An indulgent chocolate and banana loaf using very ripe bananas for natural sweetness and studded with generous pockets of dark chocolate that melt into the sponge as it bakes. The result is a deeply moist, rich bread with a perfect balance of banana flavour and chocolate intensity.
Serve thick slices warm with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or enjoy it as an afternoon treat.
Adapted from the original recipe by Hakima, baker and recipe developer behind Sift With Kima, where she shares creative bakes and approachable recipes for the home kitchen.
CHOCOLATE BANANA LOAF
INGREDIENTS:
240 g plain flour
1 teaspoon bakng powder
½ teaspon bicabonate of soda
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon salt
150 g dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
85 g unsalted butter melted and cooled
350 g overripe mashed bananas
125 g dark brown sugar, packed
50 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
65 g sour cream or greek yogurt
55 g neutral oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
Grease and line a 2 litre ( 9 x 5 in ) loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, espresso powder, and salt and whisk together. Then add the chocolate chunks and mix to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add melted butter, mashed bananas, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk until all is completely incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients and fold using a spatula until just combined. Do not over mix your batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack of preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in airtight container.
Notes
Ripe bananas – If you don’t have any ripe bananas but want to make this recipe, bake bananas on a lined baking sheet at 180 C. for about 15 minutes until the peels are black. Let them cool, then peel and scoop out the bananas.
