Brown Butter Pecan Banana Bread With Rum Glaze
This banana bread is jam packed full of flavour! There’s brown butter & pecans in the batter & it’s brushed with a brown butter & rum glaze to give it a sweet, lightly spiced topping.
I’m a huge banana bread fan & this loaf could be one of the best that I’ve made (if I do say so myself!). This one combines bananas with brown butter, pecans & rum, sort of like a bananas foster! So there’s brown butter, chopped up pecans & small amount of cinnamon & ginger in the batter then a brown butter rum glaze that’s brushed on top of the banana bread whilst it’s still warm from the oven. The glaze soaks into the banana bread whilst also setting on top, to give the loaf a glossy, lightly crystallised crunchy glaze.
Other than that, this banana bread is basically the same as your typical loaf. It’s a really simple batter to make & as we’re using brown butter, we’re not going to be creaming it. It’s just a case of whisking the wet ingredients together then folding in the dry. Easy stuff!
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What You’ll Need
- Bananas – To make the best banana bread, you’ll need to use really ripe bananas. The skins should almost be completely black!
- Butter – We’re using unsalted butter for both the banana bread & the rum butter glaze. This allows us control over the salt content in the banana bread & also, unsalted butter is easier to brown.
- Pecans – We’re using pecan halves for this banana bread. We’re roughly chopping them up then folding them through the banana batter.
- Rum – Used for the glaze. I used a spiced rum but a dark rum will work as well.
- Sugar – You’ll need 2 types of sugar for this recipe. Dark brown sugar for the banana bread & caster sugar for the glaze.
- Sour Cream – Added to the batter, to give the banana bread a softer, tender crumb. Using sour cream increases the fat content in the batter without affecting the consistency (e.g thinning it out like milk would).
- Eggs – We’re using large eggs for this recipe. These should each weigh around 50 grams, out of the shell.
- Flour – You’ll need plain flour (all purpose) for this banana bread. We’ll be adding the raising agents in our self.
- Raising Agents – We’re using a mix of bicarbonate of soda & baking powder, for the best rise. As the batter contains acidity (from the sour cream & brown sugar), we can use bicarbonate of soda effectively!
- Spices – I like to add a small amount of ground cinnamon & ginger to my banana bread as the flavours work really well with the flavour & sweetness from the bananas.
- Salt – We’re using fine table salt in the batter, as it mixes in more evenly.
The Best Way To Line A Loaf Tin
The best way to line a loaf tin (for loaf cakes), is to generously grease the inside of your tin with soft butter then line the base & 2 longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging (as shown below). This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake once baked. For this loaf of banana bread, we’re using a 2lb loaf tin.
How To Make Brown Butter Pecan Banana Bread
This is a super easy loaf of banana bread to make. It’s one of those batters where you mix the wet ingredients together then fold in the dry ingredients. The key here is to use really ripe bananas, plus brown butter for maximum flavour! There’s some chopped up pecans folded through as well, for added crunch.
Brown Butter
We’re using brown butter in the banana bread batter & for the rum butter glaze and it’s the same method for both. To make brown butter, we chop the butter into smaller pieces, place into a pan then cook over a medium heat until the butter starts to foam & the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown. You’ll need to stir the butter frequently so that it cooks evenly & you’ll know when it’s done when it smells nutty. Once cooked, we need to let the brown butter cool to room temperature before using.
Banana Bread Batter
As I mentioned earlier, this banana bread batter is made by whisking the wet ingredients together until smooth & combined then we fold in the dry ingredients. So first, we add bananas into a large mixing bowl, mash them with a whisk until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine!) then we whisk in brown sugar, the cool brown butter, sour cream, eggs & vanilla extract.
Now to add in the dry ingredients. First we’re going to be sifting flour, the raising agents & spices into a separate bowl, adding in salt then whisking together. This ensures that the bicarb & baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the batter so that the banana bread rises properly. Then we add the dry ingredients into the banana mix then gently fold with a spatula, until just combined. Then the chopped pecans get mixed in at the end.
Baking
Before baking our brown butter banana bread, we need to transfer the batter into a lined loaf tin then pipe a line of softened butter running down the length, in the middle. This is to control how the banana bread cracks on top as it bakes.
Now we bake the banana bread at 175°c/350°f until it’s risen & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. This will take between 50 minutes & an hour. Once the banana bread is baked, we’re going to be glazing it whilst it’s still hot but we’ll cover that below. As our banana bread contains bicarbonate of soda, it needs to go into the oven as soon as possible, as the bicarb will start to react as soon as the batter is mixed.
Brown Butter Rum Glaze
This rum butter glaze is inspired by a Caribbean rum cake! The only difference being is that we’re going to be browning the butter first, for an extra layer of flavour. This glaze is made whilst the banana bread bakes in the oven then it’s brushed onto the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven so that it can crystallise on top.
It’s also really easy to make; we brown butter in a pan then stir in caster sugar & water. This mix then gets cooked on the stove until the sugar has dissolved & it has reduced slightly. The rum then gets stirred into the glaze off the heat, to avoid cooking the alcohol out.
Banana Bread Tips & Tricks
- Use bananas that are super ripe! The banana skins should be almost completely black.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter as this can make the banana bread dense & rubbery.
- Add sour cream to banana bread batter, for a soft, moist crumb. Room temperature sour cream will mix into the batter more easily.
- Pipe a line of softened butter down the centre of your banana bread before baking, to control how the loaf cracks as it bakes.
- Brown the butter, to give your banana bread a nutty, caramelised flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
To bake brown butter banana bread in an Aga, bake the banana bread on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook. Use the boiling plate to brown the butter & to make the rum butter glaze.
Glazed banana will keep for up to 3 days & should be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in foil so that it stays fresh. After a few days, the glaze can start to soak into the banana bread but it will still taste great!
You’ll know when bananas are ripe enough to use for banana bread when the skins are almost completely black.
Banana bread can become dense & rubbery if the batter was over mixed or if there’s too much flour used. The most common reason is if too much gluten is developed! To avoid making dense banana bread, gently fold the flour into the batter to avoid over mixing.
You can end up with a “wet log” or a dense, gummy layer in the bottom of your banana bread if the batter contains too much water, if the oven temperature was too low or if the batter is over mixed. To avoid this, reduce the moisture content (less banana or butter), bake at a slightly higher temperature, making sure to preheat your oven thoroughly & fold the dry ingredients into the batter gently to avoid over mixing.
More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Brown Butter & Miso Pecan Pie Bars
- Homemade Country Slices
- Pain Aux Raisin Danish Pastries
- Brown Butter & Vanilla Glazed Cookies
- Classic School Cake
- Chocolate Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache
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Brown Butter Pecan Banana Bread With Rum Glaze
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Saucepan
- Sieve
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Brown Butter Pecan Banana Bread
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- 350 g Ripe Bananas (Peeled Weight – See Notes)
- 175 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 130 g Sour Cream (At Room Temperature)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 75 g Pecans (Roughly Chopped)
- 15 g Softened Butter (In A Piping Bag)
Brown Butter Rum Glaze
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 70 g Caster Sugar
- 40 g Water
- 20 g Rum (See Notes)
Instructions
Brown Butter Pecan Banana Bread
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/310°f).
- Next, brown the butter. To do this, chop the butter into evenly sized pieces then place into a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat & allow to melt, stirring regularly with a spatula. Keep cooking, until the butter starts to foam, smells nutty & you can see that the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown.
- Once the brown butter is cooked, transfer it to a bowl then leave to cool slightly. The butter will take around 15 minutes to cool.
- In the meantime, grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- Next, peel the bananas, add into a large mixing bowl then mash with a whisk (or fork!) until almost completely smooth. A few small lumps are fine!
- Add the brown butter & brown sugar to the bananas then whisk to combine. Then add in the sour cream, eggs & vanilla extract then whisk again until thoroughly combined.
- Next, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon & ginger into a separate bowl then add in the table salt & whisk well, to combine.This ensures that the raising agents are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Add the dry ingredients into the banana mix then use a spatula to gently fold in until almost fully incorporated (a few streaks of flour are fine at this point!). Add in the chopped pecans then fold again, to mix them through the batter.It's important not to over mix the batter, as this will make the banana bread dense! Any streaks of flour will get mixed in when the pecans are added. Once the batter's been mixed, it needs to go into the oven as soon as possible, as the bicarbonate of soda will have started to react.
- Transfer the banana bread batter into the lined loaf tin then pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle of the cake. This controls how the banana bread cracks on top as it bakes.
- Bake the banana bread in the preheated oven for 50 minutes – 1 hour, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
Brown Butter Rum Glaze
- Whilst your banana bread is cooking, make the rum glaze. To do this, first add the butter into a small saucepan then cook over a medium heat until browned (the same way as for the banana bread!).
- Once the butter is browned, take the pan off the heat then stir in the sugar & water. Then set the pan back over a medium heat & bring the mix to the boil, stirring frequently, to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the mix is boiling, let it boil for 2 minutes (time this!) then take the pan off the heat. Stir in the rum then set aside until the banana bread is cooked.The glaze should still be warm when you use it to glaze the banana bread. You can reheat it over a low heat if necessary.
Glazing
- As soon as the banana bread is cooked, take it out of the oven then brush the rum butter glaze over the top. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then carefully lift the banana bread out of the tin & transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.You might need to wait a minute for the glaze to soak in slightly, before brushing on more.
