Pineapple Calamansi (Lime) Bread

Crushed pineapple makes this bread super moist and flavorful plus a hint of local lime (calamansi) adds a layer of citrusy tang to this delicious Pineapple Lime Bread! No butter or oil is ever used in the batter so it’s a more wholesome treat!

My family and I spent last year’s Christmas holiday in the Philippines. We all went home not just to enjoy the holidays together but also to celebrate two major milestones – my Mom’s 80th birthday and hubby’s 50th birthday!

Guess what? Their birthday actually fell on the same exact day – December 26! Isn’t that amazing?

Usually, when I go back to the Philippines I don’t just stay for a couple or three weeks, the usual length of stay for the rest of my family. My very kind and super sweet husband actually allows me to stay a bit longer – at least eight weeks in total!

He knows that I truly miss my family from the Philippines and since I don’t get to go home every year (we’d be bankrupt if I do as the fares from the US to the Philippines are pretty expensive!) but when I do I am able to stay much longer.

In fact this time around, I was able to stay up to 3 months so my departure from Manila was not scheduled until the end of February 2020. So glad for such an extended break as I truly needed it. Thankfully, my dear husband didn’t mind being on his own with the kids for that long!

Whenever I’m home with my Filipino family, I make it a habit to cook and bake for my loving parents. You see, except for a stay-at-home maid, they’re on their own.

My siblings don’t get to see them during the week except during certain weekends when their work permit them to visit Mom and Dad. Because of this, I make it a point to spend most of my time with them – and that means lots of time enjoying good food!

My father, in particular, loves sweets! He loves to snack on anything sweet he can lay his hands on. Sadly, when I’m not there – it’s mostly store-bought goodies that he gets – whatever sweet treat they may find in the carinderia or sari-sari store in our village.

There’s nothing wrong with them per se but I just wish someone would be able to regularly bake something yummy for him. So, I bake, bake and bake when I’m home.

When I do bake, I often make use of locally available ingredients. In making this tasty pineapple bread – I made sure to use our local limes called calamansi (not quite like it but similar to key limes) for a citrusy twist on the usual pineapple bread.

These cute little dark green limes are quite tiny (even smaller than key limes) but they surely pack in a lot of tang! It’s a shame that I cannot find them fresh in the US although the juice version is imported so I can readily buy it in any Asian store if I want to. However, fresh is still the best in my opinion. At any rate, if you wish to make this bread simply use either use regular limes or lemons! 

Below you can see how calamansi compare to key limes. Oh, how I love to make juice with these little limes!

PHOTO CREDIT: NEW MALAYSIAN KITCHEN

I’m happy to report that my father truly enjoyed this yummy pineapple lime bread that I made it again when we had some guests and they also equally loved it. Naturally, I passed on the recipe to them as they asked for it and hope to replicate it in their own homes. I think they loved the fact that I didn’t use any oil or butter in the bread (my visiting relatives were all senior citizens so they all had to watch their fat intake!) so they were able to truly enjoy something sweet without much fear!

As you can see in the photos, despite the lack of oil or butter the bread still came out so moist and that’s because of the pineapple and lime juice! 

INGREDIENTS FOR PINEAPPLE LIME BREAD

• All-purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder 
• Salt
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Sour cream
• Crushed Pineapple (juice included)
• Freshly squeezed lime, key lime or calamansi (Filipino local lime) juice
• Pecans or nuts of choice, chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE PINEAPPLE LIME BREAD

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Combine the eggs, sugar, crushed pineapple, sour cream, and lime juice in another bowl.

Blend well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture; stir to mix.

Fold in nuts, if using. Spoon the mixture into a greased or parchment paper-lined (or banana leaf-lined) 9×5-inch loaf pan (if making one large loaf) or two (8×4) loaf pans.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes (if using 2 loaf pans) or 60 minutes if using one large loaf tin or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before adding the lime glaze. Perfect morning bread or for snack time!

For the Lime Glaze

Place the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Beat until it reaches a smooth and pourable consistency.

Easy! Let the cake cool completely before you add the glaze.

Is it hard to make? No, not at all! Not very complicated to make at all –  it’s simply a matter of mixing the wet and dry ingredients together and then baking them! Easy, right?

So, it would be amiss not to share this delicious bread with you, my dear readers! Even though my pictures aren’t as pretty as I wanted them to be (I didn’t bring my good camera on holiday) I thought it’s still worth sharing because it’s so good! So here it is – made in the Philippines – Pineapple Lime (Calamansi) Bread! Hope you enjoy with your family!

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Last updated on November 2nd, 2023 at 08:36 pm