Caramel Banana Bread. A deliciously soft, moist breakfast cake. Easy recipe, option to add nuts. Caramel and banana are a perfect match!

Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!

As many of you will know, here at Lovefoodies, we love cake! We have many pound cake recipes , with flavors to suit everyone. 

For this recipe, we've used some delicious caramel, or dulce de leche throughout the cake, and also added a handful of nuts in the batter to give an added texture to the cake.

The flavor you get in every bite is wonderful banana and caramel and of course the unmistakable taste of a buttery pound cake. 

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This recipe for caramel banana loaf is flexible so if you wish, you can make them in muffin liners, such as the photo below, where I've used this same recipe, but added some cocoa powder into the batter too so it takes on a chocolate flavor (this recipe will make you around 12 large muffin-sized cakes). 

Chocolate Banana Muffins With a Caramel Drizzle Topping. Fluffy, soft and packed with bananas and chocolate. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or snack time.

For the recipe below, you will need a loaf tin, mine measures 30cm x 12cm and 8cm deep. This recipe will also work in a regular 9 inch up to 12-inch loaf pan, same cook time.

This caramel banana loaf will make a perfect treat for a breakfast or brunch, or an after-school snack when the young ones come home. You can take on a picnic or give it to a friend.

Whatever you decide, it will certainly be enjoyed! It's freezer-friendly too, so if you wanted to bake a loaf and cut in half, freeze half, and that way, you will always have some delicious caramel banana bread handy! 

The recipe itself is very easy and straight forward. You do need to be aware that cook times may vary a little from oven to oven so do a check when the time is up for doneness. 

For those of you who love caramel, we have a new recipe which I've made several times now for birthday cake requests, our Salted Caramel Pecan Cake. It's so delicious! Give it a try and I am sure it won't disappoint! 

Pecan Cake WIth Salted Caramel Frosting is an easy recipe giving you a soft, fluffy cake and a creamy frosting, perfect for any celebration!

So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make this delicious Caramel Banana Loaf. Please enjoy!

Ingredients

1 ¼ Cups or 225 g Plain / All Purpose flour sieved
1 Teaspoon baking powder
¼ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of salt
⅓ Cup or 75 g Butter
¾ cup or 175 g Sugar
2 medium eggs lightly beaten
3 cups or 450 g peeled VERY RIPE bananas. (approx 4 medium bananas)
1 cup or 100 g chopped Macadamia nuts (optional)
1 Tablespoon Dulce De Leche.

Here's the recipe to make your own dulce de leche

How To Make Dulce De Leche caramel
How To Make Dulce De Leche Caramel

What does baking soda do in the recipe?

Baking Soda / Bicarbonate of soda is used to enhance the texture and 'grain' of the loaf. It is not essential for you to use it, but it does give a bit of texture as banana breads can often be a little 'smooth' in texture.

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 180c,  350F.

2. Grease and line your baking tin. (if you have a silicone one, then no need to grease or line) .

See here if you would like to know how to Line a Loaf Tin

3. Chop nuts. I like mine roughly chopped for added texture, but it is up to you if you'd like to finely chop them.

Use a potato masher or fork and mash the bananas.

Showing chopped nuts
See the size of the chopped nuts

4. Mix together the sieved flour, salt, bicarbonate soda and baking powder.

5. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the eggs a little at a time with a few tablespoons of the flour (to stop the batter from splitting).

6. Add the bananas and walnuts, combine well.

Adding all the ingredients together
Look at the consistency of the cake batter


7. Using a metal spoon, fold in the rest of the flour.

8. Transfer HALF of the mixture to baking tin and spread evenly taking care to make sure the corners also have batter.

Then add the Dulce De Leche. I just added it in a straight line down the middle so there will be some in every slice, but you can do whatever pattern you wish!

Then add the remaining cake batter to cover evenly.

Showing the caramel layer in the middle
See the caramel down the centre of the cake batter


9. Place in the oven for 50 - 55 minutes, check after 50 minutes using a metal skewer.

Poke the skewer into the center of the cake mixture. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake's ready!

Please do test if the cake is done as all ovens are different and your cake may take a little longer or a little less time to bake.

Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!

If you love pumpkin, take a look at this recipe called, OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD CARAMEL PUMPKIN SNACK CAKE from The Kitchen Is My Playground. So good!

Recipe Card

Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!

Caramel Banana Loaf Cake

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Moist Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ Cups or 225 g Plain / All Purpose flour sieved
  • 1 Teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • ⅓ Cup or 75 g Butter
  • ¾ cup or 175 g Sugar
  • 2 medium eggs lightly beaten
  • 3 cups or 450 g peeled VERY RIPE bananas., approx 4 medium bananas
  • 1 cup or 100 g chopped Macadamia nuts, optional
  • 1 Tablespoon Dulce De Leche

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 180c, 350F.
  2. Grease and line your baking tin. (if you have a silicone one, then no need to grease or line) . See here if you would like to know how to Line a Loaf Tin
  3. Chop nuts. I like mine roughly chopped for added texture, but it is up to you if you'd like to finely chop them. Use a potato masher or fork and mash the bananas.
  4. Mix together the sieved flour, salt, bicarbonate soda and baking powder.
  5. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the eggs a little at a time with a few tablespoons of the flour (to stop the batter from splitting).
  6. Add the bananas and walnuts, combine well. Using a metal spoon, fold in the rest of the flour.
  7. Transfer HALF of the mixture to baking tin and spread evenly taking care to make sure the corners also have batter. Then add the Dulce De Leche. I just added it in a straight line down the middle so there will be some in every slice, but you can do whatever pattern you wish! Then add the remaining cake batter to cover evenly.
  8. Place in the oven for 50- 55 minutes, check after 50 minutes using a metal skewer.
  9. Poke the skewer into the center of the cake mixture. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake's ready! *** Please do test if the cake is done as all ovens are different and your cake may take a little longer or a little less time to bake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 376Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 4gSugar: 30gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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21 thoughts shared

  1. hello! i am excited to try this recipe…just wondering if it would work if i added some cocoa powder to give a hint of choc? if so how much would you add?

  2. 5 stars
    What a lovely recipe! I used 110g white sugar and the rest light brown, and I added a teaspoon of cinnamon, it turned out wonderful!
    I had a little too much batter for my loaf tin so I baked some cupcakes too, they took about 30 minutes and they came out lovely and uniform.

    Also, thank you so much for using both cup and gram measurements, that truly is a great help!

  3. The ingredients list only 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche. I s that correct? I’m not sure such a small amount would spread the length of the loaf.

    1. Comment author image

      Lovefoodies

      says:

      Hi Mary, yes it’s correct. It’s not a lot but you can add more if you wish. Just bear in mind you’re adding extra sweetness so you may want to reduce the sugar in the ingredients a little if you add more caramel. (Unless you have a sweet tooth of course!)

      1. I can’t find the PRINT FRIENDLY button top right? got my hubby to look also and we can’t see it anywhere? I’ve just subscribed to your site….

      2. The “Print” buttons you mention are ADVERTISEMENTS! DO NOT USE THOSE BUTTONS! Instead, scroll down to the bottom of the page where the whole recipe is located inside the red dashed border, and use the print button under the picture.

    1. Hi Amy, I’ve never used Ice cream topping for baking. The only concern I would have is whether it would stand up to the heat during baking as it is a different consistency than the de leche caramel, which is very thick and can be used heat, ie baking. You could put a blob or two in a cup and microwave in for 40 -60 seconds and see if it separates or goes grainy from the heat? if that happens, then I wouldnt use it in the cake as it will spoil the bake :)

  4. I don’t have room for a printer, and can only use copy and paste method. Really frustrating due to the time it takes to write all these great recipes, when I can paste them to a document and view them later when I get ready to prepare something that just looks so awesome….as do all of your recipes! Thanks for sharing them with those who can use printers, tho.

  5. I don’t understand why you post recipes but do not allow them to be cut and pasted or have a print copy button…you have some great recipes but I am not going to write them out and I cannot move my computer to the kitchen so I cannot enjoy any of them.

    1. You don;t need to worry!!! There is a PRINT FRIENDLY Button on every page on this website! it sits on top of the Main Menu bar, right hand side. if you still can;t find it, let me know and i will send you a screen shot to help you.

      mary

      1. Hi Lee, The Print Friendly button is on the left side of the page. If you look for the vertical column of icons on the very far left, you will see a RED PLUS button. Click that and then select Print Friendly.
        You can also scroll to the bottom of the page and see the recipe laid out ready for printing, and at the top right of that part, there is an option to ‘print recipe’.
        Also, if you right click on your mouse, you can select Print from the options.

        I hope this helps.
        I appreciate it is not always easy to find the print option, so I try and give several options for people to choose from.

      2. Hi Jen, yes, you will need to double the recipe for the 9×13 pan. For 9×13 and 8×8, check the bake time after 40-45 minutes and go from there. It may be a little more or less so you know.