Build a Better Banana Bread

A dollop of crème fraîche, an over-the-top Nutella frosting, a luscious tahini whipped cream: These recipes rescue banana bread from banality

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THE SENSIBLE shoe of sweets, banana bread rarely elicits excitement—at least not among those hoping for a real dessert. A makeover was a long time coming.

This quick bread-cum-cake gained traction during the Great Depression, when mass production made baking powder and baking soda more widely available. A vehicle for overripe fruit that would otherwise go to waste, banana bread became an emblem of economy, not indulgence. In the 1970s, a new generation of cooks, taking their cues and their recipe from Mollie Katzen’s “Moosewood...