Honey Banana Almond Bread

This Honey Banana Almond Bread uses Local Hive™ Honey’s Washington Raspberry varietal as a sweetener, has a subtle almond flavor and is full of banana flavor. It also has layer of raspberries, almonds and honey in the center.

This particular recipe is not like your typical banana bread. It’s like an explosion of Spring flavors in your mouth. The addition of honey, raspberries and almonds makes this new recipe super fun for Spring time! Since I use honey in this recipe, there is no additional added sugar.

Use a good honey

Local Hive™ Honey is one of my all time favorite honeys. It’s a raw and unfiltered honey with over 23 different varietals. Each varietal has a distinct flavor profile depending on where it’s from. The Washington Raspberry varietal is from Local Hive™ Honey’s Harvest Reserve Line.

It’s a limited addition, highly local variety from beekeepers in Northwestern Washington State. The flavor comes from local pollen from raspberry blossoms in Washington State. This Washington Raspberry Honey has a light and bright taste and is very fruity.

I absolutely love the flavor of it! Check out Local Hive™ Honey and taste the difference for yourself. Both of my daughters ask for honey on a spoon now for dessert ever since trying Local Hive™ Honey for the first time. They get so excited every time we get a new varietal to try.

If you love a traditional banana bread then this Honey Banana Almond Bread would be a great recipe for you to try! It still has that delicious background banana flavor but jazzed up a little! It has pretty simple ingredients that the whole family will love.

I baked this for the first time with my daughter last night and let me tell you it was and was so moist and delicious when it came out of the oven but this Honey Banana Almond Bread is even better the next day!

Try this recipe out next time you have overripe bananas! Baking quick breads might just be my favorite way of using them up.

If you love quick bread recipes then check out my Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread!

This post is sponsored by Local Hive™ Honey but all thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own.

How to swap honey for sugar in recipes

Sometimes I prefer to use honey over sugar in recipes. Sometimes for the taste, sometimes for the health benefits, sometimes just because! If a recipe calls for granulated or brown sugar, you can swap honey in. When swapping honey for sugar in recipes you can’t do a 1:1 ratio.

Honey is sweeter than sugar so you actually need less honey than the amount of sugar that is called for. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar then you can swap in 3/4 cup honey. If the recipe calls for 1/2 sugar then swap in 1/3 cup honey.

I’ve even swapped honey in for sugar when making a meringue. Honey meringue is pretty tasty if I do say so myself! Here’s the recipe, Honey Lemon Chiffon Pie

I know you’re thinking this may be hard to remember. If you order a gift box from Local Hive™ Honey, they include a sugar to honey conversion MAGNET! So you can stick it right to your fridge or somewhere in the kitchen where it’s always handy and you won’t lose it!

What are the different flours and are they interchangeable?

The short answer is no, different types of flours aren’t usually interchangeable. Every once in awhile they are but in general you cannot sub them in a 1:1 ratio.

A few varieties of flour:

• All Purpose Flour – This white flour is basically the staple of flours. Unless you’re gluten free. It has a protein content of 10%-12%. It isn’t necessarily good for everything but definitely the most common and widely used flour.
• Gluten Free Flour – There are many types of gluten free flours. Many made with rice or tapioca. There are a few brands that sell gluten free flour that will work as a 1:1 ratio in recipes but make sure to check the packaging and/or recipe.
• Whole Wheat Flour – Whole wheat flour is higher in protein but doesn’t form gluten well. A lot of times whole wheat flour will cause a baked good to me more dense and heavy.
• Almond Flour – Almond flour is a nice alternative when looking for a gluten free flour. It has lower carbs and a slight sweet taste. Almond flour also allows for a soft and light crumb when baking. Sometimes I add a little almond flour in with my all purpose flour in recipes to help give a light texture
• Coconut Flour – Coconut flour is another alternative gluten free flour. It cannot be used in a recipe 100% as the only flour because it does not behave the same as a traditional flour. Coconut flour needs to be mixed with another flour, whether it be one that contains gluten or a gluten free option

There are many other flour options available as well. It’s best suited to find a recipe that calls for a particular flour before trying to go in and swap flours. Recipes can be made with different flours but it usually calls for a lot of testing first.

This Honey Banana Almond Bread has not been tested with any other flour than all purpose. For best results, please follow recipe.

Ingredients for Honey Banana Almond Bread

• Butter – I use unsalted butter at room temp
• Cream Cheese – You’ll want your cream cheese to be at room temperature
• Honey – I used Local Hive™ Honey’s Harvest Reserve: Washington Raspberry
• Eggs – Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them. See the tips section for a quick tip how to do that if you forgot to get them out ahead of time! I normally use large eggs
• Olive Oil – Olive oil helps add moisture to the Honey Banana Almond Bread. Coconut oil is also an option here, just melt it then slightly cool it
• Mashed Banana – Use fresh bananas for this recipe that are overripe. Check out the tips for what to do if you don’t have overripe bananas
• Almond Extract – Almond extract brings a delicious flavor to this Honey Banana Almond Bread
• Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a great base flavor in many baked goods
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe has not been tested with any other type of flour
• Baking Soda – This helps the Honey Banana Almond Bread rise
• Baking Powder – Baking powder is also a leavening agent to help baked goods rise
• Kosher Salt – Salt brings out the flavors of all the other ingredients
• Sliced Almonds – There is a layer of almonds in the middle of the bread as well as on top
• Raspberries – Please use fresh raspberries for this recipe
• Cinnamon – Use your favorite ground cinnamon
• Powdered Sugar – A light layer of powdered sugar gets sprinkled over the top of the bread after baking

Equipment needed

• Loaf Pans – Any 2 ceramic or metal 9-inch bread pan will work
• Large Mixing Bowl – You will need a large bowl to mix the wet ingredients first then combine the dry ingredients into
• Medium Mixing Bowl – Use a medium bowl to whisk the dry ingredients together
• Small Bowl – You’ll need a small bowl to stir the raspberry filling
• Measuring Utensils – Measuring spoons and cups are used in this Honey Banana Almond Bread recipe
• Electric Mixer – Use an electric mixer to mix the wet ingredients
• Rubber Spatula – Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a rubber spatula
• Cooling Rack – When the Honey Banana Almond Bread comes out of the oven it needs to cool on a wire rack. I set parchment paper on the cooling rack then remove the bread and set it on the paper after about 20 minutes

Tips for the best Honey Banana Almond Bread

• Do not overmix the batter. Your bread will become dense
• Do not overbake the Honey Banana Almond Bread. You will end up with dry bread
• This recipe makes TWO loaves of bread, DO NOT try to put it all in one loaf pan even if you think it will fit
• For the best flavor, use Local Hive™ Honey’s Harvest Reserve: Washington Raspberry . This is a seasonal release so if it is not available at the time then the Local Hive™ Honey Midwest Honey is a great replacement
• If you need room temperature eggs quickly then simply put the eggs in a bowl of warm–hot water for 5 minutes
• If you’re making this recipe and you don’t have overripe bananas you can bake your bananas in the peel. Set the oven to 300°F then line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bake the bananas for 20-30 minutes or until fully black. Cool them then use in the recipe
• Some yummy add ins for this Honey Banana Almond Bread would be: white chocolate chips, chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• As always a little butter spread on a slice of the Honey Banana Almond Bread would be delicious. You could even kick it up a notch and make whipped honey butter with the Local Hive Honey™
• Almond butter makes a nice spread on each slice too

What kind of bananas should I use for Honey Banana Almond Bread?

Making this Honey Banana Almond Bread is just like making regular banana bread when it comes to the type of bananas you should use. You want to use fresh bananas, not frozen. You also want your bananas to have plenty of brown spots or be mostly brown.

Overripe bananas will give you the best results and moist banana bread. There’s a big difference in flavor too. Brown and black bananas have a more intense flavor. Which is perfect when making bread because the banana flavor can get toned down after being mixed with all the other ingredients.

I prefer to let the bananas ripen on their own but if you’re really in a pinch then you can help them along.

How to quickly ripen bananas

• Preheat the oven to 300°F then line a sheet pan with parchment paper
• Bake the bananas for 20-30 minutes or until fully black
• Remove the bananas and let them cool
• Mash and use them as usual

How should I store banana bread?

There are a couple different options for storing this Honey Banana Almond Bread. Depending how long you want the bread to last you can store it in the fridge, freezer or on the counter.

• On the counter – If you’re storing the Honey Banana Almond Bread on the counter then remove it from the pan and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap once it is cooled. Usually I do 2 layers of plastic. Since this particular banana bread has a layer of fresh raspberries baked in the center, I would only recommend keeping it on the counter for 24 hours.
• In the fridge – If you’re storing the Honey Banana Almond Bread in the fridge then remove it from the baking pan and let it cool fully. Wrap it twice in plastic wrap then store in the fridge. The bread will keep for up to 1 week.
• In the freezer – If you’re planning to freeze the Honey Banana Almond Bread then wrap it in plastic wrap twice, then heavy duty aluminum foil one time. After that, I like to put it in either a plastic bag or an airtight container. It will keep up to 2 months in the freezer

You can store the Honey Banana Almond Bread as a whole loaf or you can do individual slices. Doing individual slices in the freezer is a great way to keep snack pieces for a long time. Just remove them from the freezer and let them thaw either on the counter top or in the fridge overnight.

How to make Honey Banana Almond Bread

Preheat your oven to 350°F then spray two 9-inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the Washington Raspberry Local Hive™ Honey and oil and blend until combined then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Mix in the almond and vanilla extracts just until combined. Add the eggs one at at time, mixing between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between. Fold in the mashed bananas.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together then set aside. In a small bowl, stir the raspberries, almonds, honey and cinnamon together then set aside until needed.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until almost fully combined. A few streaks of flour left are okay. Add 1/4 of the Honey Banana Almond Bread batter to EACH of the 9-inch prepared loaf pans.

Layer half of the raspberry and almond mix into each of the pans, using all of the raspberry mix. Top each prepared loaf pan with the other quarter of remaining batter. Sprinkle the remaining sliced almonds on top of each loaf then bake banana bread for 45-50 minutes.

I would encourage you to check the loaves with a toothpick around 40 minutes because some ovens cook faster than others. You want the toothpick to come out clean or with only a few crumbs on it.

Let the Honey Banana Almond Bread cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then run a butter knife around the edges of each loaf. Remove the loaves from the pan and let them continue to cool before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy each slice with a little extra drizzle of honey, a smear of butter or as is!

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