Amasi Banana Loaf: Sharing What I Changed in This Recipe

You’ll notice that this isn’t the first time I’m sharing a banana loaf recipe on here. I posted one a few months back— you can find it here: My First Banana Loaf Recipe

I’ve made this loaf so many times since then that the recipe has quietly changed under my nose. A bit more spice here, a swap there; sometimes I’ll use milk only, other times butter, and I realised what I’m baking now isn’t really the same recipe anymore. So this is an update, not a rerun.

Save

It started, like most banana loaves do, with bananas we forgot about. They went from yellow to spotty to almost black in about four days, and instead of tossing them, I did what I always do — mashed them into a loaf. Except this time I had amasi in the fridge, so I ended up using both amasi and milk, and that changed the whole texture.

The Amasi Thing for banana loaf

If you’re not familiar, amasi is fermented milk, common in South African kitchens. It’s basically a cousin of buttermilk — tangier, thicker, and it reacts the same way with baking soda to help the loaf rise. It’s one of the ingredients I always keep in the refrigerator. And it works perfectly just like buttermilk.

If you don’t have amasi, plain buttermilk does the same job. In a pinch, milk with a spoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred in and left for five to ten minutes will also get you close enough.

What ingredients are you working with

Here’s the full list:

Save

Save

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup amasi (or buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

A few things I get asked often: yes, you can use white sugar instead of brown, but you’ll lose some of the depth brown sugar gives. Canola oil can be swapped for any neutral oil — sunflower oil works fine. If you skip the amasi-and-milk combo altogether and use one cup of regular milk, the loaf still works; it’s just slightly less tangy.

Not cheating spices is doing more than you think

This isn’t one of those banana breads with a hint of cinnamon. But I used all the spices I think would make this loaf stand out.

Save

With cloves, ginger, and nutmeg added in, it edges closer to something spiced, almost like a cross between banana bread and a spice cake. I keep the cloves and nutmeg small on purpose — 1/2 tsp and 1/4 tsp respectively — because both are strong, and I don’t want spices to overpower the banana and cinnamon flavour instead of warmth.

If you’re making this for the first time, don’t be tempted to double the spices. Trust the small amounts used.

Let’s make a banana loaf

I mash the bananas first, in the same bowl I’ll mix everything else in, so there’s one less dish to wash. I think most of us do not like DISHES that come with baking.

Then I add and whisk in the eggs, sugar, oil, milk, amasi, and vanilla until it’s roughly combined — it doesn’t need to be smooth.

In the same bowl or another bowl, I whisk the dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices — so everything is evenly distributed before it hits the wet mix.

Save

Save

Then I use a whisk to mix all the ingredients until they’re all combined. I stop mixing the second I don’t see flour streaks anymore. Overmixing at this point activates the gluten in the flour more than you want, and the loaf comes out denser and slightly rubbery instead of soft.

Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin, and into the oven at 190°C (374°F) for about 45-50 minutes. You need to understand your oven; the time could be less or more.

How You Know It’s Done

I don’t just rely on the timer. Just 5 min before the timer goes off, a toothpick in the centre should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs. The top should be a deep golden brown, and if you press it gently, it should spring back instead of leaving a dent.

When you tap the tin, it should sound slightly hollow, not dense or wet-sounding.

If the top is browning too fast but the centre isn’t done, loosely tent it with foil for the last 15 minutes.

Sit your banana loaf and let it cool

This is the part I still struggle with. Cutting into the loaf while it’s hot feels satisfying, but it’s a mistake — the crumb hasn’t finished setting, and you’ll end up with a slice that’s gummy in the middle instead of soft.

Save

I let mine sit in the tin for about 5 minutes, then cover with cling wrap to lock moisture. Once completely cooled, I then cut it.

If you’re baking it for the next day’s treat, it would be nice to cut it the next day.

How I prefer to eat mine

Fresh, it’s good on its own. But the next day is when I like it most — it’s still moist and fresh, and toasted with a bit of butter melting into it; that’s honestly my favourite way to have it.

It also freezes well — I slice it first, so I can pull out a piece at a time instead of defrosting the whole loaf.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

Save

Looking back at my first version of this recipe, the spice mix has grown on me the most — I started with just cinnamon and kept adding from there. Next time I might try adding a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans, just for texture. If you try that before I do, let me know how it turns out.

Banana Loaf Frequently Asked Questions

Thanks for staying this far

If you make this banana loaf, tag me — I like seeing how it turns out for other people.

• Instagram: @wandilebakes
• TikTok: @Wandilbakes
• YouTube: WandileBakes
• Pinterest: wandilebakes

And if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the original version of this recipe I posted a while back: My First Banana Loaf Recipe

Save

Save

Wandile

Amasi Banana Loaf Recipe

A moist, spiced banana loaf made with amasi (or buttermilk) for extra tang, and a warm mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Best the next day, toasted with butter. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 16 Slices

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: South African

Ingredients Equipment Method Video

Ingredients

  

• 3 ripe bananas room temp
• 3 large eggs room temp
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup amasi or buttermilk (room temp)
• 1/2 cup milk room temp
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Loaf tin (9×5 in)
• Wire cooling rack
• Toothpick or skewer
• Clingwrap
• Fork to mash bananas

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C (374°F), and grease and line your loaf tin.
2. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until mostly smooth.
3. Whisk in the eggs, brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract until roughly combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices.
5. Alternate adding the dry mix and wet ingredients stirring gently. Stop as soon as no flour streaks remain — don’t overmix.
6. Pour the batter into a greased and lined loaf tin. Bake at 190°C (374°F) for 45–50 minutes.
7. Insert a toothpick into the centre — it should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs. The top should be deep golden brown and spring back when pressed.
8. Let the loaf sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then wrap it with cling wrap to lock moisture.
9. Let it cool completely before slicing.
Use bananas that are properly spotty or almost black — underripe bananas won't give you the same sweetness or moisture.
Don't skip resting the loaf before slicing. Cutting in too early gives you a gummy centre, even if it's fully baked.

Video