Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

a slice of banana bread slathered with cinnamon and butter
Prep Time: 
15 minutes, plus 30 minutes Cook Time
Recipe Source: 

Ingredients

Banana Bread

  • 1 34 cups all-purpose flour
  • 14 cup almond flour (ground blanched almonds)
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 13 cup coconut sugar
  • 3 tbsp almond butter
  • 3 medium ripe bananas (1 cup, peeled and mashed with a fork)
  • 3 tbsp almond milk
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter (melted)
  • 14 tsp salt
  • 23 cup pecans (chopped)
  • 1 banana, halved lengthways (for topping)
  • vegan butter (for brushing)

Cinnamon Swirl

  • 3 Tbsp vegan butter (melted)
  • 14 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a standard 9×5 baking tin with parchment then spray or brush with vegan butter.
  2. Add the pecans to a parchment lined baking tray and roast until golden and fragrant, 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool then roughly chop. Reserve 2 tbsp for topping the banana bread.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the flour, almond flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and salt.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond milk, melted butter and almond butter.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and stir to combine. Fold in the mashed banana and pecans with a spatula.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon sugar ingredients: melted vegan butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
  7. Spread 13 of the batter on the bottom of the tin. Add 13 of the cinnamon swirl mix in dollops on top and use a sharp knife or toothpick to swirl a little. Add 13 of the remaining batter and swirl with again. Repeat one more time – you should have 3 layers.
  8. Press the two halves of the banana onto the top, cut side up, and brush with a little melted vegan butter, and top with reserved pecans.
  9. Bake for about 30 to 35 mins, covering loosely with foil if it starts to brown too much after about 20 minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then place on a wire rack to cool before slicing.

Notes

  • ​Out of fresh, spotty bananas? No problem! Simply thaw 3 frozen bananas at room temperature until soft and then mash and add them directly to the batter.
  • I have not tested a version using a gluten-free flour blend and cannot confirm it would work well. If you are to try, I’d recommend trying with a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, like Bob’s Red Mill.
  • Depending on your oven, you may find that the top of the homemade cinnamon swirl bread begins to brown too quickly. If this is the case, lightly tent the bread with a sheet of aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking.
  • Leftover Cinnamon Banana Bread will keep at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Info: 
332 Calories, 5 g Protein, 0 mg Cholesterol, 43 g Carbohydrates, 18 g Total sugars (11 g Added sugars), 4 g Fiber, 17 g Total fat (8 g sat), 214 mg Sodium, ★★★ Phosphorus, ★★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Calcium, Folate, Iron, Magnesium

Contributor

Hannah Sunderani

My name is Hannah Sunderani and I share plant-based recipes worth sharing (hence the name “two spoons”). I’m an award-winning and best-selling cookbook author of The Two Spoons Cookbook, a YouTuber, and creator of The Two Spoons App.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, I decided to go vegan in 2016 when we moved abroad to France. I had struggled with severe IBS since my early 20’s after losing a loved one to cancer. Moving abroad was the push I needed to go vegan entirely for my health.