Basic Banana Bread

Banana bread on a cutting board being sliced.

4.34 from 3 votes

This is the classic banana bread recipe that is made with basic ingredients only, and calls for baking powder instead of soda so that the cake browns less!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 337kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
10 mL baking powder
5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
175 grams unsalted butter softened
200 grams granulated sugar or a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar
2 large egg(s) room temperature
5 mL pure vanilla extract
300 grams mashed banana roughly 3 ripe bananas, approximately 450 grams with peel

Metric - US

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C). Butter and flour a 1-pound loaf pan, either a 9x5-inch (23x12.5x7.5 cm) loaf pan (like this Nordic Ware pan on Amazon) or for a taller loaf, use an 8.5x4.5-inch (21.5x11.5x7 cm) loaf pan (like this Oxo pan on Amazon). A small 9x4-inch Pullman pan will also work here. I tested it! Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often to make sure the mixture is evenly whipped.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
Add the flour and mashed banana, alternately, scraping the bottom and sides to incorporate everything.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf cake pan. Smooth the top to even it out.
Bake for 60–65 minutes for a 9x5" loaf or up to 70–75 minutes for an 8.5"x4.5" or the small Pullman pan, until the edges are a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Notes

Use the largest bananas you can find for this recipe: I used a pound of bananas and after peeling, I was left with roughly 330 grams of fruit, which works out to 330 mL (1⅓ cups) but this recipe can accommodate as little as 300 grams and up to 375 grams (1½ cups) of mashed banana. Don't use more than that.
Make sure the bananas are very ripe (black even).
If you are using frozen bananas for this recipe, please make sure do the following:
- defrost the bananas
- peel the bananas and place in a strainer set over a bowl
- press very gently to squeeze out the liquid
- either discard the banana liquid OR place the liquid in a saucepan and boil it down to a couple tablespoons, stirring often so that it doesn't burn. Add this banana concentrate to the bananas and proceed with recipe.
This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
If you want to make a fancier banana bread, add any of the following:
- 250 mL (1 cup) chocolate chips
- 250 mL (1 cup) chopped walnuts or chopped pecans
- 5 mL (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 10 mL (2 tsp) ground cardamom
- 3/75 mL (¾ tsp) ground nutmeg
- 5 mL (1 tsp) vanilla extract
You can also use a thermometer to check if your cake is done baking and the internal temperature should register around 212 ºF or 100 ºC when it's done.
If you don't have eggs or are allergic, try this eggless banana bread recipe.

Nutrition