Want to give your holiday baking a little island flair? Try adding some flavors from Hawaii like coffee, rum, apple banana, mango, papaya, coconut, vanilla beans, and, of course, Maui cane sugar. You can easily order these ingredients online if you can’t them in a store nearby (see resource list below for suggestions). Or ask someone who’s going on vacation to bring you back a few things.
(Hawaiian style it: Individual servings of apple banana bread with vanilla rum sauce)
One of my favorite holiday recipes is Hawaiian apple banana bread with vanilla bean rum sauce. Start with your favorite banana bread recipe, but substitute apple banana puree (about 1.5 cups puree for 2 whole bananas). Same for the sauce. Use your favorite icing recipe and add a splash of Hana rum and ground vanilla beans. Sprinkle the top with freshly shredded coconut.
Another crowd pleaser is Kona coffee cake. I never leave a party with anything but an empty pan. Using your favorite coffee cake recipe, substitute finely ground pure Kona coffee. I especially love using peaberry from the Hualalai area. I also find that adding fresh, unrefrigerated eggs from your nearest hens really plumps up the flavor of the coffee. A hint of vanilla bean or dark chocolate tastes fabulous, too.
For any of your holiday baking, you can substitute raw Maui cane sugar for demera and turbinado sugars. The golden color of the Maui cane caramelizes beautifully.
During the holidays, it’s the simple pleasures that we enjoy most: time with family and friends and good food. Enjoy and aloha!
Online shopping for Hawaiian foods:
Hawaiianfoodonline.com