Description
A moist, tender banana bread infused with warm chai spices and topped with a crunchy, caramelized brown sugar crust. This cozy loaf is easy to make in one bowl and perfect for rainy mornings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 ½ cups mashed)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for topping)
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (turbinado or demerara)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth.
- Whisk in the vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract until combined and slightly emulsified.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it turns golden amber and smells nutty (about 3-4 minutes). Remove from heat immediately.
- Stir the coarse sugar into the browned butter until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Drizzle the brown butter sugar mixture over the batter and swirl gently with a knife about an inch deep.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Ensure bananas are very ripe (black peels) for maximum sweetness and moisture. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a tough texture. The coarse sugar is essential for the crackle top; regular granulated sugar will not achieve the same effect. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of the
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 180
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
Keywords: banana bread, chai spice, brown sugar crackle, fall baking, cozy breakfast, moist banana bread, one bowl recipe