Spiked Cider Banana Bread With English Toffee Bits

This banana bread is dope.

I know that doesn’t make me sound very eloquent, but I was at a loss for better words thanks to this delicious distraction.

If you’ve been following my blog for the past year, right now you’re probably thinking I have a serious affinity for banana bread since that’s all I seem to bake. (See my cleverly named Beernana Bread + my summer-y Strawberry Banana Bread.) Though I do love banana bread, the reason it gets made often has less to do with my love for it and more to do with the fact that bananas seem to surrender themselves to the Lords of Rot within just a few days of being placed on my kitchen counter. Since my husband will only eat bananas while they’re fading from green to yellow, it’s up to me to eat as many as I can once they’ve developed a few brown flecks on them (which is how I prefer them, anyway). Sadly, despite our good intentions, we just can’t seem to get through them quickly enough.

So my freezer? Yeah. It’s a morgue for bananas.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

But it’s hard to complain when the result is a soft and warm loaf of THIS good stuff.

Spiked Cider Banana Bread With English Toffee Bits

Spiked Cider Banana Bread With English Toffee Bits

Because I’m a rebel, I added a seasonal cinnamon-spiced hard cider to both the bread mix and the sweet sweet drizzle. Y’all should know by now how much I love cooking with beer — but baking with it is equally satisfying.

Spiked Cider Banana Bread With English Toffee Bits

I’d never baked with English toffee bits before (shame — I know), so I expected them to remain firm and offer up crunchy little bits in the bread. Instead, they melted away and created moist little pockets of toffee goodness! (No complaints, obviously.)

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Get the Recipe:

Spiked Cider Banana Bread With English Toffee Bits

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup English toffee bits
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 medium overripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup hard cider, I used a seasonal cinnamon-infused hard cider.
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

Crumbled Top:

  • 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tbs ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of melted butter

Spiked Icing Drizzle:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp hard cider * See notes, optional — can use heavy cream instead
  • Dash of kosher salt

Instructions 

Bread:

  • Preheat oven to 350° F with oven rack positioned in the middle.
  • Lightly grease a bread pan with butter to ensure the bread doesn't stick.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
  • In a different bowl, whisk the eggs until they are frothy.
  • To the eggs, add the mashed bananas, melted butter, and finally, the cider.
  • Mix well so there are no large chunks of banana left behind.
  • Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir well to combine, but don't over-mix.
  • Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula; scrape the mixture into the greased bread pan.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the crumbled topping.
  • Evenly sprinkle the crumbled topping over the top of the bread mixture.
  • Bake for approx. 40-45 minutes.
  • Once done, allow to cool for approx. 30 minutes before taking it out of the bread pan.
  • Once cooled, the bread should slide right out of the pan.

Spiked Icing Drizzle:

  • In a bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until combined. Check the consistency of the icing and see notes for adaptations.
  • Once you have the consistency you like, take spoonfuls of the icing and drizzle it over the bread in zig zags.

Notes

For the icing drizzle, please note that you can play around with the consistency. If you want it to be thicker, add more powdered sugar; if you want it to be runnier, add more cider or cream.
Author: Killing Thyme