I am absolutely obsessed with black sesame in desserts. Ever since I first tasted black sesame mochi, I’ve been dreaming up ways to use black sesame in my other favorite desserts—banana bread seemed like a no-brainer. This banana bread recipe is a tried-and-true staple in my house, and can be easily whipped up for my kids in a blender (minimal cleanup!). The sesame, from the coating to the tahini to the ground black sesame seeds, gives the bread a rich nuttiness, without diminishing the signature moist crumb.
Ingredients
4 medium ripe bananas
3 eggs
3 dates
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3/4 cup ground black sesame seeds
½ cup tahini
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a sauté pan, toast the whole sesame seeds over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally so they don’t burn.
Spray a loaf pan with olive oil and coat the sides with the toasted seeds. Save some seeds for the top.
In a large blender, blend together the bananas, eggs, dates, maple syrup, sesame oil, and ground sesame seeds until homogenized. Add the tahini, vanilla, salt, flour, and baking soda, and pulse until fully combined. (Since there’s flour, be careful not to overmix.)
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar, salt, and reserved sesame seeds.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool to room temperature so it slices easily. Enjoy!
