This Salted Caramel Banana Nut Bread is a super moist and delicious dessert bread with a thick caramel sauce that's not only swirled and baked inside, but drizzled all over the top along with chopped pecans and sea salt flakes. It's a must-make recipe anytime of the year! Makes 2 loaves.
1cupMashed Bananas (about 2-3 medium size and overly ripen)
⅓cupThick Caramel Sauce(plus more for drizzling over the top)
2tablespoonSea Salt Flakes(optional garnish for top of each loaf (approx. 1 tablespoon per loaf) )
Instructions
crumb topping
In a medium-size mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour and light brown sugar.
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour, ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter and using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the mixture until it forms into the crumbly mixture.
⅛ cup Unsalted Butter
Add in the chopped pecans. Set to the side.
¼ cup Finely Chopped Pecans
banana bread
Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Generously spray 2 bread loaf tins (either 9" x 5" or 8" x 4") with a flour-based baking spray or grease with vegetable shortening and lightly flour. Optional step: add a parchment paper sling to each tin, then lightly respray with the baking spray. This will eliminate having to invert the tins to remove the bread later for cooling. Set the tins to the side.
In a large-size mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, coconut oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
1 cup Granulated Sugar, 1 cup Light Brown Sugar, ½ cup Coconut Oil, 2 Large Eggs, ½ cup Buttermilk, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Add in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined.
3 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Using a spatula, fold in the mashed bananas and caramel sauce. Baking tip: heat up the caramel sauce in the microwave for a few seconds to help add it to the bread batter.
1 cup Mashed Bananas, ⅓ cup Thick Caramel Sauce
Evenly divide half the banana bread batter into the two prepared loaf tins, top with the crumb topping, then sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
2 tablespoon Sea Salt Flakes
Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the salted caramel banana bread loaves in the pans for approximately 10 minutes before removing them from the tins. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack, and allow the bread to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with more caramel and sea salt flakes.
Notes
With this bread having a crumb topping, I found using the parchment paper slings to lift the bread out of the tins very helpful.
If you don't have a jar of caramel sauce, you can melt down a bag of caramel squares over medium heat and two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream or water.
No cooling time is included in the recipe notes. You do not have to serve this bread completely cooled. See the next tip.
This salted caramel banana bread is best served slightly warm, drizzled with extra caramel sauce, and sprinkled with sea salt flakes.
For storing, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can reheat slices of it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Recipe adapted from A Taste of Bedminster Elementary cookbook.