Key takeaways

• Coffee deepens banana bread’s flavour, adding a gentle bitterness that balances the sweetness of ripe banana.
• This recipe uses coffee twice – a shot of espresso to plump the raisins and finely ground coffee in the batter – for a fuller, rounder taste.
• A dark or medium roast with chocolate and nutty notes works best, because those flavours echo the banana and hazelnut.
• Overripe, heavily spotted bananas give the sweetest and most reliable result.
• Total time is about two hours, including 30 minutes prep and up to 1 hour 15 minutes in the oven.

Banana bread is comfort baking at its most simple, but a little coffee turns it into something with real depth.

A good espresso cuts through the sweetness of ripe banana and draws out the loaf’s darker, more caramelised notes – a bit like how coffee and chocolate work so well together.

This version leans into that. We soak the raisins in a shot of espresso until they plump up, then fold finely ground coffee straight into the batter, so the flavour runs all the way through rather than sitting on top.

It’s an easy loaf to make, and a proper way to use up bananas that have gone past their best.

What does coffee add to banana bread?

Coffee does two things here. First, its natural bitterness balances the sugar and ripe fruit, so the loaf tastes rich rather than cloying.

Second, the roasted, slightly chocolatey notes in a well-roasted coffee sit alongside banana and hazelnut beautifully, giving the bake a warmth you don’t get from banana alone.

Because you’re tasting the coffee rather than just baking with it, the quality of what you use genuinely shows – which brings us to the next question.

Which coffee should you use for banana bread?

As a speciality-coffee roaster, this is, naturally, the part we care about most.

For baking, reach for a dark or medium roast with chocolate, caramel or nutty tasting notes – flavours that complement the banana instead of fighting it. A very dark, smoky roast can turn harsh once it’s baked, and the subtle flavours tend to get lost.

Freshly ground beats pre-ground here, as with any coffee. Grind a little finer than you would for a cafetière so the coffee folds smoothly into the batter without leaving a gritty texture.

Preparation and cooking time

• Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus soaking time for the raisins).
• Cooking time: 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Makes: one loaf (about 22cm x 11cm x 7cm).

Ingredients

• 1 shot (about 30ml) double espresso.
• 100g raisins.
• 60g roasted hazelnuts, chopped.
• 2 overripe bananas (about 200–250g unpeeled), mashed with a fork.
• 170g unsalted butter, softened (10–15 seconds in the microwave does the job).
• 170g golden caster or fine golden granulated sugar.
• 2 eggs.
• 170g self-raising flour.
• 1 dessert spoon of very finely ground coffee (or more, to taste).
• 1 dessert spoon of cocoa powder.
• Demerara sugar, to sprinkle.

How to make coffee banana bread

1. Make a double espresso (or a strong coffee) and pour it straight over the raisins in a bowl. Leave them to soak until the coffee has gone cold and the raisins have plumped up – you can do this a day ahead for extra flavour. When you’re ready to bake, strain the raisins and set them aside.

   Top tip: keep the coffee-soaked liquid – it makes a lovely base for a banana latte smoothie.

2. Line a loaf tin (about 22cm x 11cm x 7cm) along the base and sides with baking parchment, and lightly grease the two unlined ends with butter. Heat the oven to 170°C or gas mark three, with a shelf in the centre.
3. Grind the chopped hazelnuts finely in a coffee grinder or mini processor. Use short pulses rather than a continuous grind, which would over-process the nuts and make them oily.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together with a handheld electric whisk until light and creamy. This takes a few minutes – a food mixer works well too.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is fully mixed in before adding the second, or the mixture may curdle.
6. Sift in the flour, cocoa, and finely ground coffee, and mix. Fold in the ground hazelnuts, followed by the mashed banana and strained raisins. Mix each addition just enough to combine – don’t overwork it. If the batter seems stiff, loosen it with some of the raisin-soaking coffee.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and spread it evenly. Scatter a generous layer of Demerara sugar over the top for a crisp, crunchy crust.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until risen and firm. A thin knife or skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
9. Loosen the loaf from the sides with a thin knife, turn it out of the tin, and leave it to cool on a wire rack. Slice with a serrated knife.
10. Enjoy with a fresh cup of Pact coffee.

FAQs

How do you know when banana bread is done?

Look for a firm, browned top, then insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, your coffee banana bread is ready to come out of the oven.

What else can you put in banana bread?

Other dried fruit works well – try apricots or prunes, cut into small, raisin-sized pieces. Glacé cherries add a pop of sweetness, and fresh blueberries bring a lovely moistness. If fruit isn’t your thing, cocoa powder or chocolate chunks add richer, more indulgent depth.

What nuts go well with banana?

Walnuts are the classic pairing, and they suit coffee flavours well. Hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, and pecans all work nicely in this kind of loaf, so feel free to experiment.

Why does banana bread crack on top?

Usually the oven is too hot, so the top crust sets before the rest of the loaf and splits open. Turning the oven down slightly, or covering the top with foil, lets it cook more slowly and evenly.

Why is my banana bread dense?

There are a couple of likely causes. You may have overmixed the batter, which develops more gluten and gives a heavier, bread-like texture. You might have added too much banana – it’s a very wet fruit, so too much leaves the inside damp.

Why does my banana bread not cook in the middle?

The oven temperature is usually the culprit. It’s either too high, so the outside cooks before the centre, or too low.

If the outside is browning too fast, cover the top with foil, drop the heat a bit, and give it longer.

Can you rebake undercooked banana bread?

You can try. Wrap it in foil and return it to a hot oven for about 15 minutes, then test again.

Banana bread also toasts beautifully under the grill once it’s set, so a solid slice with a little butter is never wasted.

Pair it with the right coffee

Coffee banana bread is at its best warm, with a fresh, outstanding quality cup of coffee to pair it with.

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