It’s T minus five days until the beginning of fall and I’m excited. There’s so much happening in the world right now to be unsure of and definitely not excited about, but the changing of the seasons, especially when it’s pumpkins and apples and everything warm and cozy in between entering the picture, makes me happy just to think about it. I love autumn. And I’ve already started to fill the house once or twice this week with the aroma of cinnamon and apples. (This Baked Apple Oatmeal for breakfast is a fab way to start the season and you day btw. )
But, today I’m slowing down just a notch because berries here in California are still beautiful and sweet. And I can’t bear to hold on to this Strawberry Banana Bread with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting recipe much longer and not share. I don’t think it would be right. And besides, there’s always brown bananas needing a place in this world.
This recipe is a yummy quick bread in it’s truest form- no mixer, all done by hand in one bowl (okay, maybe 2.) But it get’s a little fancy treatment with an easy cream cheese frosting and a smother of a few more fresh strawberries. It will have your guests wowed and their tummies happy. And you can even tell them, the sugar is minimal so it’s somewhat healthy. There’s about a serving of fruit in each slice I’d say. But hey, treats are for enjoying as long as we balance the rest, right?
Putting this together follows many banana bread recipes. You’ll mash a couple bananas in a large bowl, then whisk with a little sugar, oil, eggs, yogurt and vanilla. A little strawberry jam (fresh or store-bought) gets swirled in, then fold in the usual dry suspects- flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. And just before that’s all incorporated, we’ll gently mix in some fresh, chopped strawberries. Then into the oven it goes for about fifty minutes.
And in the meantime, the creamy frosting can be made while the bread bakes. This is also lovely just on it’s own in case you opt to leave the frosting off. (My kiddies don’t complain when I sometimes don’t include it.) For the whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting, it’s just cream cheese, a little butter, a little confectioner’s sugar and some crushed up freeze-dried strawberries. The freeze-dried strawberries lend the beautiful pink color and nice strawberry flavor. If you can’t find them, you can just do plain cream cheese frosting and put the strawberries on top. It will still be fabulous, promise.
This is a fun take on the classic banana bread and can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a little pick-me-up snack. And it can even be frozen (minus the frosting) and saved for later. Either way, it’s definitely worth a try, before pumpkin season makes it’s official entrance.
Strawberry Banana Bread with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
A fun and delicious take on a timeless classic but with a little fancy addition. Strawberries, two ways, add bright flavor plus an easy cream cheese frosting and a smother of a few more fresh strawberries make this one delectable treat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup very ripe mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
- 2 tbsps brown sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup grapeseed or canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 2 lg eggs, lightly whisked
- 2 tbsps Greek yogurt (low-fat or full fat)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla-extract
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 3/4 cups (224g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped, fresh strawberries
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 2 oz unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
For the top:
- 1 cup quartered strawberries
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper going up the sides, for easy removal.
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In a large bowl, mash the bananas and measure to make sure it equals 1 cup. Then using a spatula stir in the sugars, oil, whisked eggs, yogurt and vanilla to fully combine. Stir in the strawberry jam.
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Then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and fold until some streaks of flour still remain. Toss the chopped strawberries (smaller pieces will incorporate more evenly into the bread) with the 1 teaspoon of flour then add to the batter and gently fold until just combined. (Don't over mix if you want a tender bread.)
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with the spatula and place the pan into the oven. Bake at 400F/ 200C for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350F/177C and continue to bake for about 40 minutes more until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
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Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and fresh strawberry top:
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Place the quartered strawberries in a small bowl and toss with the 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside.
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Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a small zip-top bag and seal taking all the air out. Crush the dried strawberries into fine crumbs by rolling a rolling pin over the bag. (You can also do this in a spice grinder.)
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For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar and strawberry powder and beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until the frosting is somewhat smooth. (you'll still have little bits of strawberries throughou Spread on the cooled bread. Then spoon the sliced strawberries on top. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for later. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*You can store the unfrosted bread, wrapped tightly, at room temp for a day or two, in the refrigerator for up to a week or double wrapped in the freezer for about 4 months.
*The frosted bread with the fresh strawberries must be stored in the refrigerator and will last about 3 days.
