Marbled Sesame Banana Bread

Ingredients

Banana batter

300g mashed overripe banana
260g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt
115g melted unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar
50g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
60g sour cream or Greek yogurt

Black sesame swirl

80g unsweetened black sesame paste
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk

Topping

2 tbsp mixed black and white sesame seeds
optional 1 tsp demerara or turbinado sugar

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and parchment-line an 8½×4½ or 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Mash bananas; whisk in butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Fold in dry ingredients just until combined.
3. Move 1 cup of banana batter to a second bowl; stir in black sesame paste, powdered sugar and milk until dark and evenly mixed.
4. Alternate dollops of plain and black sesame batter in pan. Drag a skewer through in three or four figure-eight passes only, preserving distinct swirls.
5. Scatter mixed sesame seeds and optional coarse sugar over top. Bake 50–60 minutes until a skewer inserted in a plain section comes out clean or with moist crumbs; tent with foil if top browns too fast.
6. Cool 10–15 minutes in pan, lift out with parchment and cool fully on rack before slicing. Optionally toast thick slices in a skillet with salted butter.