The Sweetest 3-Layer Banana Split Bread Recipe

Banana bread is a classic, whether you're trying to use up a bunch of over-ripe bananas or simply in the mood for a sweet treat. While a standard loaf is always a winner, Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone takes it a step further with her version, the sweetest three-layer banana split bread recipe. This multi-layered delight consists of a strawberry, pineapple, and chocolate component, each with a textural element that adds a fun twist. "I love how there are so many flavors in this one bread, but they all go so well together," Morone shares. 

If the idea of a multi-layered dessert seems intimidating, Morone reassures, "It's still a relatively simple recipe because you're just making one batter and then splitting it up and adding a few things to each bowl." Nevertheless, it will come out of the oven as a tri-colored bread that is sure to impress. If you're batch-making banana bread for a future occasion, this recipe also freezes well. Morone just recommends letting it cool fully before wrapping it with plastic wrap and placing it in a freezer bag for ultimate protection. We can't guarantee you'll still want to freeze it once this banana split bread comes out of the oven though.

For this recipe, you'll need granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, mashed ripe bananas, sour cream, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Next, to make this a banana split bread, you'll need chopped peanuts, crushed pineapple, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, chopped strawberries, and red food coloring.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Beat together the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Add 1 ½ cup flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and beat until the ingredients are just incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls.

To the first bowl, mix in the peanuts and crushed pineapple.

To the second bowl, mix in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining 1 teaspoon flour with the chopped strawberries.

To the third bowl, mix in the flour-coated strawberries and red food coloring.

Spread the chocolate batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Top with the white batter and gently spread until the chocolate batter is evenly covered.

Gently spread the strawberry batter over the white batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slice, serve, and enjoy.

If the last time you had a banana split was long before you were baking your own banana bread, the specifics might be fuzzy in your memory. "A traditional banana split consists of bananas as the base, topped with scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, then drizzled with chocolate syrup, strawberry sauce, and pineapple sauce," Morone details. That's not all: "It's finished with whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a maraschino cherry on top," she adds.

To transform the frozen dessert into a bakeable loaf, Morone starts with a standard banana bread as the foundation. She explains, "Then it is split into three layers with cocoa powder and chocolate chips to make the chocolate layer, pineapple and peanuts added to the vanilla layer, and fresh strawberries added to the strawberry layer, so most of the traditional flavors end up in this bread." If you want to take it a step further, there's no reason why you shouldn't serve a slice with whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Morone's banana split bread recipe follows the outline of the traditional frozen dessert, but she notes that a few swaps can be made to tailor it to your tastes. "I opted for peanuts in the batter because I love a banana split with peanuts, but walnuts are also a traditional banana split topping (that also goes well in a banana bread) so those can be swapped in for the peanuts," she suggests to start. Similarly, sliced almonds or chopped hazelnuts could make a slightly less traditional but still delicious alternative.

"In the strawberry layer you could use freeze dried strawberries instead of fresh strawberries, by using about ½ cup of freeze dried strawberries and grinding them up into a powder first before adding it to the batter," Morone instructs. "That will give you a strawberry flavor and you may not need to add additional food coloring to get the pink color." Meanwhile, if you're always after an extra cherry on top, try adding chopped maraschino cherries into the strawberry layer as well. And of course, extra banana split toppings, like whipped cream or more chopped nuts, can complete this sweet treat.