Banana Bread (boring title; tasty subject)

I like banana bread.  I like to eat it and, strangely enough, I like to make it (mostly because if I make it I get to eat it).
I don’t remember when my attraction to banana bread began, but I do remember my mom made it every once in a while, and it never lasted long, even though she usually added walnuts which I never liked.  I wanted a homogenous loaf – smooth texture throughout with no walnuts, no raisins, and no leftover unmashed banana parts. But oh, how things have changed!  Little Robert has finally grown up (note to self: people think you are weird when referring to yourself in the third person).
My favorite add-ins to banana bread are now (you guessed it)walnuts and Chocolate Chips (NOT raisins).  Sometimes together.  And I don’t mind those random banana squishies too much either. 
The other day I got to thinking a bit (troubling, I know).  What else can you add to banana bread?  Looks like a . . . opportunity.  Less than a minute later I’d discovered new direction in life.  I found the perfect recipe!  Then I modified it a bit because it had too much butter and sugar, and not enough vanilla and baking powder and wheat flour, until voila!  ze best banana bread this side of North base. 
Okay, I know what you’re thinking by now and no, I’m not turning this into a “Julie and Julia” blog or any of those other recipe-a-day blogs that everyone seems to have these days, and I won’t make it a habit of sharing recipes online (unless they’re really awesome), but since you’ve read the post this far, you at least deserve to have the recipe.
So, here it is (my version at least).  Modify at will.
Robert’s Over-the-top Banana Bread
Get two bread loaf pans greased and ready to go.  Nothing better than a recipe that makes two loaves.
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup applesauce
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 – 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4 medium)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans (divided)
1 cup frozen (or fresh) raspberries

Cream butter, applesauce, cream cheese and sugars.  Beat in eggs.  Then beat in bananas and vanilla.  In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture. 
Divide batter in half (that’s two separate bowls now).  In one bowl, fold in 1/2 cup pecans, pour into a pan, then sprinkle remaining pecans on top.  In the other bowl, fold in the raspberries, then pour that batter into the other bowl.  (You see where I’m going with this now?).  Bake at 350˚ for 60 to 75 min.  If you live in North Base, drop to 340˚ becuase the ovens here are messed up.  Whichever the case, just do the toothpick test to make sure they’re done.  I hate it when the center is too gooey.
And here’s what I ended up with. 
One loaf of banana bread with pecans:
 
and one loaf of raspberry banana bread.

15 minutes after they cooled:
Yum. 
I wonder what I should add in next time.  Any ideas?  NOT raisins.
Rob