A whole banana bread on a white cake stand with a copper rim, with bowls of eggs and bananas blurred behind

Breads, Buns & Donuts

Ultimate Banana Bread

Originally published · Modified

A soft banana bread, lighter and more moist than most, which you can also bake as a round cake with a dark chocolate ganache.

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Glossy water ganache dripping down a banana cake on a wire rack A whole banana bread topped with a halved banana on a white plate, with bowls of bananas and eggs and a stack of pink plates behind

The onslaught of banana bread recipes continues, and I had overripe bananas. But I was determined to not bake another banana bread! I actually do not have many banana recipes, so wanted to use my banana and pecan nut bread as a base and adapt it to make a cake. Little did I know that it would end up becoming my favourite banana bread!

That recipe has a wonderfully moist, dense texture, and feels more bread-like. For this one, however, I swapped out the butter for oil, valuing the lighter, softer texture in lieu of a more buttery taste. I also wanted a softer, fluffier crumb, so decided to use buttermilk instead of the sour cream.

Water ganache being poured over a whole banana cake on a wire rack

Baked in a loaf tin, this batter is my ultimate banana bread. Unlike most banana breads that are quite dense, I prefer this softer version. I do love a bit of texture as well and toss in a few pecans for an extra crunch. I have included both versions below, so you can bake it as a loaf or a cake.

A banana bread from above on a round white plate, with two banana halves baked into the top, surrounded by bananas, eggs and roses A cut banana bread with a thick slice laid in front, showing pieces of banana and nuts in the crumb

For the cake, I wanted to take it a step further, and use up some leftover chocolate, so decided to make a dark chocolate ganache. I make most of my recipes in the evening, and at around 10pm realised I had no cream for the ganache! After a bit of googling, I found a great water ganache recipe. The main point to note about the ganache is that it has to be made with a chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa solids, or it won't set.

Slices of banana cake with ganache in front of the rest of the cake A slice of banana bread spread thickly with butter on stacked scalloped pink plates, with roses on marble

The recipe

Ultimate Banana Bread

adventureswithsugar.com/ultimate-banana-bread/

Method

Method: banana bread

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin:
    • Loaf: Preheat the oven to 170˚ Celsius. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
    • Cake: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round tin with baking paper.
  2. Beat the eggs and sugar: Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and beat for around two minutes until nice and frothy.
  3. Add the oil: Slowly pour in the oil whilst whisking until it incorporates into the sugar.
  4. Add the buttermilk: Then add in the buttermilk.
  5. Sift the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice together.
  6. Add the dry ingredients: Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, in two parts.
  7. Add the bananas and extras: Add in the mashed bananas followed by the nuts/chocolate chips, if using.
  8. Fill the tin: Pour the batter into the tin. If you are making the loaf with the banana halves, place them on top of the batter.
  9. Bake:
    • Loaf: Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean. Start checking for doneness around 40 minutes.
    • Cake: Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Start checking for doneness around 35 minutes.
  10. Cover if needed: Oven temperatures vary, so if it is browning too much on the top, but not baked in the middle, then cover it with some foil and allow to bake.

Method: water ganache

  1. Make the caramel: Put the sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and place on medium-low heat. Stir to combine and once the sugar has melted, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes until the colour is that of pale amber (do not make it too dark or the ganache will have a bitter aftertaste).
  2. Add the water and vanilla: Remove from the heat and pour in the water and vanilla essence. The mixture will seize, but return to the heat and continue to stir. This will bring it to a boil and the sugar will melt again.
  3. Let it stand: Remove it from the heat and wait for a minute.
  4. Prepare the chocolate: In that time, add the chocolate, broken into pieces, into another bowl.
  5. Pour over the chocolate: Pour the water caramel over the chocolate and let stand for three minutes, before whisking to combine.
  6. Add the butter: Add the butter, piece by piece. After each addition, whisk to combine.
  7. Whisk until smooth: Continue until all the butter has been added and the consistency is that of golden syrup.
  8. Glaze the cake: Pour the ganache over the cake.

What should I know about making this?

Can I make my own buttermilk?

Yes, you can create your own buttermilk at home by combining normal milk with a teaspoon of vinegar, letting it sit for 30 minutes before using it.

A stack of banana bread slices on a white cake stand, a hand lifting the top slice to show the banana through each cut A single slice of banana bread from above on a scalloped pink plate, with a peach napkin and roses beside it

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

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