Cinnamon sugar banana bread
It took me three tries to get this banana bread right.
The first try, It looked absolutely perfect out of the oven, until it began to cool. Just as the middle of the loaf sank, so did my heart. The very center of the bread was still raw, and the ends dense and dry.
The second try, I overzealously added too much liquid to compensate for the dryness. This was a mistake, as it took almost 80 minutes to bake, and the bread couldn’t hold form. It fell apart the moment I cut into it.
The third time (always a charm!) It was the banana bread of my dreams.
Not too banana forward. I mean I get it, it’s banana bread so it should taste like banana, but I think there’s a threshold.
Perfectly moist. When it comes to a dessert like bread no one wants to eat a dense dry brick called bread.
A cinnamon sugar swirl can is always a plus!
I’m almost tempted to say this is by far the best banana bread there is, but I understand that banana bread preference is subjective. Nuts, no nuts, chocolate, no chocolate.
Whatever mix-ins you fancy, I promise you this recipe can take it and can be your perfect base recipe.
Cinnamon sugar swirl banana bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (100g) white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57g/ml) neutral oil
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g/ml) sour cream
- 2-3 medium sized bananas, very ripe (about 1 cup), mashed
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350°F.
- Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper. Set side.
- In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon and the three tablespoons of sugar. Set side.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set sided.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar, butter and oil, until slightly fluffy and smooth.
- Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Mix in sour cream and mashed bananas until fully combined.
- Fold in dry ingredients until a majority of it is mixed. Some flour bits are okay. You don’t want to overmix the batter.
- Scoop a few heaping tablespoons of the batter into the loaf pan, smooth into an even layer.
- Sprinkle an even coating of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter.
- Alternative between a layer of batter and a layer of cinnamon sugar until all the banana bread batter is used.
- Top the batter with one last layer of cinnamon sugar, and using a knife or fork carefully make swirls in the bread.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or when the middle internal temperature is about 200°F.
- Let cool in the loaf pan for 15-20 minutes before lifting bread out of the pan by pulling up on the parchment paper, leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
Banana bread can be left at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerated in a sealed container for up to a week.
