Banana Bread with a Cinnamon Sugar Topping

I love bananas, but Josh is not a fan. I buy a bunch with good intentions, but I can never eat them fast enough. I don't really mind though, because when they go brown that means I have an excuse to bake:)

I usually make my banana cinnamon chip cake because everyone loves it, but this time I went back to the old fashion banana bread. Banana bread is a classic, there is just something comforting about it. I love the way it smells up the house and of course I enjoy eating it too!

This is an easy recipe that everyone will love. I added a cinnamon sugar topping to make it a little extra special. If you have friends, family, or neighbors to bake for, don't forget about the good old fashioned banana bread. It is always a winner.

On a side note, my S'mores cookies were featured on Baking Bites this week! Yahoo! Check out the post here.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Banana Bread with a Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
(Printable Recipe)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 medium bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons milk

Cinnamon and Sugar-for the topping

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl to combine. Set aside.

On medium speed, beat the sugar and vegetable oil to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each until combined. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract; beat to combine. Alternatively add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat just until the flour is incorporated and finish mixing with a spatula.

Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping evenly over the batter. Bake until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 60 minutes.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for for ten minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool...or eat it warm. That is the best:)

Mini Banana Cupcakes with a Nutella Swirl

I love sweet treats. I usually eat really healthy, but put a dessert in my vicinity and I am in trouble:) Teanna, from Spork or Foon always entices me with her amazing photos of sinfully delicious baked goods. When I saw her Self Frosted Cupcakes, I knew I had to try them.

I heart Nutella. I could eat it by the spoonful. I try not to buy it because Josh is allergic and I really don't need it. After reading Teanna's post, I decided it was time for a splurge.

I love bananas and nutella together, so I thought I would try a little spin off from the Self Frosted Cupcakes. I made a banana cupcake with a Nutella swirl. I also made them in my mini muffin pan, for cuteness factor and portion control.:) I thought swirling the Nutella would be a pain in the rear, but it was kind of fun! I used a toothpick to do the trick.

They turned out really cute, but I am not sure if I should call them cupcakes. They had more of a muffin texture. They were moist and dense, not light and fluffy like I was hoping. They were still really good, just not what I was going for.

The banana and Nutella flavor was right on though. I think I will look for a different cupcake recipe to try them with....or maybe use a regular pan to see if that helps the texture. They were really good, just think muffin instead of cupcake. :)

Mini Banana Cupcakes (Muffins) with a Nutella Swirl
Adapted from EveryDay Food and Spork or Foon

(Printable Recipe)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Jar of Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. With a toothpick swirl in the Nutella, about a ½ teaspoon each.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake

I always have bananas in the freezer. I can never eat them in time...they always turn brown on me! Probably because we buy them at Costco and there are a ton in a bunch...and Josh hates bananas! But the good news is that I get to bake with them!

This time I made a banana snack cake with cinnamon chips. If you can't find cinnamon chips, I am so sorry! Luckily, I can find them at a couple different stores in Salt Lake. They are oh so good!

I thought the banana/cinnamon combo would be nice and I was right! I love it when that happens:) The cake was really moist...even though there is NO butter or oil in this recipe. I promise the bananas do their thing and the cake has a great texture. I added a cinnamon sugar topping to finish off the cake. I loved the cinnamon crunch it added. If you can't find cinnamon chips, try chocolate or peanut butter chips, I am sure they would be tasty too!!

Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake

3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup cinnamon chips

For topping:
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.

Add ¾ cup of the cinnamon chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.