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Black Sesame Banana Bread That'll Blow Your Mind

Okay so I have a confession: I was a banana bread snob. I thought I'd peaked. My brown butter banana bread recipe was perfect. Tested 11 times. Dialed in. Done.



Then I made this and realized I was wrong. Because black sesame paste takes banana bread to a place I didn't know banana bread could GO.



The flavor is hard to describe if you haven't had it before — deeply nutty, slightly smoky, a little earthy. It's like tahini's mysterious, more interesting cousin. Mixed into banana bread, it creates this gorgeous dark swirl and adds a complexity that makes people stop mid-bite and go "wait, what IS that?"



A Note on Black Sesame Paste



You need black sesame PASTE, not powder. The paste is made from roasted, ground black sesame seeds and has a consistency like natural peanut butter. You can find it at Asian grocery stores (it's sometimes labeled 黑芝麻酱). If your local store doesn't have it, Amazon carries it. Don't substitute with tahini — it's a completely different flavor profile.



Ingredients




  • 3 very ripe bananas (brown and spotty — the uglier the better)

  • ⅓ cup (75g) melted butter

  • ¾ cup (150g) sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ cup (65g) black sesame paste

  • 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds for topping



The Method



Step 1: Mash bananas in a large bowl. Ugly mashing is fine — some chunks add texture.



Step 2: Stir in melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.



Step 3: Sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the top. Fold until JUST combined.



Step 4: The swirl. Drop spoonfuls of black sesame paste across the batter. Use a knife or chopstick to swirl it through — don't fully mix it in! You want visible ribbons of black sesame running through the bread. This is what makes it beautiful AND gives you pockets of concentrated sesame flavor.



Step 5: Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55-65 minutes. A toothpick in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs.



What Went Wrong?




  • No sesame flavor: Your paste might be old or low quality. It should taste INTENSELY nutty straight from the jar. If it's bland, the bread will be bland.

  • Gummy center: Underbaked. Banana bread is tricky — the outside looks done before the inside is. Test with a toothpick.

  • Too dense: Overmixed. Banana bread batter should look rough and lumpy.



I bring this to every potluck now. People always ask for the recipe, and when I tell them it has black sesame they get this look — half confused, half intrigued. Then they take another bite and ask for the recipe again.