Recipe of the day: Cinnamon swirl banana bread

After its golden era during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, banana bread isn’t as popular as it was during this time, however, a dedicated day has made sure we still whip up this classic sweet loaf bread. 

National Banana Bread Day, on 23 February, is recognised largely in the United States, but it is still marked worldwide. On this day, bakers are urged to make this sweet and delicious quick bread that is also cake-like but considerably moister. 

It is a fantastic snack with a cup of tea or to start your day, it does have bananas after all making it a little healthier. 

This banana recipe has a bit of a twist with a cinnamon swirl batter inspired by cinnamon buns, adding extra sweetness. Use ripe bananas to achieve the moist texture of well-baked banana bread. 

Cinnamon swirl banana bread

This banana bread recipe has a bit of a twist with a cinnamon swirl batter inspired by cinnamon buns to add extra sweetness.

• Author: thebakermama
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Batter:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1–1/2 cups)

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 6 thin slices of banana, for garnishing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, melt the butter and let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar then the eggs and vanilla. 
3. Stir in the flour and baking soda. Fold in the mashed bananas until just combined.
4. In a small bowl, use a fork to stir together the cinnamon sugar swirl ingredients until thick and well combined. If your swirl is too thick to swirl, add an additional tablespoon of melted butter until it is thin enough to swirl. Note: if it’s too thin, it will just spread and not hold its swirl as the loaf bakes.
5. Spread 1/4 of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the pan and then make a nice thick swirl through the batter with a table knife or bottom of a wooden spoon. Place 1/3 of the remaining batter evenly over the first layer and swirl with 1/3 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 1/2 of the remaining batter evenly over the second layer and swirl with 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter evenly over the top and dollop with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Make large swirls throughout the entire loaf. Place six thin banana slices down the middle of the batter.
6. Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browned before the centre is baked all the way through, tint the loaf with foil and let it continue to bake until the centre is baked all the way through.
7. Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

*This recipe can be found at thebakermama.com.