It’s gingerbread season! So what do you do when you find yourself with a bunch of overripe bananas in December? You make gingerbread banana bread, of course! Bonus if you have a rarely used bundt pan that needs a little love. If so, consider this your sign to use it!

This delightful twist on banana bread and gingerbread cake is sure to become a new go-to. The holiday-filled aroma of the cake while it bakes in the oven is enough of a reason to make this. But the beauty is in the versatility of this gingerbread banana bread. It goes well with just about every meal or snack!

Gingerbread Banana Bread Serving Ideas:

• BREAKFAST – Pair with a soy or dairy latte, fresh fruit, and a hard-boiled egg for a quick but balanced breakfast.
• SNACK – Enjoy with a clementine and a handful of cashews for an energy-boosting snack.
• FIKA – Savor with a cup of coffee or tea for a classic Swedish afternoon pick-me-up.
• BRUNCH – Add to your brunch menu or bring to your next brunch.
• DESSERT – Top with coconut or dairy whipped cream for a delightful ending to your next meal.

Ingredients Needed for Gingerbread Banana Bread

• Bananas – 3 medium-large or 4 small ripe bananas (about 1.5 cups mashed or a little over)
• Sugar – granulated or brown sugar
• Milk – I used unsweetened oat milk, but any milk would work
• Oil – I usually use avocado or canola oil
• Egg – 1 large egg
• Ginger – needed to make it gingerbread!
• Cinnamon – an essential component of the gingerbread spice mix
• Cardamom – optional, but adds another layer of flavor and is a Scandinavian classic
• Cloves – for December celebration
• Salt
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Spelt flour – a whole grain wheat flour that is easy to digest and adds extra nutrients and fiber; you could substitute wheat pastry flour or use all-purpose flour
• All-purpose flour – to keep this a touch more festive and cake-like than my usual banana bread recipe, I included all-purpose flour in the mix; you could use all spelt flour if you prefer
• Powdered sugar – optional, but looks pretty!

Make This Recipe Your Own

If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you may recognize that this recipe is very similar to my go-to banana bread recipe. To make this recipe a bit more cake-like, I increased the sugar a little bit (it’s still much lower in sugar than most banana bread recipes) and mixed some white flour in with the spelt flour. I also added all the spices!

It’s a flexible recipe, and you could change the kind of flour you use, add more or less spices, or play around with adding a bit of molasses or maple syrup for some of the sugar. If you need a gluten-free recipe, you could make this with almond flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour.

Want to make it more dessert-like? Try adding a simple dollop of coconut or whipped cream.

Other Recipes You Might Like

• Gingerbread Pear Muffins
• Whole Grain Gingerbread Waffles
• Ginger Molasses Banana Breakfast Cookies
• Pepparkakor (Swedish Gingersnaps)
• Banana Bread Mini Muffins
• Sprouted Spelt Banana Bread

Gingerbread Banana Bread in a Bundt Pan

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Fika, Snack

Cuisine: American, Scandinavian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• cooking spray for greasing the pan or use coconut oil or butter + flour
• 3 medium or large well-ripened bananas (or 4 small bananas — the riper the better, you want 1.5 cups or a bit more)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or canola oil
• ⅓ cup cup unsweetened oat milk or regular dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom optional; add a ⅓ teaspoon more of cinnamon and ginger if skipping
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• powdered sugar for sprinkling on top – optional

Toppings

• powdered sugar optional
• fresh cranberries optional – for decorative purposes

Equipment

• 1 bundt pan or 4×8 bread loaf pan

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a Bundt pan (or 4×8 bread loaf pan). Use cooking spray or coconut oil or butter and flour.
3. Peel bananas and add them to a large bowl and mash with a fork.
4. Add everything except for the flour to the mashed bananas. Beat with an electric mixer until combined.
5. Slowly add both flours to the banana mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined.
6. Pour batter into preapared pan, spreading evenly.
7. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 10-15 min before tipping the pan upside down to release the cake. You may need to use a flexible spatula or knife to gently loosen the cake from the edges and the central tube.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and decorate with fresh cranberries before serving if desired.