Raspberry banana bread

This raspberry banana bread is a delicious combination of a classic banana bread with sweet-tart raspberries studded through it. It's easy to make and makes a tasty teatime treat.

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I'm not sure why, but banana bread is one of those things that it somehow doesn't cross my mind to make for ages, then I get back in the habit. After playing about with recipes in recent years, we've settled on one we really like, which is the base here. But I also wanted to try some add-ins.

When we were in Australia a few years back, there was a market in Cairns where we stocked up on tropical fruits for breakfasts while we were there. In the market we also found a stall selling banana bread that was hard to pass by.

They let you mix and match half loaves to let you try some of their different variations. One we had and loved was raspberry as the slight tartness works so well with the sweet bread. So, it was naturally high on my list to recreate. And it didn't disappoint.

Ingredients for raspberry banana bread

This banana bread with raspberries is made with a relatively short list of ingredients that are all easy to find:

• All purpose flour (plain flour) - you can swap in part wholewheat if you like, but I think texture-wise regular flour is probably best.
• Eggs - these act as a binder and give texture to the loaf.
• Sugar - I like to use a mixture of white and brown sugar for this. They both work slightly differently in baking - white tends to be lighter and gives crispness, while brown adds a little chewiness and tenderness. So a mix of both gives some of each.
• Butter - this helps with structure. I like butter rather than oil as it adds more flavor and richness. I use unsalted so you can control the salt you add separately.
• Bananas - the star! Well, in this case one of them. For banana breads you want very ripe bananas as they have more natural sugars and flavor. Underripe bananas can instead add a slightly sour flavor. It's a great way to use up over-ripe bananas, too - mine here are just on the lower end of a good ripeness. More black on the skin is fine, if not good. That said, I'd generally cut off any part that's bruised and black.
• Raspberries - the second fruity star. Use fresh, ripe raspberries so they have plenty color and flavor.
• Salt, baking powder and baking soda - these help the loaf to rise.
• Cinnamon and vanilla extract - these help round out and give more depth of flavor.

Making this easy loaf

As mentioned, this loaf is really easy to make. You start by mixing the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the flour to help them be more evenly distributed. If you like, you can also whisk them in to the flour as you add them all later, but there's that bit more risk you end up with a little clump.

Then, separately mash the bananas until well broken up. Mix in the eggs, melted butter, sugars and vanilla extract so everything is well combined.

The exact order is not that important (as is also the case with my date and walnut loaf) as you are not adding any raising agent at this point, and you're not creaming the base, either. But you do want to make sure the eggs are broken up, the sugars mix and dissolve.

Once you have your liquid base, add in the dry ingredients (flour mixture). At this point you want to take care not to over-mix, so fold in until you don't have any streaks of flour left then stop. Fold in the raspberries gently so you don't break them up, then pour into a prepared loaf tin.

Then the hardest part - waiting for it to bake! The reason being that is smells SO good, it can be hard to be patient. But, believe me, it's worth the wait.

Test the loaf for doneness by inserting a skewer into the middle of the loaf, and if it comes out clean, it's ready. If not, give it a few more minutes. Once done, be a little more patient to let it cool a few minutes before loosening around the edges to remove from the pan.

Variations to try

While this loaf is in itself a variation on banana bread, you can of course vary it even further. Raspberry and chocolate pair really well, too, so you could add in some chocolate chips - milk, dark or white chocolate would all work well.

If you want to add a little more texture, you could also add in some nuts like some chopped walnuts of pecans. Coconut is also good in banana bread and I could see it working with the raspberries, too.

Plus, you could make it look a little fancier with some frosting, too, similar to this strawberry banana cake. My eldest was asking for a raspberry frosting drizzled over the top which I have yet to try but he will probably twist my arm in future - it would be pretty if nothing else!

Storing leftovers

If you don't manage to eat this all in one go, then you have a couple options. You can wrap the loaf well and store at room temperature for a couple days. You can also freeze part of a loaf for longer-term storage.

One thing to note is that while it will still taste good and stay moist after a day or two, it isn't quite as good as on the first day. The raspberries will dull and go more of a purple-y color. The loaf also has a lovely crunchy edge on the first day that softens after storing, too. But it's still very tasty and enjoyable.

This raspberry banana bread is quick and easy to make with a delicious set of flavors. Sweet, with a gentle spice in the core banana bread and with juicy sweet-tart raspberries dotted through. It's a truly delicious snack, perfect for so many occasions.

Try these other tasty (and easy) sweet treats:

• French pear cake (a lovely light cake packed with pears)
• Chokladbollar (Swedish chocolate oat balls - so easy, you don't even need to bake)
• Raspberry scones (another tasty raspberry-filled snack)
• Swedish cardamom cake (another easy, light and flavorful cake)
• Plus get more snack recipes, sweet and savory, in the archives.

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