Hazelnut banana bread is the perfect twist on the classic recipe, combining the rich, nutty flavor and crunch of roasted hazelnuts with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas. A little swirl of chocolate hazelnut paste makes it even more delightful.
Sometimes the best recipes are born when you have ingredients you need to use up. In this case, it was a kilo of roasted hazelnuts, some hazelnut chocolate spread, and overripe bananas. The only solution is to make hazelnut banana bread!
How to make hazelnut banana bread
Ingredients for hazelnut banana bread
Very ripe bananas – a very generous amount of bananas adds moisture and sweetness to the banana bread without being overpowering. They’re the star of the show!
Brown sugar – brown sugar adds sweetness, caramel flavor, and more moisture when compared to granulated sugar
Vanilla extract – vanilla extract adds flavor that enhances the sweetness from the bananas and the brown sugar
Eggs – eggs help bind the batter together
Greek yogurt – greek yogurt adds moisture and acidity, helping the baking soda do its work as well as creating a soft and tender crumb
All purpose flour – all purpose flour is the base of the batter
Baking soda – baking soda provides powerful leavening action
Salt – salt helps enhance flavor and balance out the sweetness
Oil – oil helps make the banana bread very soft and moist. We add the oil after the other ingredients, which helps create a very tender crumb
Roasted hazelnuts – roasted hazelnuts add crunch in every bite, with a rich and nutty flavor
Hazelnut chocolate cream – A swirl of hazelnut chocolate cream adds sweetness and some chocolate flavor on the crust of the loaf. You can use dark chocolate chunks instead, or skip it entirely if you’re not a fan of chocolate.
Steps for making hazelnut banana bread
In one bowl, we’ll mix together all of the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, and salt
In a separate bowl, we’ll mix the bananas, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and greek yogurt.
You’ll combine the dry and wet ingredients, then stir in the oil. At this point, the batter will look a little chunky and separated, but you’ll want to just keep mixing until it comes together.
For the final touches, you’ll fold in the hazelnuts and then swirl in hazelnut chocolate cream on top before baking.
Other loaf cake recipes to try
Hazelnut banana bread
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- 9 x 5 loaf tin
Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups) all purpose flour
- 9g (1 1/2 tsp) baking soda
- 2g (1/4 tsp) salt
- 350g peeled bananas (about 3 medium bananas, 5 – 6 small ones)
- 150g (3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 6g (1 1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 100g (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt
- 125g (1/2 cup) neutral flavored oil
- 100g (3.5oz) roasted hazelnuts, chopped
- 60g (3 – 4 tbsp) hazelnut chocolate paste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360°F and grease a 9 x 5 inch baking tin.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
- Mash the bananas in a medium bowl until they have broken apart. Small chunks of banana are okay. Mix in the brown sugar
- Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition until well-incorporated
- Add the Greek yogurt and mix until well-incorporated
- Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix, as this can cause your bread to be tough. Slowly pour in the oil and mix well. The mixture will look a little chunky at first, but will smooth out after a minute or two.
- Fold in the roasted hazelnuts and pour into the prepared baking tin
- Top with spoonfuls of hazelnut chocolate spread, and swirl in with a knife
- Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60 – 65 min until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. A few moist crumbs are okayIf you find the loaf browning too quickly around the 30 – 40 minute mark, you can tent with aluminum foil
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes.