15 Jul 2020

Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

I know, I know. Do we really need another banana bread recipe? I think we might. I’ve never made the same banana bread recipe twice – always a little disappointed and searching for better. So in these pandemic times, when the bananas turned brown last week, I had plenty of time to notice and went straight to this recipe.

The crunchy cinnamon sugar top, the interesting addition of honey, and the deeply caramelized crumb are what drew me in to this stunner from Bakesale Betty in Oakland, California. And let me tell you, it delivered. Part coffee cake, part banana bread. Supremely moist and perfectly sweet with a deeply crunchy and addictive topping that seals the deal. This loaf was poof-gone in two days. Requested for breakfast, snack and dessert. And the great news? The search is over. I’ll definitely make this again.

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Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

  • Author: adapted from Bakesale Betty
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Ingredients

Batter:

  • Butter, for greasing pan
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (from 2–3 bananas)
  • 1/4 cup warm water

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons Turbinado, Demerara (for more crunch) or brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Or alternatively, butter the pan and line it with parchment or wax paper, leaving enough paper hanging over the sides to lift the cake out after baking.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, and honey until smooth. Stir in bananas and warm water. Add dry ingredients to egg-oil mixture and stir to blend. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients together. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
  4. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour, give or take. If topping shows signs of burning, reduce heat to 325 degrees. 
  5. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in pan, on a rack. Carefully remove the bread without breaking the topping. Let it cool completely before slicing and serving.