Description
Delight in a moist and flavorful Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread, featuring layers of rich banana batter combined with a sweet and aromatic cinnamon sugar swirl. This easy-to-make loaf is perfect for breakfast or a comforting snack, garnished with tender banana slices for an extra touch of fruitiness.
Ingredients
Units
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Batter:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4 bananas)
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For Garnish:
- 6 thin slices of ripe banana
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set it aside to ensure a non-stick surface.
- Combine Wet Ingredients and Sugar: In a large bowl, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Whisk in the granulated sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients and Banana: Stir the all-purpose flour and baking soda into the wet mixture. Carefully fold in the mashed ripe bananas until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Make Cinnamon Sugar Swirl: In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, and ground cinnamon until thick and well blended. If the mixture is too thick for swirling, add an extra tablespoon of melted butter to thin it slightly.
- Layer Batter and Swirl: Spread about 1 cup (1/4 of the batter) evenly into the prepared pan. Dollop around 1 tablespoon (1/4 of the swirl mixture) over the batter and swirl it nicely with a knife or wooden spoon bottom.
- Repeat Layers: Place 1 cup (1/3) of the remaining batter over the first layer and swirl with about 1 tablespoon (1/3) of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then add half of the remaining batter (1 cup), swirl with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar, and finally top with the last batter layer and remaining cinnamon mixture, swirling generously.
- Add Banana Garnish: Arrange six thin banana slices down the center of the batter on top to add a fresh banana touch to the garnish.
- Bake the Bread: Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 70 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If browning occurs too quickly on top, tent the bread with foil and continue baking until fully cooked.
- Cool the Bread: Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely for easy slicing and best texture.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for the best natural sweetness and moist texture in the bread.
- If your cinnamon sugar swirl is too thick to manipulate, adding a bit more melted butter helps create smooth, defined swirls.
- Make sure not to overmix batter once the flour is added to avoid a dense banana bread.
- You can substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour to make this recipe gluten free, but the texture might vary slightly.
- For a nutty twist, consider adding 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter before baking.
- Store leftover banana bread wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
