[ ./recipes/cakes/banana-bread.md ]
★ AMERICAN · CAKES
BA's Best Banana
Bread.
SERVES
8
TOTAL
85m
ACTIVE
20m
LVL
EASY
// SUMMARY
Bon Appétit's best banana bread — rich, moist, and deeply banana-flavored. The secret is mascarpone (or Greek yogurt / sour cream) creamed with brown sugar and butter for a tender, almost custardy crumb. Optional chocolate and walnuts make it even better.
// INGREDIENTS
| 4 | large very ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed) | |
| 75 | g | mascarpone, plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, or sour cream |
| 4 | tbsp | unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 2 | large eggs | |
| — 1½ cups all-purpose flour | ||
| 200 | g | dark brown sugar, packed |
| — 1¼ tsp baking soda | ||
| 0.75 | tsp | kosher salt |
| 80 | g | chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (optional) |
| 60 | g | chopped raw walnuts (optional) |
// METHOD
- 01
Preheat oven to 175°C. Lightly coat a 22×11 cm loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on the long sides.
- 02
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- 03
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat brown sugar, mascarpone, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- 04
Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- 05
Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
- 06
Add mashed bananas and mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate and/or walnuts, if using.
- 07
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
- 08
Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–65 minutes.
- 09
Transfer pan to a wire rack and let bread cool in pan for 1 hour. Turn out bread and let cool completely before slicing.
// NOTES
- — Ripe bananas are essential: The bananas should be heavily spotted or even black. Under-ripe bananas won't give enough sweetness or flavor.
- — Mascarpone vs yogurt: Mascarpone gives the richest result, Greek yogurt adds a slight tang, sour cream is somewhere in between. All work well.
- — Don't overmix: Once the flour is added, mix only until just combined to keep the bread tender.
- — Storage: Keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2–3 days, or refrigerated for up to a week.
// VARIATIONS
- → Double chocolate: Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and keep the chopped chocolate.
- → Toasted walnuts: Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for extra depth.
- → Warm spice: Add ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the flour mixture.