Description

This Sweet Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread elevates traditional banana bread with beautiful ribbons of cinnamon sugar swirled through the batter, creating a moist, flavorful loaf perfect for breakfast or dessert. Using overripe bananas ensures optimal sweetness and moisture, while simple pantry ingredients come together with an easy layering technique before baking to produce an irresistibly tender crumb and eye-catching swirl.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Bread:

1 cup butter (room temperature, preferably unsalted Kerrygold for richer flavor)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temperature, about 70°F for better emulsion)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (e.g., King Arthur)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1.75 cups mashed banana (thoroughly mashed until smooth)
6 slices banana (for topping)

For the Cinnamon Swirl:

3 tbsp butter (melted and cooled to room temperature)
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar (packed tightly to add molasses flavor)
2.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Prepare the Pan and Make the Cinnamon Swirl Mixture: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons melted and cooled butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2.5 tablespoons cinnamon, stirring well to blend. Set aside this cinnamon swirl mixture—it will create the beautiful swirls in your bread.
Cream Butter and Sugar, Then Build the Batter: In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup room-temperature butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, to incorporate air for a tender crumb. Add the 2 room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Alternate adding the dry mixture and 1.75 cups mashed bananas to the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Stir gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, leaving a few small lumps for optimal texture.
Layer the Batter and Cinnamon Swirl: Pour approximately 1 cup of batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon swirl mixture on top. Using a knife or skewer, gently swirl the mixture through the batter in figure-eight motions to create marbled cinnamon ribbons—avoid over-swizzling to keep them distinct. Repeat the layering process two more times: add 1 cup batter, sprinkle cinnamon mixture, and swirl. For the final layer, add the remaining batter, top with remaining cinnamon mixture, and swirl once more.
Add the Banana Topping and Bake: Arrange the 6 banana slices in a single layer on top of the batter; they will partially sink during baking and add an attractive finish. Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center—it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top should be golden brown.
Cool and Serve: Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 30 minutes to let the structure set, ensuring it holds together when removed. Then, turn the bread out onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. This resting time helps with neater slices and a better texture for serving.

Notes

Use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots or black peels for maximum sweetness and moisture.
Avoid overmixing the batter once flour is added to prevent tough, dense bread.
Swirl the cinnamon mixture gently; too much swirling blends the flavors and loses the attractive ribbons.
Start checking for doneness at 60 minutes to avoid overbaking and drying out the bread.
Butter, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil can be substituted for butter in the batter, with some texture variations.
Sugar can be swapped with coconut sugar or a granulated sweetener; reduce sugar slightly if bananas are very ripe.
Eggs can be replaced with applesauce or flax eggs for alternative diets, though texture will differ slightly.
Whole wheat flour can replace up to half the all-purpose flour for a heartier loaf; gluten-free flour blend can be used for gluten-free baking.
Store banana bread wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days, refrigerated up to a week, or freeze up to 3 months.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: banana bread, cinnamon swirl, sweet banana bread, easy banana bread recipe, banana dessert, cinnamon sugar, baked bread, breakfast bread