Let me tell you something: this isn’t your regular banana bread. The notes of coffee and cinnamon make the nation’s favourite lockdown bake into a comforting, decadent treat.
I don’t know about you, but I had never thought much about banana bread before we went into lockdown. I have always found banana bread nice, especially with a cup of tea or coffee, but it was never my treat of choice and I hardly ever made it. With lockdown, all of a sudden I realised that I had all these banana going brown. I love green bananas, and I eat them regularly over the week. But with lockdown, my fresh fruit intake went down drastically (maybe because I needed all the comforting things such as gooey mozzarella and rich meaty dishes). So, as a result, my weekly bananas were often left uneaten, on the counter. And for this reason I have been experimenting a lot with banana bread combos (I am looking at you Banana Bread Granola and Nutella Banana Bread). But a few weeks ago, we had a bout of bad weather and it really felt like we were in the middle of autumn. I started craving the warmth of a nice cup of coffee and cinnamon baked goods. But my bananas were still browning on the counter. So I decided to combine all these ingredients to make what I would probably describe as the best banana bread I have ever made.
The hints of cinnamon and espresso powder, really make this banana loaf feel more like a bakery cake than a homemade loaf. And I love that. It feels like such a treat, even though not much has changed from my regular banana bread. And if you wanted to make it even more indulgent, you could always add dark chocolate chips to the batter. That would really be dreamy.
The Key Elements of This Dreamy Coffee & Cinnamon Banana Bread:
Overripe Bananas: you might be going "duh!" but this element is really key. Many a times I tried to use bananas that were just a little be spotty and was highly disappointed with both texture and taste. If you are desperate to make this Coffee & Cinnamon Banana Bread and you only have yellow bananas, you can bake the bananas in their peel until they get black. Google it for the exact temperature and baking time.
Cinnamon: we are using two heaped teaspoons of cinnamon here, just because we really want to taste it. If strong cinnamon flavour intimidated you, you can always lower the quantity to 1 1/2 tsp.
Strong Coffee: more specifically, I am using a double espresso. You don't have to have an espresso machine for this: instant espresso powder or even a lot of regular instant coffee powder will do here. Also, feel free to use decaf coffee if you prefer.
The Steps to Make This Banana Bread:
Start by mashing you bananas: a fork is what normally works best. It will take a little elbow grease and patience, as you want your banana mixture to be fully mashed and smooth (no clumps!).
Wet ingredients and sugar first: add your sugar, eggs, coffee and vanilla extract to the banana mixture.
Dry ingredients last: you now want to add the cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Last goes the flour. I suggest sifting them and adding them little by little to the bowl in order to obtain the smoothest batter.
Slow-baking: banana bread takes quite a bit in the oven (around an hour) and the temperature is quite low for cakes. This ensures that the banana bread texture stays soft and little doughy.
Once it's ready, let it cool down completely and then slice it. Enjoy it alongside a cup of tea or coffee, or, my favourite, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Ingredients:
3 overripe bananas
200 gr plain flour
100 gr melted unsalted butter
150 gr caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a double espresso or 2 heaped tsp espresso powder in 80 ml hot water
2 heaped tsp cinnamon
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
To a large bowl, add 2 of the bananas and mash them with a fork until smooth. Then add the melted butter and the sugar and mix until combined. Add two eggs and beat them for about a minute. At this point, add the vanilla extract and coffee. Mix well.
Add the cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and continue mixing.
Finally, sift the flour and add it a few tablespoons a time to the batter. Mix until well incorporated.
Transfer the batter to a 2lb loaf tin lined with baking paper. Top the batter with the final banana, halved vertically (halved side up).
Bake for 1 hr 10 mins. Let cool down completly before slicing.
This banana keeps well for 4 to 5 days. I also like to freeze individual slice for up to 3 months.
Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? We'd love to hear from you! Share your experience by leaving a comment below! Xx
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