Salty Yet Satisfying
If you haven’t noticed, I love a sweet and salty flavor combination — especially in desserts. And I love banana bread. So I did what I do best… I combined the two! This Salted Caramel Toffee Banana Bread is a browned butter banana bread swirled with caramel, flaky salt, and toffee pieces. It’s a sweet, salty, ooey, gooey dream!
Caramelization is Key
The theme of this Salted Caramel Toffee Banana Bread is caramelization. The brown sugar lends a warm and nutty flavor. Then we layer the batter with toffee bits and salted caramel. Toffee and caramel are essentially caramelized sugar in different forms. Altogether, we have a delicious banana bread that has a nutty depth of flavor from all that caramelization.
To balance all of the sugar, we’re adding salt! I swirled the caramel layers with flaky salt so that each bite has that savory component. Once of the reasons why sweet and salty flavors pair so well is because salt not only enhances, but also balances sweetness. Your palate is constantly bouncing between flavors yet melding them together. In my mind, I like to think that it prevents me from getting too sick too soon from eating too much ;).
Toffee Lovers Dream
We finish this Salted Caramel Toffee Banana Bread with a final layer of caramel, chopped toffee, and flaky salt. Trust me, I know these toppings sound excessive, but they add so much texture and flavor — especially the toffee! As with any banana bread, this is best served warm. The gooey caramel and melted toffee bits create the most nutty and warm dessert. With that said, it’s the perfect recipe to kick off your fall baking! Let me know if you try this recipe out and I will catch you in my next post!
Salted Caramel Toffee Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Mashed Ripe Banana (about 4 bananas)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (mashed)
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk
- 3 (1.4 oz) Toffee Candy Bars (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Salted Caramel Topping
- 1/2 tsp Flaky Salt
- Additional Salted Caramel Topping (for topping)
- Additional Chopped Toffee Candy Bars (for topping)
- Additional Flaky Salt (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray then line the inside with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and kosher salt together. Add in the chopped toffee and toss it in the flour mixture.
- Add the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Whisk until combined and the mixture turns into a light brown color. Mix in the bananas, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and milk. Whisk until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredient and gently fold the batter together until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the salted caramel over top then sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of the flaky salt. Swirl the caramel and flaky salt into the batter with a knife or chopstick. Add the remaining half of the batter to the pan and swirl in the remaining salted caramel and flaky salt.
- Place the pan on top of a baking sheet and bake it in the oven for for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes then transfer it out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, spread more salted caramel on top. Sprinkle with more toffee and flakey salt. Enjoy!
