NO MORE FUDGY BANANA BREAD

okay a little dramatic but seriously heres some tips to get cakey banana bread

the chocolate smudge makes this *chef kiss*

I wanted to start this off by saying I love banana bread. It’s made with all the basics we all have in our kitchens. Okay, some recipes call for sour cream or plain yogurt, but honestly, who has the time for that faff? I’m not mad at it, but I don’t always have it lying around. What I do always have, however, is the craving for a great banana bread…

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Brown Butter

The secret to this banana bread is brown butter. If you stick around this newsletter, you’ll quickly learn that I am obsessed with brown butter. It just makes everything better. In fact, I even dedicated a whole page to getting it right in my debut cookbook, Sugar & Spice. (yes a shameless plug)

In case you’re new to the magic of brown butter, it's just regular butter that's been heated until the milk solids caramelize, giving it a golden color and nutty flavor. Fancy folks (or the French) call it beurre noisette.

The trick to perfect brown butter is going low and slow. Cranking up the heat might seem like a shortcut, but you’ll just end up with burnt butter. What we want are those gorgeous browned milk solids. Brown butter goes through four stages: Melting, Boiling, Foaming, and finally, Browning. Most people panic at stage three, but if you hang tight, you’ll get that toasty, nutty goodness. I go into more detail in my book, but I’ve included some helpful photos too.

stages of browning butter

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Bananas

I’m sure you’ve heard that the browner the bananas, the better they taste. That’s true! But, controversially, I don’t think it’s mandatory. I’ve tested both brown and yellow bananas, and honestly, they both tasted pretty great.

Here’s the science-y bit (don’t zone out on me!). Bananas are full of starch, and as they ripen, enzymes break that starch down into sugars—specifically glucose, which gives them that extra sweetness. But let's be real: I don’t buy bananas planning to make banana bread a week later, I want them now.

Oh, and before you suggest popping them in the oven to ripen them faster, that trick has been debunked. You can find the article here.

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White Sugar vs Brown Sugar

When testing this recipe, I tried using 100% caster sugar and 100% brown sugar. Here’s what I found:

• Caster sugar made the banana bread way too sweet and, weirdly enough, kind of bland. Since the bananas get even sweeter in the oven, the extra sugar was just too much.

• Brown sugar (I used light brown sugar) gave it a lovely caramel flavor but made the bread a bit too dense. Brown sugar contains more molasses, which can weigh down the cake—not ideal if you want a fluffy banana bread.

The winning combo? A 2:1 ratio of brown sugar to caster sugar. You get that delicious caramel flavor without sacrificing the light, fluffy texture.

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Add-ons: Walnuts, Chocolate Chips?

Look, I love add-ons as much as the next person, but they can mess with the texture if you’re not careful. I tested both walnuts and chocolate chips in this recipe:

• Chocolate chips didn’t change the texture, so they’re a go!

• Walnuts were a bit of a heartbreak. As much as I love them, they made the bread a bit denser due to their natural oils. Not a dealbreaker if you’re a nut fiend, but worth keeping in mind.

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The Key To A Fluffy Banana Bread

It’s all about the air! I know, I know—sounds simple, but it's true. Alongside the right balance of ingredients, you need to spend some time really whipping air into the batter, especially when you’re adding the eggs to the butter and sugar.

eggs in batter mixed for 1 min vs 2min 30s

Here’s why: when you whip air into cake batter, you're creating a foam structure with tiny air pockets. In the oven, these air bubbles expand, making the cake rise and turn out light and fluffy. The proteins in the eggs also help trap these air bubbles, giving your banana bread that dreamy, cloud-like texture.

Hope I didn’t scare you off with the science talk—I just think it’s cool to know why things work the way they do in baking. Makes it easier to nail a recipe next time!

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So, there you have it! Death to dense banana breads. You now hold the sacred secrets to making the perfect light and fluffy banana bread. Use this knowledge wisely—to impress your nan, your friends, your partner, or just yourself. Happy baking!

Brown Butter Banana Bread

makes 1 x 2lb loaf

Banana Bread Batter:

• 150g unsalted butter

• 100g chocolate chips

• 2 medium bananas + 1 banana halved on top

• 100g brown sugar

• 50g caster sugar

• 2 egg

• 200g plain flour

• 1 tsp bicarb of soda

• 1 tbsp demarara sugar

  

Method

1. In a small saucepan, melt 150g unsalted butter over medium heat. Let it foam and turn a golden brown color, stirring occasionally. Once it releases a nutty aroma and you see brown bits at the bottom, immediately take it off the heat and pour into a bowl to cool slightly.

2. Preheat your oven to 180°C and lightly grease a loaf tin or line it with parchment paper, make sure to leave overhang. This will help it to come out easier.

   

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 100g brown sugar, 50g caster sugar, and the cooled brown butter until combined.

4. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well for about 2-3 minutes if using an electric mixer.

5. In a separate bowl, sift together 200g plain flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, being careful not to overmix.

7. Stir in 100g chocolate chips.

8. Mash 2 bananas with a fork until smooth and fold them gently into the batter.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top with a spatula.

10. Take 1 banana, slice it in half lengthwise, and place it gently on top of the batter, cut side up.

11. Sprinkle 1 tbsp demerara sugar over the halved banana and the top of the loaf.

12. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.

13. Let the loaf cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.