Double Chocolate Banana Bread

My friend at work genuinely thought I’d reheated the slice of this loaf I shared with her because of how incredibly soft and moist the crumb was. The same friend is also a self-proclaimed banana hater, yet somehow found herself reaching for seconds. So, if you (or someone you know) tend to steer clear of anything banana-flavoured, consider this your perfect exposure therapy moment!

If you’re a novice baker, this is also a great recipe. It’s wonderfully forgiving, requires very little fuss, and delivers a loaf that looks and tastes far more impressive than the recipe would have you believe.

My favourite thing about this double chocolate banana bread, though, is that it isn’t overly sweet. I know I say that about a lot of recipes I share here, but hey, I do think that balancing indulgence is what I do best! The sweetness of the ripe bananas is balanced by the bittersweetness of the dark chocolate, giving you a rich, chocolatey loaf. I use Amul 55% Dark Chocolate for this recipe, but feel free to go darker if you prefer a more intense chocolate flavour.

One little baking tip: covering the loaf with foil midway through baking helps prevent the top from getting too dark before the centre is cooked through. That said, this recipe is forgiving enough that you can get away with skipping this step (here, I’m speaking from experience). 

Ingredients:

• 156g all-purpose flour 

• 41g unsweetened natural cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 130g chopped dark chocolate

• 113g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 150g granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 60g plain yogurt 

• 345g mashed bananas (around 4 medium ripe bananas)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 30ml hot water

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. 

2. Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan and then set it aside.

3. In a small bowl, peel and mash the bananas until no large chunks remain. Set the bowl aside. 

4. In a medium bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix together until combined. 

5. Add 115g of the chopped chocolate chunks. Toss the chocolate chunks with the flour mixture to coat it and then set the medium bowl aside.

6. In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat until light and creamy. 

7. Next, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If your mixture curdles, add some of the flour mixture and whisk well to combine. Curdling generally occurs if your ingredients are not at room temperature or if there is too much liquid from the eggs. The addition of flour helps stabilise the mixture.

8. Once combined, add in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.

9. Next, fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula until just combined.

10. Finally, pour in the hot water and fold until combined. The batter will be thick. Do not over-mix at this stage, or else your bread will be dense. 

11. Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chunks on top of the batter, down the center of the loaf.

12. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from drying out. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.

13. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin that is set over a wire rack for at least 1 to 2 hours.

14. This bread stays fresh for 4 days at room temperature or up to 1 week if refrigerated.