Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Looking for a fun twist on a classic banana bread recipe? This cinnamon swirl banana bread uses the delicious and classic flavors of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon and elevates them further by adding in a thick ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled through the middle. Top it with an easy vanilla icing to make this quick bread over the top delicious!
This cinnamon swirl banana bread is the perfect fall breakfast recipe! As a longtime lover of classic banana bread, I had fun creating a simple and fun twist on a tried and true recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Flour: I use unbleached organic all purpose flour in this recipe. Make sure to spoon and level your flour for best results.
- Butter: This recipe calls for 1 stick of softened butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs are best.
- Ripe Bananas: The riper the better! I recommend 3-4 large bananas.
- Sugar: I used brown sugar in this recipe, but you could substitute with white sugar or even coconut sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon really shines in this recipe! It is used in the banana bread batter and the cinnamon swirl.
Quick Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe
- This bread is delicious served warm with a generous slab of salted butter!
- Add in variations! Although this recipe is nut free, I personally love chopped pecans in banana bread. Chocolate chips would also be a yummy addition.
- You can substitute milk for heavy cream in the icing, it will just make the icing a little less thick.
- I usually loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil halfway through baking to prevent over browning.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
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Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a nonstick loaf pan with nonstick spray (I love avocado oil spray) and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, add in 3-4 mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Make the cinnamon sugar swirl. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar with 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Spoon half of the banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, and then pour the remaining batter on top, using the back of a rubber spatula or spoon to spread it as evenly as you can. Using a knife, swirl the batter down the center of the loaf pan. Avoid over-swirling, which will mix the layers together too much.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean with only a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool completely in the loaf pan before drizzling the icing over the top.
- For the icing, whisk the ingredients together. Drizzle over the top of the bread in a zig zag pattern before slicing. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs and Storage
The browner the better! The more ripe the bananas are, the more flavor and moisture they will add to the banana bread.
Baked banana bread will store covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes! Once baked, allow the banana bread to cool completely. Store in an airtight and freezer safe container to store for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving and top with vanilla icing, if desired.
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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3-4 medium ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Vanilla Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a nonstick loaf pan with nonstick spray (I love avocado oil spray) and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, add in 3-4 mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Make the cinnamon sugar swirl. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar with 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Spoon half of the banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, and then pour the remaining batter on top, using the back of a rubber spatula or spoon to spread it as evenly as you can. Using a knife, swirl the batter down the center of the loaf pan. Avoid over-swirling, which will mix the layers together too much.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean with only a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool completely in the loaf pan before drizzling the icing over the top.
- For the icing, whisk the ingredients together. Drizzle over the top of the bread in a zig zag pattern before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
If you loved this recipe for cinnamon swirl banana bread, make sure you come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! Tag me on Instagram with your creations @ourhandcraftedhomeblog.
