Double Chocolate Banana Bread
This Double Chocolate banana bread is the best of both worlds with a chocolate banana bread base, chocolate chips, and an optional chocolate ganache on top.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- 1 9" x 5" metal loaf pan
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 45 grams cocoa powder 100% natural
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 6 tablespoons hot water
- 120 grams salted butter melted
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 grams dark brown sugar
- 350 grams bananas approximately 3, ripe spotty bananas
- 2 eggs large, room temperature
- 100 grams full fat greek yogurt
- 200 grams all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Add-Ins
- 1 banana chopped
- 200 grams chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache
- 114 grams 60% chocolate
- 120 grams heavy cream
Instructions
Banana Bread Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder and hot water into a small bowl and stir together until smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl add in the melted butter, brown sugar, bloomed cocoa powder and espresso powder, salt, and vanilla. Whisk briefly until smooth.
- Add in the 3 soft bananas (should be approximately 350 grams), use the whisk to smoosh them into the butter and sugar. Crack in both eggs and add in the greek yogurt. Whisk again briefly just until smooth.
- Pour in the flour and then the baking soda on top and give it a brief whisk just to incorporate the baking soda. There should still be plenty of dry flour visible on the surface.
- Peel and chop the last banana into 1/2" chunks. Add the chocolate chips and banana chunks on top of the flour.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients and add-ins into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Bake
- If using this USA pan, pour the batter straight into the pan. If using a different metal loaf pan, prep the pan with a baking spray including flour or parchment paper.
- Bake the loaf on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top is firm when gently pressed on.
- Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for 45 minutes to an hour.
- After it feels cool to the touch, tip the loaf out of the pan and set on a parchment lined wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes before topping with the chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
- If topping with chocolate ganache, add the chopped chocolate into a medium heat safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a pot or the microwave until just steaming hot, not boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, cover with a lid and let it sit for 1 minute. After a minute has passed, remove the lid and whisk slowly until smooth.
- Pour the smooth ganache over the top of the cooled loaf and if you can, let it set. But also feel free to cut into it immediately.
- Store leftover in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Tips for making Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- The perfect bananas for banana bread are brown and spotty but not completely brown and mushy. If they are too ripe you'll have a somewhat alcoholic tasting bread that has too much moisture in it because the bananas will have broken down too far.
- In case your bananas aren't quite ripe and spotty, I recommend roasting them in the oven on a lined baking sheet at 350 F for 15-30 minutes until black and soft. Allow them to cool before using for the bread.
- No matter the brand be sugar to bake the loaf in a metal loaf pan, not a glass or ceramic dish. The bread will have a difficult time baking all the way through in glass or ceramic.
- If you want to add nuts to this banana bread, go for it! I recommend using walnuts or pecans, just be sure to toast them in a pan over medium heat first to enhance their flavor. Use 150-200 grams of roughly chopped, toasted, nuts if adding them into the bread.
- Don't over mix the batter. Banana bread can easily become tough or get too airy if over mixed so be sure to mix the dry ingredients only until just combined.
- I used my favorite 9"x5" medium loaf pan from USA pan because the light ridged metal gives it an even, tall, bake and has a non stick surface. A small 8" x 4.5" loaf pan will work too but you'll have a bit of leftover batter that you need to bake in a muffin tin or a small cake pan. If using a different brand of pan, be sure to spray the pan with a baking spray that includes flour or line the pan with parchment paper (or both).
- The chocolate ganache topping is optional, if you'd rather you can also top it with chocolate chips before baking or just leave it plain!
- Don't underbake this banana loaf. The bread should be firm to the touch when you take it out of the oven.
- Make sure to let the cake cool for 45 min - 1hour before tipping it out. If you try to flip it out too soon, it will fall apart.