This week on Cotswold Kitchen Mom I am excited to share a cozy autumn recipe with you all: My moist pumpkin banana bread. This dessert bread recipe is easy to prepare- and has enough fall flare to make your feel warm and cozy on the inside. The juxtaposition of ripened banana and pumpkin puree- make this bread rich, decadent, and unique.
If you enjoy the warming flavors of vanilla, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon… then this may be the perfect cozy autumn day recipe for you to try.
I would be thrilled, if you would join me in my kitchen, as I prepare my moist pumpkin banana bread recipe with you. So go ahead pour yourself a cuppa tea and have a seat. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe: The Inspiration
Culinary endeavors are an artform… an expression of one’s creativity, experiences, and personal tastes. Every recipe has a story: an inspiration, an evolution, and a final product. I love the fact that many recipes are fluid and can change to suit individual need, purpose, and personality.
My moist pumpkin banana bread began many years ago when I was a home economics teacher. I loved to make banana bread in those days… as it was so simple and could be made without a mixer.
In fact, later… on one visit to England (before my husband and I were married), I made a batch of my special banana bread for him before boarding the plane to come back to America.
As the years passed by, I experimented with my recipe. I began to add toppings before baking my bread to give an added texture and flavor profile. Originally, I would add cinnamon sugar and granulated sugar to the top of my banana bread.
Now, I add a brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter crumble to the top. I also enjoy pumpkin. My pumpkin cookies recipe requires only one cup of pumpkin purée, so I often have extra pumpkin. This is why I thought to add the pumpkin to the classic banana bread recipe. The best of both worlds: more flavor and more “nutrients” from an extra soft fruit.
This simple and delicious pumpkin banana bread recipe is lovely served warm with a thin spread of salted butter and a cuppa tea.
My Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe:
Easy Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Butter and flour a loaf pan and set aside for later use.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the ⅓ cup butter.
- Add the ⅔ cup granulated sugar to the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Add the mashed banana and the pumpkin puree to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Add the eggs, the heavy whipping cream, and the vanilla. Again, stir gently to combine.
- In a separate medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Stir the dry ingredients together to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients by gently folding in by hand (using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon).
- Pour the thick batter into the prepared baking pan. Now begin making the brown sugar crumble.
- In a medium bowl, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Add the brown sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until a chunky crumble mixture is produced.
- Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar crumble over the top of the pumpkin banana bread batter.
- Bake the bread in the preheated 350℉ oven for approximately 50 -65 minutes. The bread should be at least 200℉. 203-205℉ degrees is ideal. Be patient and make sure the bread is properly baked through as fruit breads take longer to bake due to their high moisture content. *See notes below.
- Allow the bread to cool ten minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack. (Running a sharp knife around the edges before removing from the pan helps to cleanly release the bread.)
- Once the bread is resting on the cooling rack, allow it to completely cool for an hour or two before slicing. Be patient as cutting the bread too soon can make it remain too dense.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
How to Make My Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe (in Photo Format):
In this section, I am including photos I took while making this bread recipe with my children. Follow along to learn more in a visual way.
Making the Pumpkin Banana Bread Batter:
Making the Brown Sugar Topping:
In my opinion, this is the best part! Afterall, it adds a lovely spicy-sweet crunch to the top of the bread- bringing this pumpkin banana bread to the next level.
Adding the Brown Sugar Crumble to the Top of the Pumpkin Banana Bread Batter Before Baking:
Cooling the Pumpkin Banana Bread:
Please don’t skip this step. Proper cooling is important…. so be patient. It will be worth it in the end.
The Final Step: Slicing and Serving the Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions About Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe:
How ripe do the bananas have to be?
Generally, ripe bananas give off a stronger banana flavor. The perfect banana for banana bread should be speckled and brown. Not completely black so that it is rotting- but definitely ripe.
As the banana ripens, the starches convert to simple sugars, and this is what gives the banana bread its sweet and moist flavor profile. If the bananas are not ripe, they will not produce the same moist, sweet bread.
Can I speed up the ripening process if my bananas are yellow?
Yes, you can speed up the ripening process of a banana. Generally, this is not something I do as my family buys a lot of bananas- and inevitably- there are often one or two leftovers that no one claims to eat.
Personally, I have placed bananas in a brown paper bag with another piece of fruit (such as an apple or a ripe banana) and rolled the top of the bag down. This method produces a natural gas the speeds up the ripening process.
Alternately, you can also heat the yellow banana in the oven- or freeze the banana and unfreeze. However, I still believe that naturally ripened bananas produce the best flavor, texture, and moisture content for a banana bread recipe.
Is this recipe a bread or a cake?
Banana pumpkin bread is a cross between the two I would say. It is in many ways a cake (by definition),but is often referred to as a quick bread. In my opinion, this recipe tastes like a cake… but is in the classic bread loaf shape. No matter the name, banana pumpkin bread is a cozy anytime treat that most everyone will enjoy.
Can I use other spices if I don't have pumpkin pie spice?
Yes, you can adapt this recipe to suit your own needs and tastes. Commonly, pumpkin pie spice is made up of a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, and cloves.
If I do not have pumpkin spice, I will often add cinnamon and nutmeg to my desserts. I also have been known to add a bit of ginger and all spice. Really, there is not a right or wrong here. You can experiment with your own spice mixes to get a pleasant, fragrant, delicious mix to complement your banana pumpkin bread.
Using pumpkin spice mix just simplifies the process a bit- as it is a “one and done” spice mixture.
Why do breads with fruit purée need more time to bake?
Breads, cakes, and desserts with fruit or fruit purees in them often need more time to bake in the oven. This is in large part due to their moisture content. The reason we love carrot or zucchini bread is often because of its moisture content. Moist breads and cakes are a delight… as no one really wants to eat a dry cake or bread. However, because of the higher moisture content of the ingredients in these fruit breads/cakes they will need a longer time to bake.
Be patient, they will eventually bake of some of the moisture- leaving you with a delightful treat to enjoy.
How do I keep my bread from being too dense?
A few helpful tips to keep banana pumpkin bread from being too dense are listed below.
- Tip #1: Be sure to measure your flour and dry ingredients carefully and accurately. Using either a kitchen scale or the spoon and smooth method will work well.
- Tip #2: Make sure to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Overmixing the batter can lead to a less desirable outcome and bread texture.
- Tip#3: Make sure to cook the fruit bread completely. This recipe can take anywhere from 50-65 minutes to bake all the way through. I have found that using a food thermometer is helpful and takes some of the guesswork out of the recipe. The best temperature for this bread is slightly over 200 degrees F. Around 203-205 degrees is ideal.
- Tip#4: My last tip is to make sure the bread is completely cooled before slicing into it. Allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack (out of the baking pan) for an hour or two before slicing.
How do I store my leftover moist pumpkin banana bread recipe?
Once the leftover bread has completely cooled to room temperature, store the bread in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag. This bread recipe can be then kept on the kitchen countertop. For best results- eat the bread within 2 days.
Note: Pumpkin banana bread is also delicious slightly toasted with a thin layer of salted butter. In my family, we even like to heat the bread slightly and eat it alongside (softened) vanilla ice cream.
Final Thoughts Until Next Time:
We have come to the end of another baking blog post. I hope you enjoyed following along. If you enjoyed learning about my moist pumpkin banana bread recipe- perhaps you may enjoy a similar (more classic) banana bread muffin recipe, You can read that recipe here.
Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share with those you know who may also enjoy reading along. And, if you are not a blog subscriber, please subscribe to my blog so you do not miss a post. Subscribing is completely free and it keeps you in the loop for any new and exciting changes coming your way.
Lastly, for more inspiration and ideas, you can check out my Cotswold Kitchen Mom Facebook page and my Cotswold Kitchen Mom Pinterest page.
For a complete list of all my special English inspired recipes, check out my traditional recipes guide page here. And for a full list of my cozy Autumn ideas, visit my blog post on that here.
I hope you tune in to my blog again soon. I appreciate your time, your encouragement, and your support. Let me know in the comments if you are enjoying the content- or if you have any thoughts on what you would like to see more of.
Until next time,
~Elizabeth~