Yoke’s Banana Bread with Espresso Marscapone

Espresso marscapone recipe adapted from: https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/espresso-marscapone-cream-recipe-20170724-gxhmls

This banana bread recipe came from my good friend Yokey (who I believe adapted it from Sally’s Baking Addiction?). She’s always made excellent banana bread! One day I stumbled across a random cafe in NYC and they were serving their banana bread with espresso marscapone! It blew my freaking mind. I had never even heard of espresso marscapone until that day. I knew I had to try and recreate it myself and who better to ask for the perfect banana bread recipe than from Yoke. 🙂 I’ve also included the original cream cheese frosting recipe incase you want to make it old school without the espresso marscapone.

Ingredients:

Banana Bread:

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed (= ~ 1.5 cups mashed)
1.5 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature

Espresso marscapone:

500g mascarpone
2 tsps vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthways, seeds scraped)
pinch cinnamon
100ml espresso coffee
1/4 cup icing sugar
Maple syrup (for drizzling)
Optional: sprinkle with some chopped pecans or walnuts or even pine nuts

Cream cheese frosting

8 oz (224g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Directions for Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, use a stand mixer and beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the white and brown sugar to the bowl and continue beating until creamed together. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat until combined, then fold in the mashed bananas.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45mins to 1hr (depending on your oven). The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Serve on its own or follow the instructions for espresso marscapone or frosting below!
Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Optional: Directions for Espresso marscapone:

Combine all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and use a stand mixer to blend everything together until smooth and creamy. Serve on top of banana bread with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Optional: Directions for Cream cheese frosting:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it).
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.

Notes:

Make ahead tip: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold.