Snickerdoodle Banana Bread takes everything you love about classic banana bread and adds a thick layer of cinnamon sugar in every bite. Very ripe bananas, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and sour cream keep the loaf soft and tender, while a generous sprinkle of cinnamon gives it that warm, bakery-style flavor. It’s baked in a simple 9 x 5 loaf pan and finished with a crackly cinnamon sugar topping that makes it hard to stop at one slice.
Banana Bread with a Cinnamon Sugar Upgrade
This recipe is a good answer to a bunch of spotted bananas sitting on the counter. The batter is made from things you probably keep on hand already, so there’s no extra trip to the store.
This isn’t a complicated recipe. Almost all quick bread recipes can be prepared in just a few minutes. You mash the bananas, whisk the wet ingredients, fold in the dry, and layer cinnamon sugar between the batter. No mixer needed. No fancy steps. Just a reliable quick bread that turns those overripe bananas on the counter into something fabulous.
Pro Tip: If you’re bananas aren’t rip, you can easily ripen bananas quickly in the oven.
Serve it for breakfast, or as part of a brunch spread, or with an afternoon cup of tea. It’s sweet enough to feel like a treat, but not so much that you get that sugar rush.
The “snickerdoodle” part comes from how you use the cinnamon sugar, not from the flavor trying to match a cookie. Some of the mixture is sprinkled into the buttered pan forming a light coating around the entire loaf. Then you’ll add a layer in the middle of the batter, and the rest goes right on top.
It is super moist from the bananas and sour cream and stays that way for several days. We grew up eating cinnamon sugar toast for an after-school snack, this is 100 times better! I like to add some vanilla butter on top to make it even more special.
There are so many ways to make banana bread, marbled with chocolate is another favorite, but sometimes I don’t want chocolate for breakfast, but cinnamon and sugar, they’re my go to combination.
You’ll Need Basic Pantry Staples
This Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread uses basic pantry staples for a fun spin on a classic treat. You’ll find exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. You can thaw frozen ripe bananas and drain off excess liquid if needed.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the best texture, but thick plain Greek yogurt can stand in.
- Demerara sugar: Demerara or turbinado sugar adds crunch. If you don’t have it, you can use all white sugar for the topping.
Building the Cinnamon Sugar Layers
Step One: Make the Batter
Step Two: Make Cinnamon Sugar
Step Three: Layer and Bake
Prevent browning: If the top is browning too quickly before the middle is done, tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes.
If you’ve got a few overripe bananas sitting on the counter, this is the recipe to make. It’s simple, dependable, and that cinnamon sugar top gives it just enough crunch to keep things interesting.
Don’t Forget!
Like and review this post – it helps our website grow so we can give you more delicious Southern recipes!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe bananas mashed, about 1 ½ cups
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
TOPPING
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup Demerara sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Coat with a light coating of butter.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add brown sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. There may still be some small lumps of banana.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, being careful not to overmix.
- Topping: Combine ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup demarara sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture on the bottom and sides of the buttered pan. Add half of the batter and sprinkle half of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the top. Add the rest of the batter and sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean 50 -52 minutes.
Notes
- You can use all white sugar for the topping.
- For the best flavor, make sure the bananas are very ripe.
