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Christmas Banana Bread With Cinnamon

Sliced Christmas banana bread on a serving board.
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5 from 2 reviews

This Christmas banana bread with cinnamon is packed with overripe bananas, crunchy walnuts, and sweet dried cranberries. Baked in charming mini loaf pans, it makes for a perfect edible gift.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5.3 oz. (150 g) butter softened
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (175 g) brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 2/3 cup + 4 tablespoons (240 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of ground cloves
  • 1 cup (250 g) bananas, mashed 
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) cinnamon chips
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark rum

For the streusel topping:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) almond flour
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon (20 g) salted butter, chilled

For decoration:

  • icing (powdered) sugar

*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!

**If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter and flour four porcelain mini loaf pans (9 oz. each).

  2. To make the bread batter, use an electric mixer to beat softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl for about 5 minutes.

  3. Add eggs (at room temperature), dry ingredients (all-purpose flour sifted with baking powderground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves), and delicately mix with a rubber spatula.

  4. Using a fork or a potato masher, mash bananas and fold the banana mixture into the principal preparation.

  5. Add cinnamon chips, whole or chopped cranberries, and chopped walnuts, and gently mix. Add dark rum and mix with a spatula just until combined (don't over-mix!).

  6. Pour the batter into the four prepared loaf pans, smooth it out, and refrigerate while making the streusel.

  7. To make the streusel topping, in a separate large mixing bowl, mix all-purpose flour, almond flour, icing (powdered) sugar, and chilled salted butter cut into small pieces. Work with your hands to obtain the crumbly dough resembling wet sand.

  8. Take the loaf pans from the fridge and sprinkle streusel on top of the batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The sweet bread is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

  9. Take the bread loaves from the oven and cool them in the tins on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Then run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to carefully remove the bread from each baking pan. Or leave the bread in small pans to present it in such a way.

  10. To serve, sprinkle the top of the holiday bread with icing (powdered) sugar.

Notes

  1. Do not over mix the bread batter once you add mashed bananas. Instead, gently mix just to combine.
  2. Watch out for the baking time. Check the loaf for doneness: a toothpick, a long, sharp knife, or a bamboo skewer inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean.
  3. Use the same recipe to make a regular loaf in a nonstick bread pan (instead of a mini loaf pan). Bake it for 90 minutes.
  4. Make sure to cool the bread before slicing and wrapping.

Nutrition

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