Raspberry Almond Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whole wheat banana bread with raspberries and almonds.

Don’t know what to do with those bananas rotting on your countertop?  This raspberry almond banana bread is so moist and uses 100% whole wheat flour.  Wait what?  A bread that is moist with whole wheat?  Impossible!  The mashed bananas, whole raspberries, and cough cough… BUTTER makes this bread unbelievable good!

Why has banana bread become so popular during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

If you are like me, you probably follow a lot of food bloggers.  As soon as the pandemic hit, banana bread recipes were making it rain on my Instagram feed!  Why? I have no idea!  My guess is that people are home more and have taken an interest in baking.  Banana bread is incredibly easy to make and virtually fool-proof, so novice and expert bakers can make without trouble.  Although there are tons of banana bread recipes online, there wasn’t a lot of diversity.  Whole Wheat Raspberry Almond is a combination you will love.

What is in the Raspberry Almond Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whole Wheat Flour- This bread is so moist, you will not guess there is 100% whole wheat flour in the recipe.

Bananas- Very ripe bananas will be sweeter and have a creamier texture for the batter.  One banana is used for decorative purposes.

Raspberries- fresh or frozen

Cinnamon and Salt

Almond Extract- Almond extract gives it a unique flavor.  If you don’t feel like purchasing or running to the store, vanilla extract can certainly be substituted.

Chopped Whole Almonds

Granulated Sugar

Eggs

Melted Butter- Butter makes everything better.  If you are a vegan you can substitute for vegetable oil.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda

How to make Raspberry Almond banana bread

1. In a large bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas (about 3) using the back of a fork until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the mashed bananas, almond extract, melted butter, beaten egg, and sugar into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Do not over mix or the banana bread might come out tough and chewy.
4. Fold in the chopped nuts and whole raspberries.  You can use either fresh whole raspberries or defrost frozen raspberries.
5. Pour the batter into a lightly greased standard loaf pan (9x5x3).  Top the batter with a large banana, halved with cut side up. Sprinkle the banana halves lightly with sugar.
6. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees F.  You can check for doneness using a toothpick or sharp knife.  When inserted into the center of the bread, it should come out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting the bread onto a wire cooling rack.

How to Ripen a Banana

If you are desperate to make banana bread and your bananas are still green, simply put bananas in a paper bag and put in a warm place for several hours.  I like to put in the back seat of my car.  In less than 24 hours they are usually the perfect ripeness.  You can also stack other fruit (apples, oranges) on top of your bananas in your fruit basket.  This will expedite the ripening process.

Rasberry Almond Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whole wheat banana bread with pieces of almond and whole rasberries.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1.25 cups ripe bananas, mashed (3 bananas)
• 1 ripe banana, halved lengthwise (for decoration on top)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 1.5 cups whole rasberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Add the almond extract, beaten eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, and melted butter. Mix unitl combined.
• Carefully fold in the nuts and whole rasberries.
• Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Top with a halved whole banana (cut side up) and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Check for doneness using a toothpick or sharp knife. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.

Notes

• Almond extract can be substituted for vanilla extract.
• Whole wheat flour can be substituted for regular flour (or 50/50 combination).

Keyword banana bread, healthy, quarantine baking, rasberry almond, whole wheat