Well, we made it to the end of the summer! I’m on Day 2 with a half-empty house, and working from home has never seemed so fun. Every summer, I forget how challenging it is to keep up with recipe testing and photography jobs; apparently working with children hanging on your ankles is easier said than done.
Luckily, the kids and I were able to work on a few recipes together. Today’s easy banana zucchini bread came together in an attempt to use up our squash reserves, and it. is. GOOD. With the addition of a whipped cream cheese butter spread, it is really worth writing home about. Let me tell you all about it.
Easy Banana Zucchini Bread
The idea for this banana zucchini bread came from a recent trip to Atlanta. My mom, nana, sister, and I traveled east to do some antique shopping. Thankfully, our hotel had a delightful breakfast spot that served delicious breakfast breads. My favorite was their zucchini bread that came with a whipped cream cheese spread. I immediately knew this was a recipe to recreate at home.
My version of the quick bread is slightly different due to the addition of banana. We have an endless supply of bananas in our house, and they’re rarely yellow and prime for eating. Instead, the green bananas collect dust and the brown ones get even more brown. So I decided to create an outlet for all the dying fruits of the world. Bananas, meet zucchini, your new BFF.
Making the Bread
Making this banana zucchini bread is pretty simple. In a single bowl, mash together the bananas and oil. Add the sugar, eggs, and extract, stirring all the while. Next comes the dry ingredients which, for this recipe, includes cinnamon; I just love the subtle addition of spice. The shredded zucchini and optional pecans add in last before two loaves bake in the oven.
The cream cheese spread is optional but really yummy. Slightly sugared and more buttercream than buttery, it really take this bread over the top. Make it or don’t, but certainly it’s worth trying once.
I hope you all get to bake this easy banana zucchini bread soon. If you do, let me know what you think! Happy Saturday and happy baking!
If you like this easy banana zucchini bread you should try:
Carrot Pound Cake
Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins
Vanilla Butter Loaf
Banana Bread Cake
Banana Crumb Cake
Easy Banana Zucchini Bread
This banana zucchini bread is an easy, no-frills recipe that makes for a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Loaves
- Category: Quick Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (from about 3 medium-sized bananas)
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3–1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1–1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1–1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1–1/2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For the cream cheese butter:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1–1/2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
To make the loaves:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray two 8”x4” loaf pans with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir to combine the banana, oil, sugar, eggs, and extract. Add in the flour cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and fold to combine. Add in the shredded zucchini and pecans, folding just until combined. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool completely.
- In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese butter. In a medium-sized bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese and butter, beating until smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and optional cinnamon, stirring to combine. If you wish to smooth out the mixture a bit, add a tablespoon of water or milk. Otherwise, pop the spread in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it on slices of the zucchini bread.
