This Elvis Banana Bread is a rendition of a famous sandwich that goes by many names — the PB&B, the Elvis, or even the Velvet Elvis. This combination of banana, peanut butter, and bacon has sealed itself into an unchangeable culinary folklore that is forever linked with the legendary singer Elvis Presley. Here this loaf bread pays homage to both sandwich and singer, combining the elements of banana, peanut butter, and bacon with enhancing additions of chocolate and honey, creating a treat that’ll be impossible to share.
The best and most dangerous part of this loaf is the candied bacon. While many recipes have you cooking it in the oven, rendering bacon on the stovetop is safer, as you have to watch the bacon (baking bacon in the oven can go from baked to burnt in a split second). Once the bacon is all cooked, remove the grease from the pan and add the bacon alongside some brown sugar. Continue to cook everything until the sugar starts to dissolve and becomes sauce-like.
Transfer the coated bacon onto a plate and let it cool before cutting it into bite-sized pieces. Next, make the banana bread using the simple dry-wet muffin mixing method. Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and all of the wet ingredients in another bowl, and then add the wet and dry together. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.
The batter gets transferred into the prepared loaf pan and bakes in the oven until baked completely through.
Next, the glaze — a combination of peanut butter, honey, and powdered sugar is whisked together and adorns the top of the bread alongside the candied bacon and chocolate chips.
This combination of peanut butter, banana, bacon, honey, and chocolate may sound like a mouthful, but it is a perfect homeostasis of sweet, rich, savory, and salty.
Peanut butter in both the loaf cake and the glaze adds the perfect element of earthy nuttiness, cutting through the sweetness.
The banana and sour cream in the bread batter cake keeps the cake’s crumb moist and tender.
Candied bacon needs no explanation, but it adds this extra textural level of differentiation as well as an unexpected, well, baconiness that just somehow magically works with all of the other ingredients.
Elvis Banana Bread
For the candied bacon:
- 9 to 10 bacon slices
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
For the banana bread:
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 plus cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
To make the candied bacon:
- In a fry pan cook bacon on a low heat, rendering out as much fat as possible. Once all of the bacon is cooked, drain the pan of the bacon grease and put all of the bacon slices back into the pan.
- Add the brown sugar, tossing to evenly distribute the sugar. Continue to cook on a low heat until the sugar granules dissolve and begin to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove the bacon, caramel sauce and all, to a plate and let it cool completely. When cooled down, cut the bacon into chunks or bite sized pieces. Set aside.
To make the banana bread:
- Preheat oven 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan with baking spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, set aside.
- Combine chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon flour, tossing to coat, set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside.
- In another bowl whisk together mashed bananas, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, oil, sour cream, peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until completely mixed together.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until there are no visible streaks of flour. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few moist, not wet, crumbs.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze and assemble the bread:
- In a bowl whisk peanut butter, honey, and powdered sugar together.
- Pour glaze over cooled bread. Top with candied bacon and chocolate. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.