Strawberry Banana Bread

This moist Strawberry Banana Bread features fresh strawberries, ripe bananas, and a sweet strawberry swirl. An easy homemade loaf perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Cooling Time15

Total Time1 35

Servings:

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Strawberry Swirl

¾ cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch

Banana Bread Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup light brown sugar packed
2 large eggs room temperature
⅓ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ripe mashed banana
1 cup diced fresh strawberries patted dry

Instructions

Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
Make the strawberry swirl: In a small saucepan, combine the ¾ cup chopped strawberries, 2 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon cornstarch. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened and jam-like. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Reserve the remaining ½ cup flour for coating the strawberries.
Coat the strawberries: Toss the 1 cup diced strawberries with the reserved ½ cup flour until evenly coated. This helps prevent them from sinking in the batter.
Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine batter: Stir in the mashed banana. Gently fold in the flour-coated strawberries, mixing until just combined.
Layer and swirl: Spread half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spoon the cooled strawberry jam on top and swirl it gently with a knife. Add the remaining batter on top and smooth the surface.
Bake: Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with maybe a crumb or two attached. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment overhang and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Use very ripe bananas: Bananas with brown spots add the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor.
Toss strawberries: Coat strawberries in flour before folding into the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom of your loaf while baking.
Allow strawberry swirl mixture to cool: Before adding to batter, mixture must be cool or risk half cooking some of the batter before baking.
Do not overmix the batter: Blend until just combined or risk bread becoming dense and tough.
Line with parchment: Cover your loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.
If top browns too quickly: Tent the loaf top loosely with foil during final minutes of baking.
Let the bread cool fully before slicing: Keeps the slices neat.

Nutrition