Tender, moist Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread has a swirl of sweet cinnamon sugar through it, and a crisp cinnamon sugar top. This quick bread recipe is bound to be a favorite.
Over plates of teriyaki steak tips, crispy roasted new potatoes and chilled coleslaw, my kids spilled the details of their days on a recent evening during dinner. Will had visited fifth grade classrooms where students there shared different talents. Paige loved her school field day, especially a water balloon relay.
The end of school is nearing fast.
When we moved, I knew that the kids would have to make new friends, learn how to navigate new schools and adapt to our new daily schedules and routines. And I knew there would be some differences in curriculum. But once we got into the year, I found a sharp difference in what kids were (and had already) learned here. It was more, and that meant for a bumpy transition as new concepts had to be mastered practically overnight.
They rose to the occasion.
When the school doors shut for the end of the academic year, Will and Paige will have much to be proud of. They’ve made many new friends. They’ve won the hearts of teachers, administrators and just about everyone who’s met them. And they’ve maturely handled the challenges of being the new kids who didn’t learn the same things as their peers. I couldn’t be prouder of them.
Meanwhile, I overheard a conversation between them earlier in which they both complained that they are sad school’s ending for the year. They’ve enjoyed it a lot.
And no, they didn’t know I was listening … which makes it all the sweeter.
Speaking of sweeter, I’ve try to make the last few days of the school year extra sweet. From surprise trips out for ice cream to a special school’s almost over dinner out, we’ve had a delicious, fun week. And it all started with a special bread that the kids practically devoured.
See, three overripe bananas took up residence in my kitchen last week. Well, really, they were already there … the overripeness just came with time, as happens when you don’t eat them fast enough. But there they were, beyond the point where any of us would eat them, and I decided to wait a little longer — to let them ripen even more — before mashing them for banana bread.
Because that’s what you do.
When you have overripe bananas, you bake something with them. Sometimes it’s muffins. Othertimes cake. But this time, it had to be banana bread. But not just any banana bread — cinnamon swirl banana bread, a recipe I have been thinking about for awhile.
This easy quick bread combines tender, moist banana bread with a swirl of cinnamon and a crisp cinnamon-sugar top. And all together, it’s pretty amazing. Like I-couldn’t-eat-just-one-slice amazing.
Try it with a smear of soft butter. Or just eat it plain. However you like it … It’s a sweet way to start the day.
Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, , melted (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, , lightly beaten
- 3 very ripe bananas, , mashed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8-inch loaf pan with cooking oil spray and set aside while you prepare the batter.
- In a large bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until well-combined. Add the egg and stir well to combine. Stir in the mashed bananas.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated -- but be careful not to over mix. Once it's all moistened, stop.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar. Add the remaining half of the batter and cinnamon sugar to the pan. Use a knife to cut a grid pattern through the batter (this will create the swirl of cinnamon through the loaf).
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester (or knife) inserted in the center of the loaf comes out cleanly. Let cool before slicing.
Kate
Friday 12th of June 2015
I've never thought of combining banana and cinnamon, but I love the look of this.
Barbara | Creative Culinary
Friday 12th of June 2015
Prophetic is seeing your email only moments after spying some bananas in the kitchen that NEED to be used. I'm not that keen on plain old banana bread but the addition of cinnamon makes it all better. I'm reminded of bananas foster and I wouldn't put it past me to toss in a bit of rum!