Almond Croissant Banana Bread
Inspired by the flavors of a classic croissant, this banana bread is soft, tender, and full of frangrant almond flavor. With swirls of gooey frangipane and a crunchy almond topping, it's the perfect cozy yet elegant twist on your standard loaf!
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Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
For the banana bread batter
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk (reserve the white for the filling)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana
- ⅓ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
For the frangipane filling (see note for variations)*
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white (reserved from the banana bread batter)
- 1 tablespoon sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, for topping
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Grease and line a 1-pound or 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare the frangipane filling. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Beat in the reserved egg white, sour cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
- Once smooth, stir in the almond flour, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch until just combined. Set aside as you prepare the batter.
- Make the banana bread batter. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cinnamon (if using). Set aside.
- Place the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients on medium speed until lightened in color and very fluffy, around 4-5 minutes.
- With the mixer running on low, gradually stream in the vegetable oil until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Beat in the egg and egg yolk followed by the mashed banana, sour cream, almond extract, and vanilla.
- Once the mixture is evenly combined, fold in the dry ingredients until everything is hydrated and homogeneous (do not overmix!).
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then carefully spread over half of the frangipane filling.
- Top with the remaining banana bread mix, then use an offset spatula or knife to smooth out the batter and dot over the remaining frangipane. Sprinkle over the sliced almonds.
- Transfer the banana bread to the oven and bake for around 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is golden-brown. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
For a simpler filling, this almond butter variation is a great alternative to frangipane:
Almond Butter Filling Ingredients
- ¼ cup natural almond butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract