What began as chocolate banana bread “turned into blackout cake,” said former staffer Molly Baz of this recipe, when she “decided to double down and use both cocoa powder and chopped chocolate.” When a dash of whole wheat flour made its way into the mix, the recipe strayed even further from BA’s Best Banana Bread. The addition was not an attempt at health, mind you. Instead, Molly says, “It brings out the nuttiness of the chocolate.” Well, okay.
Still, this double chocolate banana bread recipe is very delicious and very flexible: If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can substitute with more all-purpose. You can swap in dark chocolate chips or your favorite baking wafers for the chopped chocolate bars—and throw in an equal amount of toasted walnuts or pecans if you feel so moved. If you always have Greek yogurt on hand but never sour cream, that’s fine, says Molly, though you won’t quite achieve the moist crumb she was after. You could use natural cocoa, Dutch-process cocoa, or a combination. While the former offers a more robust chocolate flavor, the latter brings a darker, richer color (they also react differently to leavening agents, so don’t consider this carte blanche to use them interchangeably). You could also sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt if you’d like. One essential: You must use overripe bananas, so make this quick bread when you have a pile of spotty brown bananas on the counter or wait until they ripen.
The sliced banana garnish isn’t just “a thing of beauty,” notes Molly. The entire top of the cake (let’s face it, this fudgy chocolate-chocolate chip banana bread is a cake) gets a final sprinkling of demerara or raw sugar before hitting the oven. The sugar “melts and caramelizes and lacquers the banana” as it bakes. Essentially, the banana gets brûléed, intensifying that banana flavor and creating an intoxicating aroma. Could you skip this step too? Sure...but who would want to?
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 25 minutes plus cooling
Yield
Makes one 9x5" loaf
Ingredients
¾
½
⅓
1¼
¾
1
5
1
6
2
⅓
1
4
1
Preparation
Step 1
Plack rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides.
Step 2
Whisk ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (57 g) whole wheat flour, ⅓ cup (28 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1¼ tsp. baking soda, ¾ tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl to combine, 30 seconds; set aside. Mash 4 large very ripe bananas with a potato masher or fork in a small mixing bowl until smooth and reserve.
Step 3
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (238 g) light brown sugar and 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4–5 minutes. Add 2 large eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl if needed. Reduce speed to medium-low, add ⅓ cup sour cream, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and mashed bananas; beat until combined. The mixture may look grainy and broken at this point, but don’t fret! The wet ingredients will emulsify when the flour mixture is added.
Step 4
Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated (do not overmix or banana bread will become tough). Fold in 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
Step 5
Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Slice remaining banana lengthwise into 3 equally thick planks and place on top of cake, cut sides up. Sprinkle batter, as well as bananas, with 1 Tbsp. demerara sugar.
Step 6
Bake until a toothpick or tester inserted into the center comes out clean (there may be some melted chocolate residue left on the tester, which is fine), 65–75 minutes.
Step 7
Transfer pan to a wire rack and let banana bread cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift banana bread from pan and serve.
Do Ahead: Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months.
Editor’s note: This chocolate banana bread recipe was first printed in our January 2018 issue. Head this way for more of our best banana recipes→
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