This easy to make and delicious Mince Pie Banana Bread is a great way to enjoy festive flavours with a bit of goodness too. I've made this recipe with wholemeal flour for additional health benefits, but if you can't get hold of it you can use regular flour too. I added an optional cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top, which would be ideal if you're serving this to guests over the festive season. If you've got ripe bananas lying around, plus some leftover mincemeat, this loaf cake is a simple and tasty way to enjoy them!
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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can for this recipe, but caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) will work well too.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence. You can also use a vanilla bean paste.
- You can use either unsalted butter, or a baking spread, to make this cake.
- For the tastiest banana bread, wait till your bananas have brown spots all over them before using them in this recipe.
- I used plain wholemeal flour for this recipe for some extra goodness, but you can also use regular plain flour instead.
- You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe (you can test the size of your loaf tin by seeing how much water the tin can hold, 2lb will hold about 2 pints/1100ml of water). If you have a 1lb loaf tin, simply halve the ingredient amounts.
- For easy lining of the tin, use a loaf cake tin liner.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50).
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Mince Pie Banana Bread
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, light brown soft sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and mashed up bananas, and mix them in. Add the plain wholemeal flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice and mix in.
Pour half of the batter into the loaf tin. Spoon over half of the mincemeat and swirl it into the batter. Add the rest of the batter, and spoon over the rest of the mincemeat and swirl it in too.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. To make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the icing sugar and cinnamon until the mixture is smooth and combined. Add the cream cheese and the vanilla extract and mix in until the frosting is thick and smooth. Pipe or spread the frosting over the cooled cake, and decorate with more mincemeat.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Is banana bread a type of bread or cake?
Banana bread is not actually bread, it's a type of cake. Some might call it a quick bread, which is a type of bread where bicarbonate of soda or baking powder are used to create the rise. But I personally would still consider banana bread to be a type of cake.
What size tin do you need for this recipe?
You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe (you can test the size of your loaf tin by seeing how much water the tin can hold, 2lb will hold about 2 pints/1100mls of water). If you have a 1lb loaf tin, simply halve the ingredient amounts.
How long does the banana bread last and can it be frozen?
The banana bread will last for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. If you add the cream cheese frosting, you will need to store it in the fridge. Banana bread can also be frozen. Wrap it well, or place in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. It's easier to store it sliced, with squares of baking paper between each slice so they don't stick together. Then you can remove a slice or two at a time to defrost. Defrost at room temperature on the kitchen counter for an hour or two, depending on how warm the room is.
Can this loaf cake be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the flour with a gluten free flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cake. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Do you need an electric mixer to make this cake?
No, in fact I find this cake quick and easy to make by hand with a hand whisk or spatula/spoon. You could use a stand mixer, but keep it on a low speed to avoid over mixing. For the cream cheese frosting, I recommend using an electric mixer.
Is this banana bread recipe healthy?
I don't like to focus too much on whether cake is healthy or not, as I think it is something to be enjoyed without guilt. Of course, foods containing sugar, butter and flour should be enjoyed in moderation. I've never thought of banana bread as being a healthy food, because as the end of the day it is a cake. The fact it has a fruit in it's name has perhaps caused confusion for some people. I hope you will enjoy a slice of this delicious banana bread, and you could serve it with some fresh berries for the perfect balance of health and indulgence!
More tips for making the Mince Pie Banana Bread:
- Don't worry if the loaf cake cracks on top - this is normal.
- The cake took an hour and 10 minutes in my oven, this sounds like a lot, but it's a very dense cake so baking it on a low temperature for a long time produces the best result. All ovens are different, so do check on it if it is getting too dark on top in yours.
- The cream cheese topping is optional
Troubleshooting
My number one tip for getting the best results is to read through this whole page of tips and recommendations before starting, and follow the recipe exactly. If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Loaf cake tin
- Loaf cake tin liners
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Loaf cake storage box
- Cake tester
- Mixed spice
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More mincemeat recipes...
Mince Pie Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the banana bread
- 75 g Butter melted
- 125 g Light brown soft sugar
- 50 ml Milk any kind
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract or paste
- 2 Eggs large
- 3 Bananas mashed
- 250 g Plain wholemeal flour or regular plain flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 100 g Mincemeat
For the decoration (optional)
- 75 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 75 g Icing sugar
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 150 g Cream cheese
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract or paste
- 75 g Mincemeat
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 150C Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, light brown soft sugar, milk and vanilla extract
- Add the eggs and mashed up bananas, and mix them in
- Add the plain wholemeal flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice and mix in
- Pour half of the batter into the loaf tin. Spoon over half of the mincemeat and swirl it into the batter. Add the rest of the batter, and spoon over the rest of the mincemeat and swirl it in
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If you're concerned it's getting too dark on top, you can cover it with foil. Leave it to cool completely
- To make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the icing sugar and cinnamon until the mixture is smooth and combined
- Add the cream cheese and the vanilla extract and mix in until the frosting is thick and smooth - this won't take very long so be careful not to over mix. Pipe or spread the frosting over the cooled cake
- Decorate with more mincemeat. I also added some white chocolate star sprinkles for an extra festive feel!
- If you have added the frosting, store in the fridge, otherwise you can store at room temperature in an airtight container. Leftovers will last for 4 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can for this recipe, but caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) will work well too.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence. You can also use a vanilla bean paste.
- You can use either unsalted butter, or a baking spread, to make this cake.
- For the tastiest banana bread, wait till your bananas have brown spots all over them before using them in this recipe.
- I used plain wholemeal flour for this recipe for some extra goodness, but you can also use regular plain flour instead.
- You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe (you can test the size of your loaf tin by seeing how much water the tin can hold, 2lb will hold about 2 pints/1100ml of water). If you have a 1lb loaf tin, simply halve the ingredient amounts.
- For easy lining of the tin, use a loaf cake tin liner.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50).
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
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