I always love baking banana bread. This time I made a speculaas banana bread, one of the many variations on my basic (healthy) banana bread recipe. Honestly, it’s the most delicious banana bread I’ve ever made (and eaten!).
The fact that I’ve already baked it three times says it all, right? I slice it and freeze the pieces individually so I can always grab a snack when I need one. Ideal if you ask me. I’m curious to know which banana bread is your favorite. If you don’t have one yet, start with the recipe below.
Now for me speculaas is one of those typical holiday flavors. And this banana bread is the ultimate holiday banana bread version. You can use gingerbread too if you don’t have access to speculaas or make your own with this easy speculaas recipe. Thank me later!
As always make sure to double the quantities in the recipe card below. It’s best if the ingredients are all at room temperature.
Take a large mixing bowl and mash the bananas. Add the eggs one by one and add the vanilla extract as well. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix it together.
Now chop the speculaas cookies (or whatever replacement you’ve used) into smaller pieces and fold it through the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top of the batter. Sprinkle some extra cookies bits over the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
Let the banana cake cool down on a wire rack before slicing.
I absolutely love recipes with speculaas flavors, these are a few of my favorites:
Speculaas is a traditional flavor for the Dutch holiday Sinterklaas, and with that, there are many delicious Sinterklaas recipes.
Banana bread is easy to store so you’ll always have access to homemade snacks. I always make two loafs at a time to have some healthy snacks in stock.
You can store the banana bread in an airtight container outside of the fridge for 4-5 days. It also works to wrap it well in aluminum foil.
Absolutely. Slice the loaf, wrap each slice individually (or per 2 slices), and freeze. This way, you always have a quick snack on hand. Thaw at room temperature or pop into the toaster/air fryer for a few minutes.
Speculaas spice is a Dutch warming spice blend similar to pumpkin pie spice. It usually contains cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom, and white pepper. If you can’t find it in stores, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice or make your own blend at home.
If you’re outside the Netherlands, use chopped gingersnaps, Biscoff cookies, or gingerbread cookies. They will give a similar warm, spiced flavor and crunch.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, the bread is ready. If it comes out with wet batter, bake around 5-8 minutes longer and check again.
Yes! Pecans, walnuts, or dark chocolate chunks pair great with the spices. Fold in up to ½ cup of additions before baking.
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