Description

This Sticky Toffee Banana Bread is a moist and flavorful treat combining ripe bananas, dates, and chopped nuts with a rich homemade toffee sauce and crunchy banana chip brittle. Perfect as a dessert or indulgent snack, it offers a delightful mix of soft cake, sticky toffee, and sweet nut brittle toppings.

Ingredients

Scale

Banana Bread

125g soft butter, plus extra for the tin
75g caster sugar
50g dark brown soft sugar
3 medium eggs
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
50g natural yogurt
200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
50g pitted dates, chopped (about 10)
50g pecans or walnuts, chopped (or mixed chopped nuts)

Toffee Sauce

100g light brown soft sugar
25g butter, cut into cubes
100ml double cream
150g caster sugar

Brittle

50g pecan or walnuts (or mixed nuts)
50g banana chips
½ tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp water

Instructions

Prepare the oven and tin: Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) or gas mark 3. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment for easy removal of the bread.
Make the banana bread batter: Using an electric whisk, beat the soft butter with both caster sugar and dark brown soft sugar for about 5 minutes until fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, mashed bananas, and natural yogurt until mostly smooth, then mix this into the buttery sugar mixture. Gently fold in the plain flour combined with baking powder, just until incorporated. Finally, fold in the chopped dates and nuts evenly.
Bake the bread: Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment strip and cool completely on a wire rack. The bread will keep well for four days stored in an airtight container.
Prepare the toffee sauce: Place the light brown sugar in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-low heat without stirring, just tilting the pan occasionally until the sugar melts and becomes light golden and liquid. Carefully whisk in the butter until smooth, then slowly add the double cream while bringing the mixture to a bubble. Stir until the sauce is smooth and shiny. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl, cover, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Make the brittle: In a frying pan, combine the caster sugar and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat. Stir briefly just to combine, then allow the mixture to simmer without stirring for about 10 minutes until the caramel reaches an amber color. Stir in the nuts, banana chips, and sea salt flakes until well coated. Pour the mixture onto a lined baking tray, spreading into a single layer to ensure easy breaking. Let cool completely before breaking into shards.
Assemble and serve: If the toffee sauce has thickened, gently stir it or warm briefly in the microwave with a splash of cream to loosen it. Drizzle the sauce over the banana bread allowing it to drip down the sides, then sprinkle the brittle shards on top. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake with toffee sauce and brittle can be stored in airtight containers for up to two days.

Notes

You can substitute mixed nuts with hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, or peanuts based on preference and availability; always check expiry dates to avoid rancidity.
The banana bread keeps well when frozen, and both extra toffee sauce and brittle are best stored separately in airtight containers and consumed within four days.
Do not stir the sugar repeatedly when melting for toffee or brittle; tilting the pan will ensure even melting and prevent crystallization.
Use ripe bananas to enhance sweetness and moisture.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Category: Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: British

Keywords: banana bread, sticky toffee, toffee sauce, brittle, nut brittle, homemade banana bread, dessert, easy banana loaf