One Bowl Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate
know what you’re thinking...but technically, banana bread is more of a cake than a bread. Nevertheless, this is one of my ultimate bake recipes! I have served it for years at breakfast events, and when I used to be Stormzy’s private chef, he loved it ;) Adding dark chocolate just takes it to a whole new level.
Save this for the weekend and let me know what you think. Lots of love + cake!
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
110g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
225g muscovado sugar
100g ground almonds
90g spelt flour
Small pinch of sea salt
1/2 (level) tsp baking powder
1/2 (level) tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 (level) tsp cinnamon powder
350g ripe bananas (roughly 3-4)
85g buttermilk (or milk with a few drops of lemon juice, or plain yoghurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium free-range eggs
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
Instructions:
Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F) on the fan setting. Grease and line a standard loaf tin (21cm long, 11cm wide, and 7cm high) with baking parchment.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and muscovado sugar. Beat together with a hand whisk until light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes.
Combine Dry Ingredients: Beat in one egg, followed by the ground almonds, spelt flour, sea salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and cinnamon powder. Crack in the second egg and beat again. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, resulting in a light brown batter.
Add Wet Ingredients: Pour in the buttermilk (or alternative), vanilla extract, and crumble in the bananas in pieces. Beat the mixture lightly together—it should be a little lumpy and textured.
Add Chocolate and Finish Batter: Stir through the roughly chopped dark chocolate. Be careful not to overwork the batter to maintain a good texture.
Bake the Banana Bread: Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and place it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. If the top is looking a little dark, cover with tin foil and continue baking for another 45 minutes. I know it’s a while, but it needs it!
Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and gently prise the banana bread out of the tin. Leave it to cool for 5-10 minutes before eating. Dust with a little cinnamon powder for extra flavour.
Enjoy and Store:
This Banana Bread keeps well for up to 4 days. Enjoy a slice with a cup of tea or coffee, or serve it as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Try It and Share!
This recipe is not just delicious but also easy to whip up. Perfectly moist with the richness of dark chocolate and a hint of cinnamon, it’s bound to become a favourite. Let me know if you give it a try!