Baking with bananas not only provides the delicious subtle banana flavour but is also a great addition for a melt-in-your-mouth moist dessert or snack. This is one of the easiest yet super delicious loaves that you may ever come across – and it’s an ideal choice for anyone in the family to make on their own or have the littlest ones help the bigger ones. Just be prepared for your family to request this often as it is usually a huge hit.
As with most baking recipes, make it unique with some slight adjustments to ingredients. This recipe calls for some cinnamon, but you could up the amount if you enjoy the taste and goodness of cinnamon! There are optional ingredients listed of walnuts or chocolate chips, but you may want to use a different kind of nut or add in other tasty options like hulled hemp seeds, butterscotch chips, or dried fruit. Make it your own and cater to the tastes of your family!
Best Ever Banana Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (the darker the better!)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt (sour cream works, too)
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed (You can experiment with 4 for an even moister loaf.)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9”x5” loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In another bowl, mix sugar and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until well mixed in.
- Add the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla until combined.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (Best not to overmix!)
- Fold in the walnuts and/or chocolate chips.
- Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake.
- Put on the middle oven rack in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes. You can loosely cover the loaf with aluminium foil after the 30 minute mark to prevent the top from getting too browned. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the centre of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the loaf is done.
- Place on a wire rack on the counter for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
- This can be covered and stored at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
See more easy recipes for kids to make in the Kids Quick Cook article series page.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).