SRC: Banana Bread with Nutella Swirl

Banana bread has always been a favorite of mine.  Whether enjoying a piece warmed up and schmeared with butter at my grandma’s house, a warm muffin fresh from the oven or a big ol’ slice of cake topped with cream cheese frosting; every time I have a piece I’m transported back to my childhood.

It’s definitely hard to beat a delicious piece of basic banana bread, but I enjoy trying different varieties.  Brown butter banana strawberry bread, caramel almond oatmeal banana bread, brown butter banana muffins with streusel topping; I’m a huge fan of pretty much anything involving bananas. 

So when I came across a recipe for banana bread with a Nutella swirl on Sarah’s blog, Curious Cuisiniere, I knew I had to make this bread.  My love for banana bread is closely followed for my love of Nutella.  So to see my two loves come together was like the food gods telling me I had to make this and now.

Sarah is a girl after my own heart.  She loves being in the kitchen and has a passion for food.  You can honestly tell that although a hobby, food and cooking is definitely where her heart is.  She and her husband love to travel and she enjoys not only trying the local cuisine but drawing inspiration from the food she tries.  I was so happy I got her blog for this month’s The Secret Recipe Club.

She has a variety of different recipes on her blog all varying from different ethnicity’s, cultures and regions.  She enjoys pushing her limits and comforts as well as getting back to her husband’s roots by cooking food that is native to his families culture.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog, and while a variety of recipes jumped out at me, her banana Nutella bread won in the end.

We loved this bread.  Not only did the banana flavor really shine, but the Nutella flavor was there as well, without overpowering the banana.  The bread was moist, fluffy and full of banana and Nutella flavor.  It’s definitely the best warm from the oven with a bit of butter, but a quick spin in the microwave is just as delicious too.  This bread is terrific for breakfast, but is also great as a mid afternoon snack or would make a wonderful base for a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich!

SRC: Banana Bread with Nutella Swirl

Ingredients:


2 1/3 Cup flour
1 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Medium ripe bananas, roughly mashed
1/3 Cup milk
1 Tsp vanilla
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Nutella

Directions:


Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the bananas and mix until incorporated.  Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and beat to combine.  Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Remove a third of the batter and transfer to a small bowl.  Add Nutella and mix to combine. 

Pour half the banana batter in the prepared pan and spread in an even layer.  Spoon the Nutella banana mixture over batter.  Using a knife, gently swirl the batters together, being sure not to over mix.  Spoon the remaining banana batter over the Nutella mixture.  Gently swirl the banana and Nutella batters together. 

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from oven and immediately transfer the bread from the pan to the cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Recipe source: Barely adapted from Curious Cuisiniere