This recipe takes the best parts of two of my favourite breads and combines it into one. It has the natural sweetness and moist texture of banana bread and the warm spices including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, of gingerbread.
I created a simple cashew based vanilla icing to make this bread more decadent and Christmassy. This is the one month of the year when I can’t help myself and will find a way to add icing, fancy toppings and sauces to absolutely everything because calories don’t count in December, right?
That being said, this bread is so moist and flavourful that there is really no need to add the icing.
I used bananas that looked more like compost then fruit for this recipe, so they added more then enough sweetness on their own. If you are using very ripe bananas to make this bread then you can reduce the amount of honey to just a teaspoon, alternatively if they aren’t very ripe then I would recommend increasing the honey to 2 tablespoons depending on your desired sweetness.
I love having a slice or two of this every morning for breakfast, or adding icing and having it as a treat with afternoon tea. The small pieces of fresh ginger add a wonderful burst of flavour to the bread, but if you don’t have fresh ginger you can easily substitute it for powder.
Have ripe bananas? Here are a few other banana recipes that you will love:
- Banana Bread Mug Cake
- Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies
- Extra Banana Banana Pancakes
- The Best Banana Bread
- Upside Down Caramelized Banana Bread
- Almond Butter Banana Bread with a Jam Swirl
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger or ground
Icing
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and grease a 4 x 8 inch loaf tin or alternatively line with parchment paper
- In a mixing bowl combine the bananas, eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract and mix until the bananas are mashed into a puree. Add in the almond flour, baking soda and spices and stir until everything is well mixed.
- Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake the bread in the oven for 50 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the bread comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browning too quickly cover it with tin foil.
- While the bread is baking, make the icing by combining all of the icing ingredients in a blender. Blend until it is completely smooth and then transfer the icing to the fridge to firm up.
- Make sure that the banana bread has cooled before icing. Optionally you can also top the bread with slices of banana and chopped walnuts.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
The banana bread is great! Good texture. Your 8” x 4” loaf pan is way too small for the amount it makes though. I ended up using a 9” x 5” pan which was perfect.
Can you make them muffins instead of bread? Would I need to change it in any way to do this?
I made this with my 2 girls and we have enjoyed it all week! Very easy for them to make
Thats so great to hear!!
Hi, I want to try this but it says in the description: mix the eggs, bananas, honey.. but in the ingredient list, the honey is only included in the icing recipe. How much do you use in the actual mixture?
🙂
Whoops!! Thanks for pointing that out!! I recommend 2 tbsp but you can add more or less depending on the sweetness of the bananas you use.
Thank you !!
What coconut cream did you use? My icing was more of a tan color than white.
I suspect that that was due to the dark colour of the vanilla extract. I was actually out of vanilla extract so I used vanilla bean pods which made the icing a whiter colour.
LOL – loved this “I used bananas that looked more like compost then fruit ” because IKR – I am perpetually buying green bananas (so they will last longer, and I prefer them under-ripe) and then forget they are hanging there until they are banana soup in a handy bag ready to be composted or (if not too far gone) frozen for an ice cream-like treat.
That aside, I am a huge fan of both banana bread and gingerbread, but had given them up in favor of being gluten-free. This looks doable and delish!
Haha I seem to have a continuous stash of dark brown bananas (and fruit flies!) on my kitchen counter in anticipation of the banana bread I only end up making about twice a year. I then end up tossing them one the freezer hours before the mould forms, but they are awesome for smoothies. I have posted 2 banana bread recipes in the past week because my freezer is completely full!