Classic Banana Bread Recipe with Huckleberries

Name: Classic Banana Bread Recipe with Huckleberries
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter ((melted)); 2 large eggs ((beaten)); 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 1½ cups flour; ¾ cup white sugar; 1 tsp. baking soda; ¾ tsp. baking powder; ½ tsp. salt; ½ tsp. cinnamon powder; 1 large ripe banana ((¾ cup mashed)); ¾ cup fresh or frozen huckleberries

Published: May 7, 2020 Updated: Aug 9, 2020 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 4 Comments

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A Classic Banana Bread recipe, but with a twist! Loaded with delicious huckleberries, this banana bread is a little tart and plenty sweet and perfect with a hot cup of coffee! Although the huckleberries are the highlight of this recipe, you can substitute blueberries if you need to.

classic banana bread recipe with huckleberries on a marbled counter

It's almost huckleberry season here in Montana and time to use up last year's huckleberries to make room in the freezer for this year's haul.

I've been making all kinds of huckleberry treats lately, including Huckleberry pie, scones, Huckleberry Cheesecake, and jam. But I felt like it was time to come up with something new.

So when my friend, Teresa, shared some delicious blueberry banana bread with me recently, it reminded me of my plans to make this Classic Banana Bread recipe with huckleberries.

Why This Recipe Works

Everyone loves classic banana bread, don't they? I mean, what's not to love about a moist and sweet banana-flavored loaf?

For me, it's especially irresistible when it's loaded with walnuts and chocolate chips. Can I get an amen?

In this Classic Banana Bread with Huckleberries recipe I introduce one of my favorite Montana berries, the huckleberry, which is loved and highly sought after in the Northwestern part of the United States.

Huckleberries not only make the banana bread moister but balance out the sweetness of this Classis Banana Bread recipe.

What Goes Into This Recipe

classic banana bread recipe labeled ingredients

Recipe Notes

When huckleberries are not available, blueberries or even tart frozen cherries can be substituted.
Besides cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg are also delicious in this recipe.

How to Make This Recipe

Preheat oven to 350-Degrees F

1. Place butter in a small bowl and cover with a napkin to avoid splatter. Microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

white bowl covered with a napkin in the microwave

2. Crack eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk vanilla into eggs until fluffy. Add melted butter, and whisk to combine.

3. In another larger bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

pouring spices into a white bowl with flour

4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

folding wet ingredients into dry ingredients for classic banana bread with a pink spatula

mixing batter for classic banana bread with a pink spatula

5. Fold the mashed banana and huckleberries into the batter.

folding huckleberries and banana into banana bread batter with a pink spatula

6. Grease and flour a loaf pan and fill with batter.

greasing and flouring a loaf pan — *Yes, I am using my broken tea strainer to dust the flour into the loaf pan, it works great!* 😬

classic banana bread recipe batter in a loaf pan — *Yes, I am using my broken tea strainer to dust the flour into the loaf pan, it works great!* 😬

7. Bake loaf for 1 hour. Loosely cover with foil during the last 30 minutes of baking to avoid over-browning.

8. After an hour, test to make sure that the loaf is cooked all the way through. Do this by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. The toothpick should come out clean.

testing a loaf of banana bread for doneness with a toothpick

If it needs to continue to cook, turn the temperature down to 300-degrees F. and cover loosely with the foil as it continues to cook. Check every 5 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Cool for approximately 15 minutes then carefully invert the loaf onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

classic banana bread recipe with huckleberries sliced

Recipe FAQ's and Expert Tips

Can you use frozen bananas in Banana Bread?

Frozen bananas can be used in this recipe, just thaw and drain off the excess liquid before using the bananas.

How do you keep banana bread moist?

First, remove the banana bread from the loaf pan. Next, wrap the loaf with plastic wrap or foil and store it in a large ziplock bag.

How do you store banana bread?

After wrapping the banana bread to keep it from drying out, it can be stored in the refrigerator. Another option is to freeze the banana bread. Simply slice the banana bread and wrap the slices individually before freezing them.

If you prefer your banana bread sweeter, you can increase the amount of sugar to one cup.
To enhance the banana flavor, add 1 teaspoon of banana extract.
Walnuts are delicious in banana bread. Add one cup chopped walnuts or pecans when mixing in the huckleberries and banana.
Banana bread is pretty perishable and should be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer to keep it from spoiling.
This classic banana bread recipe is even better when served topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with huckleberry sauce.

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