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sliced chocolate banana bread on a surface

Chocolate Banana Bread

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  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Dark chocolate banana bread is rich, dense and full of delightful chocolate-banana flavor. Perfect for breakfast or snacktime!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 medium bananas, very ripe, divided
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted*
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips*
  • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place a parchment paper sling (see Notes) inside a nonstick 9×5-inch loaf pan. Spray bottom only with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash 3 bananas until as smooth as possible. Whisk in melted butter, then stir in brown sugar, egg and vanilla.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk or sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
  4. Pour and spread batter into prepared loaf pan. Slice remaining banana lengthwise into 3 even-size planks, then place on top of loaf; press down gently. Sprinkle with demerara sugar, if desired.
  5. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then use parchment paper sling to gently remove from pan. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
  6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or up to 1 week refrigerated.

Notes

  • *To make this banana bread dairy-free: Swap butter for melted coconut oil and use dairy-free chocolate chips (I love this brand!).
  • Do not swap the Dutch-process cocoa powder for regular unsweetened cocoa powder. You can read more about why and when it is important to use Dutch-process cocoa powder in the Notes portion of my Devil’s Food Cake recipe.
  • To make a parchment paper sling, cut one strip of parchment as long as the pan (in this case, 9 inches) and wide enough to hang over the longer edges of the pan on both sides by about 2 inches. Place strip inside loaf pan, then spray bottom only with cooking spray.
  • You know that funny “lip” some quick breads can get on the top edges? You can avoid the lip by spraying the bottom of the loaf pan ONLY — not the sides. Spraying the bottom + using the parchment sling will help you get the loaf out of the pan with ease, and there will be no lip!