Description
Moist Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl is a sweet, soft, and comforting quick bread made with ripe bananas, rich butter, and a spiced brown sugar swirl. It’s the perfect treat for breakfast, snack time, or dessert, and it’s ideal for beginner bakers looking for a simple yet satisfying bake.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For the cinnamon swirl (optional):
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare the Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two standard loaf pans or line them with parchment paper. This will help prevent sticking and make it easy to remove the loaves after baking.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using a hand or stand mixer. This step creates a smooth and creamy base for the batter.
- Incorporate Eggs and Bananas: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the wet batter, alternating with the buttermilk. Start and end with the flour mixture to avoid overmixing.
- Add Optional Nuts: If using chopped pecans, fold them gently into the batter at this stage with a spatula to maintain a tender texture.
- Assemble with Cinnamon Swirl: Pour half of the batter into each prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture generously over the batter. Add the remaining batter on top and, if desired, sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top.
- Bake Until Golden and Set: Place the pans in the center of the oven and bake for 50–60 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, it’s done. If the top is browning too quickly, tent with foil.
- Cool and Serve: Let the banana bread cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Cool completely before slicing for the best texture.
Notes
- You can reduce sugar by ¼ cup for a less sweet version. Try adding chocolate chips or blueberries for fun variations. To make this gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. If your bread tends to collapse or stay undercooked in the middle, reduce oven temp by 10–15 degrees and bake a bit longer, checking with a toothpick every 5 minutes after the 50-minute mark.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Quick Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/16 of recipe)
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 21g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg