Best Banana Bread With Streusel

Treat yourself to a slice of the best Banana bread – a rum-flavored and moist loaf cake with a crispy streusel topping and lots of bananas. Just when you think that you have tried all the banana bread recipes, there is the only one left to try!

It was two to three years ago when one of my friends shared a recipe of banana bread with me. I was happily baking that sweet loaf until I decided to experiment with other banana bread recipes.

Today I can tell you that there is the best recipe of Banana Bread that has stolen my heart. This loaf cake has a charm: it has a streusel on top!

Jump to:

• What is streusel?
• How to make streusel topping
• What to add to banana bread
• Why banana bread with streusel recipe works
• How to make banana bread step by step
• Expert Tips
• Frequently asked question
• More delicious loaf cake recipes you will love
• Best Banana Bread With Streusel

What is streusel?

Streusel is a crumbly topping made of fat, flour, and sugar that baked on top of cakes, muffins, pies, etc. The streusel adds crunchiness, richness, and texture to the baked goods. As for the origin, it was first popularized in Germany.

How to make streusel topping

Place the equal quantity of semi-salted cold butter, almond flour, icing sugar, and all-purpose flour in a bowl and mix with hands, making the crumbly dough (it will look like wet sand). Use it on top of any loaf cake, bread, or muffins and bake.

What to add to banana bread

• Add chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts to the batter to increase the crunchiness of banana bread.
• You are free to experiment with the cake by adding dried pineapple or shredded coconut.
• If you are a chocolate lover, mix in chocolate chips or swirl the Nutella through the cake batter before baking.
• Do you want more ideas? Blend in a little allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Just be creative to make your own banana bread!

Why banana bread with streusel recipe works

1. Streusel baked on top of the bread adds crunchiness and intractable charm to the dessert.
2. Brown sugar brings a caramelized flavor and compliments banana sweetness. 
3. Rum infuses the bread with a fruity flavor.
4. Using ripe bananas adds moisture and an additional boost of sweetness.

How to make banana bread step by step

Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C. To make the cake batter, in a large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar 5 minutes, using an electric mixer (photo 1). Add all-purpose flour (240 g) mixed with baking powder, eggs (photo 2)…

and delicately mix with a rubber spatula (photo 3). Crush bananas with a fork and add to the main preparation (photo 3).

Add rum and mix with the spatula until combined (photo 5). Place the cake batter in the fridge while making the streusel.

To make the streusel, in a separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour (40 g) and almond flour. Add icing sugar and semi-salted butter, and make the crumbly dough between hands (photo 6).

Butter and flour a silicone loaf pan or line a nonstick loaf pan with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter into the pan, place the streusel on top (photo 7), and bake for 90 minutes. The cake is ready when a tester/a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (photo 8).

Sprinkle top of the cake with flaked toasted almonds and dust with powdered (icing) sugar.

Expert Tips

1. Soften butter by taking it out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking.
2. Replace rum with some juice if you serve the cake to kids.
3. Crush bananas with a fork, an electric handheld mixer or a potato masher.
4. Do not over mix the cake batter when you add crushed bananas. Gently mix just to combine.
5. Split the recipe into two smaller loaves or make banana muffins if you prefer.
6. Adjust the baking time of your oven: it has been tested and re-tested by me that the cake is ready in 90 minutes.
7. Test the cake for readiness! Use a toothpick: if it inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean, the bread is ready. If it still has the batter on it, add another 3 to 5 minutes and test again.
8. Cool the baked banana bread completely before slicing.
9. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone or slabs of salted butter.

Frequently asked question

Is it hard to make banana bread?

No, it is quite easy! Just mix all the ingredients, add mashed bananas, pour the batter in a loaf pan, and bake.

What bananas to use in banana bread

The answer is simple: the ripest ones! The bananas ready to go to the trash are the perfect ones to make banana bread. Look for bananas with black/brown spots; they do look ugly, but they taste sweeter and improve the flavor of the cake. If you only have yellow bananas, and you have no time to wait for them to ripen, just bake the unpeeled bananas at 250 F/120 C for 20 minutes. Then peel, mash them, and make banana bread.

How to store banana bread

Place banana bread in a plastic bag or wrap with a plastic film and store the cake at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. If you want to prolong the shelf life of banana bread, store the wrapped cake in the fridge for up to one week.

Is it OK to freeze banana bread?

Yes, it is completely fine to freeze banana bread. Just wrap a whole loaf or slices of the cake with an aluminum foil or a plastic freezer wrap and place in the freezer. Banana bread could be safely stored in this way for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped cake in the fridge or at room temperature.

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Please, note that the recipe was primarily developed using gram measurements for the high precision and then converted to the US volume and weight measurements.

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The recipe was adapted from https://www.lacuisinedethomas.fr It was originally published in January 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.