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–+ servings
Cinnamon swirl banana bread sliced on plates
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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Gooey cinnamon swirl. Buttery, crunchy cinnamon sugar crust. Banana bread just got a serious upgrade!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Servings: 1 loaf
Author: Karie

Equipment

  • 9x5 inch loaf pan

Ingredients

Cinnamon Swirl & Topping

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar optional

Banana Bread

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 very ripe bananas about 1 ½ cups mashed
  • 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Optional: Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches hanging over 2 sides to use as handles to remove bread after baking.
  • Make the cinnamon swirl. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp salt. Set aside.
  • Make the banana bread batter. Whisk together 2 cups flour, ¾ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, mash the 3 bananas thoroughly. Whisk in 3 oz (6 tbsp) melted butter, ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, ¼ cup yogurt, and 1 tsp vanilla. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain - don't over-mix!
  • Layer. Pour about ⅓ of the banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle about ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top. Spread another ⅓ of banana batter over the top, followed by another ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with the remaining banana batter, spreading evenly and all the way to the sides of the pan. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture for after baking.
  • Bake. Bake banana bread until top springs back when touched, bread looks golden, and the bread is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan slightly, about 50-60 minutes.
  • Brush & coat. Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes. Remove from the pan, using parchment handles to lift it out carefully. Immediately brush all over with 1 tbsp melted butter.
  • Add 1 tbsp demerara sugar to cinnamon sugar mixture (optional, adds crunch!). Sprinkle generously over top of banana bread*, pressing lightly to adhere. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing & serving.

Notes

*You can also press the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the sides of the bread if you like, but it's a bit trickier to get it to stick there.