Cinnamon Stripe Banana Bread

To make the banana bread:

1. Add the butter to a stainless steel saucepan, or one that has a light interior. This will make it easier to see when the butter has browned so that you don’t burn it. Set the saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Allow the butter to melt completely. After it has melted the milk solids will rise to the surface and form a “raft” of sorts. As the melted butter begins to bubble more vigorously, the milk solids will sink to the bottom and the butterfat will become more clear.
3. Continue occasionally stirring the butter and keep a very close watch over the milk solids at the bottom of the pan. Once they begin to turn a light brown color, keep stirring them for just a few more seconds and remove the saucepan from the heat when the melted butter is a medium golden brown. The butter should smell nutty.
4. Immediately pour the browned butter into a glass measuring cup or heatproof bowl and set aside to cool completely to room temperature. This should take about 4-5 hours at room temp, but you can speed things along by placing the butter in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
5. While the butter cools, prep for the remaining steps. Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper or butter the insides to make sure the loaf releases cleanly and doesn’t stick.
6. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
7. In another small bowl, stir together the cinnamon stripe ingredients and set aside.
8. Once the browned butter has reached a soft room temperature, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and add the butter to a large mixing bowl. The bowl should be large enough to hold all of the batter. Set aside.
9. Add the 3/4 cup brown sugar to the browned butter and use a hand mixer to cream on medium high speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should be lighter in color and slightly fluffy.
10. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the first egg. Beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and repeat for the second egg.
11. Scrape down the bowl and add the crème fraiche, banana and vanilla extract. Mix well. The batter will look a little broken, that’s okay.
12. Add the flour mixture and beat on LOW speed until just a few flour streaks remain. Use a spatula to gently fold in the flour streaks just until blended.
13. Add half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan and gently smooth the surface with a butter knife or small offset spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon/cocoa stripe mixture evenly over the batter and cover with the remaining batter. Smooth out the top.
14. Bake the loaf for 1 hour and 5 minutes. After removing it from the oven, let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes before inverting the loaf onto a cooling rack. Allow the banana bread to rest overnight and fully cool/set up.

To make the glaze and serve:

1. Combine all of the coffee glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and slice to serve.
2. Keep any leftovers in a sealed container/bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can refrigerate the banana bread for up to 10 days.