Moist Banana Bread With Crumb Topping

Published: Aug 28, 2020 · Modified: Nov 17, 2022 by Irina Totterman · 75 Comments

Treat yourself to a slice of the moist banana bread with crumb topping (aka streusel). It is made with brown sugar and lots of bananas, flavored with dark rum, and baked with a delicious sweet streusel topping.

When you think you have tried all the banana bread recipes, there is only one left to try - banana bread with crumble!

Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.

Three stacked slices of the bread on a marble board

Have you known that banana bread enthusiasts celebrate National Banana Bread Day on February 23?

Neither did I. I bake it just because I love it! And once I see spotty bananas on the kitchen counter, I know what I would be baking.

Jump to:

Why you should try this recipe
Ingredients
Recipe variations
How to make banana bread with crumb topping
Expert tips
Storage
Banana bread recipe poster
Recipe FAQ
Love quick breads? Try these next!
Recipe card
Comments

In 2015, one of my friends shared her favorite banana bread recipe for homemade banana bread with me.

I happily baked that quick bread until I experimented with other banana bread recipes.

Today, I can tell you that the best banana bread recipe exists; it has stolen my heart. This sweet bread has a charm: it has a streusel on top!

A couple of banana bread slices with the rest of the cake on a cutting board

Why you should try this recipe

Crumb topping for banana bread adds crunchiness and intractable charm to the dessert. This banana bread streusel topping stands apart from the ordinary.
Brown sugar brings moisture and a caramelized flavor and compliments banana sweetness.
Rum infuses the loaf with a fruity flavor. So if you have ever wanted to make banana bread with rum, here is the recipe.
Using ripe and even overripe bananas adds moisture and an additional boost of sweetness.

Ingredients

Get a quick overview of the necessary ingredients. For precise measurements and instructions, refer to the recipe card below. Also, discover the essential baking tools I rely on for daily baking.

Butter: use unsalted butter to make the bread batter and semi-salted (or salted) butter to make the crumb topping. Soften unsalted butter on the counter: take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you start. Keep the salted or semi-salted butter chilled in the refrigerator. Cold butter is used to make the crunchy streusel topping.
Brown sugar: use golden or dark brown sugar interchangeably, but consider that golden brown sugar gives a milder caramel flavor than dark one that contains more molasses. Replace brown sugar with an equal amount of white sugar if you desire.
Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature.
Flour: all-purpose flour is used to make the bread batter and the streusel.
Baking powder: use fresh aluminum-free baking powder. Please, don't confuse it with baking soda.
Bananas: ripe and even overripe bananas with black spots or streaks on the peel are the best ones to make this banana bread. Bananas help make this bread moist! Please, try to avoid green or all-yellow bananas.
Dark rum brings a fruity flavor to banana bread; it upgrades regular banana bread to the next level. Replace rum with some juice if you serve the dessert to kids.
Almond flour: use blanched, finely ground almond flour.
Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or buy powdered sugar.
Flaked toasted almonds: these are optional and used to decorate the cake. To roast flaked almonds at home, bring them in the oven at 300 degrees F/150 degrees C for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe variations

The wonderful thing about banana bread is that it has an almost infinite number of different recipes.

You can try to make this delicious treat in different ways to suit any palate!

Make banana nut bread by adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts to the batter.

Or add dry fruits, for example, dried cranberry or pineapple, to make a tropical twist on a classic. Or try to add some shredded coconut if you are a coconut lover.

If you love chocolate, mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips or swirl the Nutella through the cake batter before baking.

To make a healthy variation of banana bread, try its sugar-free version or add ground golden flaxseed.

Do you want more ideas? Blend some ground cinnamon to make cinnamon banana bread, or upgrade it to Christmas Banana Bread.

Finally, play with banana bread toppings to create your perfect banana bread. Read on how to make a streusel topping and how to customize it.

Still, it doesn't mean if you make banana streusel bread or leave it plain, add a newly created recipe to your recipe collection.

Slices of banana bread on a plate with the rest of the cake in the background

How to make banana bread with crumb topping

Heat oven to 300 degrees F/150 degrees C. To make the bread batter, in a large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar for 5 minutes using an electric mixer (photo 1).

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour (1 ⅔ cups + 4 tablespoons/240 g) with baking powder, and add eggs (photo 2)...

Photo 1: Butter mixture in a bowl Photo 2: Dry ingredients, eggs over butter/sugar mixture — PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2

and delicately mix with a rubber spatula (photo 3). In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork and fold them into the principal preparation (photo 3).

Photo 3: Batter mixture is a bowl Photo 4: Mashed bananas on top of the preparation — **PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4**

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

To make the crumbly streusel, mix all-purpose flour (5 tablespoons or 40 g) and almond flour in a separate medium bowl.

Add icing (powdered) sugar and chilled semi-salted (or salted) butter cut into pieces.

Work with your hands until the streusel dough forms and crumble like wet sand (photo 6).

Photo 5: Ready cake batter in a mixing bowl Photo 6: Ready streusel in a bowl — **PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6**

Butter and flour a silicone loaf pan (read on baking with silicone molds) or line a nonstick loaf pan with parchment paper.

Pour batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle streusel on top (photo 7), and bake for 90 minutes.

The bread is ready when a tester/a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (photo 8).

Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, remove it from the mold and cool it on a wire rack.

Photo 7: Cake batter with streusel in a cake pan Photo 8: Bread in a pan — **PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8**

Sprinkle the top of the banana bread with flaked almonds and dust with a little bit of icing (powdered) sugar.

Expert tips

Soften unsalted butter by taking it out of the fridge for 2 hours before cooking.
Replace dark rum with some juice if you serve the cake to kids.
Mash bananas with a fork, a potato masher, or a pastry cutter, or beat bananas with an electric handheld mixer.
Important thing: do not overmix the bread batter when you add mashed bananas. Gently mix just to combine.
Split the recipe into four small loaves or make banana bread mini muffins if you prefer.
Adjust your oven's baking time: I tested and re-tested that the bread was ready in 90 minutes.
Test the cake for readiness! Use a toothpick: if it is inserted in the middle of the bread and comes out clean, it is ready. If it still has the batter, add another 3 to 5 minutes and test again.
Cool the baked banana bread completely before slicing.
Serve with a dollop of mascarpone or slabs of salted butter.

Storage

Place banana bread in a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.

If you want to prolong the shelf life of your bread, keep it wrapped in the fridge for up to one week.

Can you freeze banana bread? Yes, it is completely fine to freeze it. Just wrap a whole loaf or individual slices of the bread with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and place them in the freezer.

Banana bread could be safely stored in this way for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped bread in the fridge or at room temperature.

Banana bread recipe poster

Make your favorite recipe a part of your kitchen wall art with this vintage-inspired banana bread recipe print.

I designed it on a "chalkboard" background, and it looks amazing in a modern frame. Download the poster PDF for free, print it out, and place it in a frame.

Banana Bread Recipe Free Download Chalkboard Kitchen Poster. Choose from a letter or A4 size.

Recipe FAQ

Is it hard to make banana bread?

No, it is pretty easy! Mix all the ingredients, add mashed bananas, pour the batter into 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 perfect for making banana bread. Look for bananas with black or brown spots; they look ugly but taste sweeter and improve the cake's flavor.

How to ripen bananas

If you only have yellow bananas and have no time to wait for them to ripen, bake the unpeeled bananas at 250 degrees F/120 degrees C for 20 minutes.

Can you make the streusel topping in advance?

You can make the streusel topping in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Or freeze the topping in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Can you make this into regular muffins?

Absolutely! The batter makes about 15 standard-sized muffins. Line muffin tins with paper liners and scoop the batter into muffin tins filling up to two-thirds. Top each muffin with the streusel topping and bake at 300 degrees F/150 degrees C for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.

Love quick breads? Try these next!

Browse all the Bread Recipes

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Recipe card

Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from www.lacuisinedethomas.fr. It was originally published on January 22, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.

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About Irina Totterman

I'm Irina, an experienced home baker with over 30 years of expertise and the blogger behind Baking Like a Chef (since 2018), where I share baking recipes, tips, and tricks. My recipes have been featured in the renowned French Chef Simon and Le Journal des Femmes.

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