavour remains.

Something to note before you start is the expiry date on your raisins. The first time I made this banana bread recipe, I used raisins that had been in my cupboard forever. They weren’t able to absorb enough of the rum to really impart much flavour in the final bake. So check your bag and grab some fresh raisins!

How to make this rum and raisin banana bread

Once you’ve finished infusing your rum raisins, the rest of the recipe is a breeze. You simply:

1. Mix together your dry ingredients.
2. Whisk together your wet ingredients.
3. Fold in the rum-soaked raisins.
4. Pour the batter into a greased and lined tin.
5. Bake for 50 minutes.

Easy!

I hope you love this Rum and Raisin Banana Bread recipe. It’s soft and fluffy with just the right amount of moisture from the bananas to make it a little gooey. It packs a punch of flavour both from the fruit and the booze and carries slight caramel notes from the coconut sugar. The vanilla rum glaze is, of course, optional. However, I highly recommend you give it a go. You’ll love it!

In fact, I’d say that this banana bread is pretty magical. It may not solve all of your adulting problems, but it sure helps you find them a bit more humorous as you work your way through the loaf.

Let me know you’ve made this recipe by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories!

Looking for more boozy refined sugar free desserts?

Frozen Margarita Tart
Irish Coffee Blondies
Watermelon Rosé Sorbet
Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

5 from 2 votes

Print

Rum and Raisin Banana Bread

A soft, fluffy refined sugar free banana bread infused with the flavours of rum and raisin and topped with a sugar-free vanilla rum glaze.

Category Bread, Quickbread

Keyword rum and raisin

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Serves 8

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

Banana Bread

• 100 g fresh raisins
• 75 ml dark rum
• 125 g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 300 g mashed overripe bananas (3 medium)
• 56 g unsalted butter melted
• 50 g coconut sugar
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg room temperature

Vanilla Rum Glaze

• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150 ml milk
• 75 ml agave syrup
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tbsp dark rum

Method

Banana Bread

1. Combine the raisins and rum in a small bowl, cover, and leave to sit and soak for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF) and grease and line a 20 x 10 cm (8 x 4 in) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper. Be sure to leave a couple inches of overhang for easy removal.

3. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together into a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas and melted butter until combined. Add the coconut sugar and vanilla extract and whisk well. Crack in the egg and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until combined.
6. Tip in the rum-soaked raisins and any remaining liquid. Fold in well.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Rum Glaze

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk over a medium-low heat until slightly thickened. It should be able to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
2. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the agave syrup, salt, vanilla extract, and rum.
3. Strain the glaze through a metal sieve to remove any excess flour lumps. Allow to cool to room temperature and thicken slightly before pouring the glaze over the cooled banana bread.

Notes

• It’s important to use relatively fresh raisins for this recipe. Old raisins do not soak up enough of the rum.
• This banana bread will keep sealed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, this banana bread can be frozen up to 2 months. Allow to thaw completely at room temperature before serving.