Baking Dessert

Hazelnut banana bread with date butter

Name: Banana bread with hazelnuts recipe
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 400g mashed banana (2 medium bananas); 125g brown sugar; 225g plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; 80ml vegetable oil; 100g hazelnuts; 65g hazelnut meal; 65g cold brown butter (see recipe note), chopped; 65g brown sugar; 50g plain flour; 4 Medjool dates, pitted, chopped; 20.00 ml boiling water; 150g brown butter, at room temperature; 1 tsp runny honey

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Hazelnut banana bread with date butter

Credit: Ben Dearnley

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by Carina La Delfa

CHEF

Jul 02, 2024

"The perfect cheeky breakfast item, or an afternoon treat. I made this recently to take to afternoon tea with my grandmother." – Carina La Delfa.

You’ll need a 11.5cm x 20cm, 9cm-high loaf pan for this recipe.

400g mashed banana (2 medium bananas)
½ cup (125g) brown sugar
1½ cups (225g) plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
⅔ cup (100g) hazelnuts, toasted, roughly chopped

Hazelnut crumble

65g hazelnut meal
65g cold brown butter (see recipe note), chopped
65g brown sugar
⅓ cup (50g) plain flour

Date butter

4 Medjool dates, pitted, chopped
1 tbs boiling water
150g brown butter, at room temperature
1 tsp runny honey

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 11.5cm x 20cm, 9cm-high loaf pan with baking paper, extending paper 4cm over long sides.
2.

Place the banana and brown sugar in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Sift over flour and baking powder. Add a pinch of salt flakes and the oil. Stir until combined. Stir through the hazelnuts. Pour into prepared pan.
3.

For the crumble, place all ingredients in a medium bowl and rub in butter using your fingers until mixture resembles wet sand. Sprinkle over banana batter, pressing crumbs down lightly to secure. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. Stand loaf in pan on a wire rack to cool slightly.
4.

Meanwhile, make the date butter. Place the dates and boiling water in a small food processor and cover with lid. Stand for 10 minutes. Whiz until smooth. Add half the butter and whiz until smooth. Add remaining butter, the honey and 1/2 tsp salt flakes and whiz until combined (you can use this straight away or keep in the fridge until needed).
5.

Serve banana bread warm or at room temperature, sliced, with date butter.

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Recipe Notes

How to make brown butter: Cook chopped cold unsalted butter in a stainless-steel frypan or saucepan (it’s harder to see the colour of the butter in a dark pan) over medium heat while whisking constantly until there is a nutty aroma, the butter turns light brown and large bubbles become smaller and begin to subside. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool (the butter will burn if you leave it in the pan). If the recipe requires cold brown butter, place butter in the fridge to chill until set. To store for a longer period, cover with plastic wrap.