Banana bread is one of my absolute FAVORITE desserts. It's moist, perfectly sweet, can be enjoyed with a shmear of butter for breakfast, or gobbled up for dessert. I thought about how I could make this better and it was simple: add NUTELLA! This Nutella banana bread is rippled with Nutella throughout and has Nutella swirled into the top. It is delish.
Nutella Banana Bread
Adapted from my Marbled Banana Bread recipe, this Nutella banana bread is a keeper. What could be better than a classic dessert all dolled up with Nutella?! Nothing.
This quick bread is easy to make and has simple ingredients, but it is nothing short of delicious. It is moist, perfectly sweet and banana-y, plus a little bit of chocolate-hazelnut spread makes it to die for.
Ingredients
If you need to run to the grocery store, here is your shopping list:
- All purpose flour: all purpose flour is my flour of choice for this banana bread recipe. It gives it the most perfect crumb.
- Baking soda: baking soda gives the Nutella banana bread a beautiful rise - it reacts with the acidity of the yogurt in this recipe.
- Salt: a little bit of salt is needed to offset the sweetness!
- Unsalted butter: good quality butter is key for a super moist and delicious banana bread. I like to use unsalted butter in my baked goods so I can control exactly how much salt goes into my recipe. But if salted butter is all you have, that works too!
- Granulated sugar: granulated sugar is the sweetener of choice for this banana bread.
- Eggs: we use two room temperature eggs to bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: vanilla extract adds a little flava flave.
- Yogurt: yogurt adds moisture to quick breads and cakes, so we added it to this recipe! Greek or regular yogurt will work.
- Mashed banana: OBVIOUSLY.
- Nutella: the star ingredient! Nutella is rippled throughout the batter and swirled into the top of the loaf.
Bake time
The "unfortunate" thing with quick breads/loaf cakes, like this one, is that the bake time can be pretty long. It is common to pull the loaf cake out of the oven before it has baked all the way through. Bake time can also vary depending on your oven - some ovens run too cold while others run too hot and have hot spots. Under-baking can cause the loaf cake to sink in the middle, have a gummy texture, plus a whole lot more.
Here are a few tips to make sure you take your banana bread out of the oven at the right time:
- This is the most common answer - stick a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, you're golden.
- The center of the loaf should not really jiggle too much. It should be quite firm.
- Since all ovens can vary in temperature, use an oven thermometer! The loaf cake should bake in 60-65 minutes if your oven is at 350 degrees. It's more common than not that your oven is not calibrated correctly. I have had ovens read 350 degrees Fahrenheit but they were really at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.... like WHAT.
- Because of number 3 above, start checking the loaf at 45 minutes, and then check it every 5 minutes thereafter. With that said, try not to slam the oven door closed, as this can push all of the hot air out of the oven and affect your bake time.
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Nutella Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter room tempertature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) plain yogurt - greek or regular works! room temperature
- 1 ¼ (about 3 medium-sized bananas) cup (250 grams) mashed banana
- ½ cup (140 grams) Nutella divided, or another chocolate hazelnut spread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until lighter in color and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Add the yogurt and mashed banana and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until a batter forms.
- Pour about half of the batter into the prepared pan, then take ¼ cup (70 grams) of the Nutella and swirl it into the batter using a knife or a toothpick. Add the second half of the batter on top, then swirl the second ¼ cup (70 grams) of Nutella into the top of the batter.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Start checking the loaf at 45 minutes (all ovens differ) and check every 5 minutes thereafter. While baking, if you notice the banana bread browning too quickly, place a piece of foil on the top of the loaf to protect it.
- Let cool in the pan, slice and enjoy!
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
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