Coffee Infused Banana Bread

A moist banana bread recipe accented with the flavors of coffee, cinnamon, and walnuts. Perfect for breakfast or an after dinner treat!

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Who doesn’t love banana bread? It’s classic. There are tons of quick breads out there – zucchini, poppy seed, pumpkin and they’re all delicious. Banana bread may be the most ubiquitous among them. Maybe it’s all those half-bundles of bananas that end up over-ripening on all of our counters at some point or another. We notice them sitting there, pick them up, stare at them and then ask ourselves that most existential of questions, ‘Do I toss them or do I make some banana bread?’ If there are brown and spotty bananas sitting on your cupboard right now I encourage you to do the right thing – turn on your oven, grab a bowl, and get ready to mash them. This banana bread recipe is infused with everyone’s favorite legal addictive stimulant. That’s right – coffee!

I’m not sure where or how I learned about the addition of coffee to banana bread but I tried it once and have never turned back. The flavors just ‘go together’. The coffee flavor is not in your face – it subtly rounds out the banana and adds this toasty element I find pretty irresistible. I think you will, too. So, brew yourself a pot of coffee and get ready to bake. Reserve a cup of the coffee for the bread. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. The first step is to cream the butter and sugar. Combine 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter and 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar in a mixing bowl. I like the molasses-y flavor of dark brown sugar but you can use light brown sugar if you like. Mix the butter and sugar until it’s creamed together. The next step is to mash the bananas. Grab 3 over-ripe bananas and mash them with a fork or a mashing tool.

This recipe requires two bowls – one for the liquid ingredients and one for the dry. To the creamed butter and sugar add: the mashed bananas, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix all of these ingredients together until combined. In a separate bowl add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Mix together until combined. The next step is to combine the wet and dry ingredients. The dry ingredients are added alternately with the coffee. Tip: Make sure the brewed coffee has cooled down to room temperature before adding it. Hot coffee will cook the eggs. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and combine. Add half of the coffee and combine. Now repeat with the second half of the flour and the remaining coffee. Stir until combined.

Now for a little extra tastiness we’re going to add 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. Fold these ingredients into the batter. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan and pop it in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Feel free to check on the bread at the hour mark. Baking times may vary slightly.

The bread should get nice and golden as it bakes. The top gets a little crusty and the inside is moist. You can test it by poking the middle of the bread with a toothpick. The toothpick should come out clean if the bread is done. I’m sure you’re all well aware that banana bread smells amazing as it bakes. I would say let it cool completely before serving, but we all know that’s not going to happen.

Cut yourself a slice and grab another cup of coffee. Because what is Coffee Infused Banana Bread without more coffee? I like mine with a pat of butter. The warmth of the bread melts the butter as you spread it and the salt offsets the sweetness slightly. It’s magic. Anytime I eat banana bread or some other type of quick bread I’m transported back to my grandparents’ house circa 1986. Everyday around 3:00 Grandpa would come home from work and we’d ‘have a little lunch’. Lunch consisted of some kind of baked good, a pot of coffee, and good conversation. OK, maybe not the coffee for me seeing how I was only 5. Although, I never did grow very tall…

Love coffee as much as I do? Check out these other coffee-centric posts! Cold Brew Coffee with Almond Milk, Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, and this Whiskey and Bailey’s Irish Affogato!

Pottery by Bill Gossman.

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5 from 4 votes

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Coffee Infused Banana Bread

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hrs 15 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 25 mins

 

A moist banana bread recipe accented with the flavors of coffee, cinnamon, and walnuts. Perfect for breakfast or an after dinner treat! 

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 400 kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks Softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups Packed dark brown sugar
• 3 Ripe Bananas
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Extra Strong Brewed coffee
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Chopped walnuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Brew 1 cup of strong coffee. Set aside and let come to room temperature.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cream softened butter and dark brown sugar in mixing bowl.

4. Mash bananas until soft.

5. Add mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla to creamed butter and sugar. Mix until combined.

6. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined.

7. Alternately add flour mixture and cooled coffee to the banana mixture. Add half the flour and combine. Add half the coffee and combine. Repeat with second half flour and coffee.

8. Fold cinnamon and walnuts into the bread mixture.

9. Add batter to a greased bread pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

10. The bread is done when the top is crusty and the middle is soft but not mushy. Test bread by poking a toothpick into the middle of the bread to see if it's done.

Recipe Notes

Light brown sugar may be substituted for dark brown sugar.

Baking times may vary slightly.

*The coffee flavor in this recipe is subtle. It is meant to accent the flavor of the banana - not overpower it.*

Nutrition Facts

Coffee Infused Banana Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 400

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.