Dark Chocolate Banana Bread with a Hidden Secret
Banana bread is one of the ultimate comfort foods – feeling a bit like when you wrap yourself into a warm blanket on a cold night. So, how do you make that feeling of comfort even better? By adding dark chocolate to the mix! You’ll be buying extra bananas to make this bread instead of waiting until you have overripe ones to use up.
My Chocolate Banana Bread’s Hidden Secrets Revealed
But what’s even better about my Dark Chocolate Banana Bread recipe is the hidden secret. I’ve added grated carrots and zucchini to the mix. Only adding more to the flavor, they also help keep the bread nice and moist. Plus, you get an extra serving of veggies in without even noticing.
Now, if you’re a banana bread purist and want the recipe for a traditional one without the chocolate and extra veggies that are still out of this world delicious, click here.
The more overripe your bananas are, the sweeter they are because of the sugar concentration, AND carrots also add sweetness. As a result, I’ve cut back on the sugar in this recipe. Switching from granulated white sugar to light brown, this entire loaf only has 1/2 cup of brown sugar in it. If you use less than overripe bananas or cut the carrots, you might find that you need to add a bit more sugar.
Recommended Variations
I didn’t use nuts this time, BUT I plan to add walnuts in the next one because the crunchy texture and slightly bitter flavor will be perfect with the sweet earthy chocolate notes. If you’re not a walnut fan or don’t have any on hand, pecans or hazelnuts would also work nicely. Or even seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin.
I’ll also be switching half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour for a more healthy loaf. Taking the flour to total whole wheat will work but create a much denser banana bread than I like. I have not tested this loaf with gluten-free flour, but I believe Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Mix would easily substitute with equal measures while maintaining the flavor profile.
Saving Up Bananas
If you’re one of those people like me, who find themselves with one or two overripe bananas here and there, you can freeze the bananas until you have enough. Remove the outside peel and place in a Ziploc bag or container, and toss in the freezer. Defrosted, they mash up easily, although you will need to have one unfrozen one for the banana on top of this loaf.
Pairings
This recipe is a nice one for breakfast on the go or when you’re busy getting client work out of the way. Serve it up with a glass of milk, an excellent coffee, or tea. Or for dessert, as the hubby and I found out by accident, it pairs beautifully with a small glass of Moscatel de Setubal with cognac in it.🍷👏
Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 bananas 3 mashed + 1 whole – cut in half lengthwise
- 2 carrots grated
- 1 small zucchini grated
- 1 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk + small splash
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp 100% unsweetened dark chocolate cacoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp 4-spice baking spice
- ½ tsp caradomon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Butter or bit of olive for coating pan
- 2 tbsp raw sugar for top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F or 180C. Lightly coat a 9 inch loaf pan with butter or olive oil. Set aside until needed.
- In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients – eggs, olive oil, milk and vanilla extract. Beat lightly to combine, then add the sugar and mashed bananas, stirring together until combined.
- In a smaller bowl, sift the dry ingredients together – flour, chocolate, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Then add the grated carrots and zucchini, stirring to coat.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold only until ingredients are mixed together. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Cut the remaining banana in half, lengthwise and place gently on the top of the batter, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Put pan in the oven.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inerted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan. Do not slice until completely cool or it will mash the bread.
- Serve at room temp or cold. Store leftovers in the fridge.