Golden Syrup Banana Bread

We almost always have bananas in the house, which means there are usually a few getting a little too ripe on the counter. Banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use them up — and thankfully, it’s also a fairly forgiving bake at high altitude.

For this version, I wanted to bring in golden syrup for both flavor and texture. It adds a warm caramel note and helps give the loaf the dense, slightly squidgy crumb that my husband especially loves.

I’ve kept this closer to a British-style banana loaf than a light, fluffy banana cake. There’s just a touch of vanilla — enough to round out the flavor without covering up the banana and golden syrup.

A Mountain Snack

We recently took a slice each of this banana bread with us on a hike up Mt. Elbert, and it made a pretty perfect summit snack.

It travels well, is easy to wrap, and the dense texture makes it feel a little more substantial than a lighter cake.

Why Golden Syrup Works So Well in Banana Bread

Golden syrup brings more than just sweetness. It adds a rich caramel flavor and helps give the loaf its moist, dense texture.

Since ripe bananas already provide plenty of natural sweetness, I reduced the brown sugar and let the golden syrup do more of the work. The result is rich and caramel-like without being overly sweet.

Golden Syrup Banana Bread

A dense, moist banana bread made with ripe bananas, golden syrup, light brown sugar, and a touch of vanilla.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 48 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 3 minutes mins

Servings: 10 slices

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British

Calories: 250

Ingredients

  

• 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups + 1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 g salted butter softened (7 tbsp)
• 3 medium ripe bananas peeled and mashed
• 35 g light brown sugar (3 tbsp)
• 90 g golden syrup (4 tbsp)
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Equipment

• 2-lb loaf pan
• Wire cooling rack
• Kitchen scale optional, but recommended

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 360°F conventional.
2. Grease and line a 2 lb loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the softened butter, mashed bananas, light brown sugar, golden syrup, beaten eggs, and vanilla bean paste.
5. Beat together just until evenly combined. The batter should be thick and spoonable rather than runny, but a few very small lumps of softened butter are fine.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top.
7. Bake at 360°F for about 33 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for approximately 15 minutes, or until the center is set.
If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil.
8. The loaf should be golden brown and set through the center. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out without wet batter.
9. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 10–12 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack.
10. For the best texture, allow the loaf to cool for 1½–2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Texture: This banana bread has a dense, moist, slightly squidgy texture rather than a light, cake-like crumb.

Golden Syrup: British golden syrup gives this banana bread its distinctive caramel flavor and squidgy texture. If you can’t find golden syrup in the U.S., you can substitute an equal weight of light corn syrup, although the flavor will be milder.

High Altitude: This recipe was developed and tested at approximately 8,600 feet and uses only 1 tsp baking powder to control the rise at high altitude. At substantially lower elevations, you may find that a little more baking powder is needed. See my Kitchen Guides for more help with high-altitude baking.

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