Description
This homemade Apple Banana Bread combines the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and tender diced apples, enhanced with warm cinnamon and nutmeg spices. Topped with a crunchy streusel, this moist and flavorful bread makes a perfect comforting treat for breakfast or snack time, baking to a golden perfection in under an hour and a half.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten free flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Cinnamon Apple Mixture
- 1 1/4 cups peeled and diced apples (about 1 large apple)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas (about 3-4 large bananas)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray and line the center with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Make Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix well with a fork until a crumbly mixture with large chunks forms. Place the streusel in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the rest of the bread; a cold topping helps prevent it from sinking during baking.
- Prepare Cinnamon Apple Mixture: Toss peeled and diced apples with light brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour until evenly coated. This mixture adds moist chunks of sweetly spiced apple throughout the bread.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, blend mashed ripe bananas with melted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by vanilla extract, ensuring a well-incorporated mixture.
- Combine Batter: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet banana mixture, whisking gently just until combined to avoid overmixing. Carefully fold in the cinnamon apple mixture to maintain apple chunks.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then evenly sprinkle the chilled streusel topping over the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the bread cool almost completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Using ripe bananas with brown spots will enhance the sweetness and moisture in the bread.
- Refrigerate the streusel topping to keep it chunky and prevent it from melting into the bread.
- Don't overmix the batter to keep the bread tender and avoid toughness.
- Allow the bread to cool before slicing to prevent it from crumbling.
- You can substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if needed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 65-75 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
