Choccy-Woccy what now? Yes, you head right… chocolate and bananas…

Some things in life are meant to be together; cinnamon and apple, cheese and wine, bananas and chocolate! I’m not usually one to follow convention but some things become ubiquitous for a reason - bananas and chocolate are one of those parings that are just meant to be! So why not put them in a cake? We all know everything tastes better in cake… well maybe not the cheese and wine! 

Chocolate Banana Bread

Prep - 15 mins 

Cook - 40 mins

Serves 8 to 10.

For the loaf -

150 g vegetable oil (coconut oil works too) plus extra to grease the tin

150 g light brown soft sugar 

200 g self-raising flour 

50 g cocoa powder

2 large free-range eggs, beaten 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp instant coffee granules (or 1 tsp of coffee extract/syrup)

3 VERY ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 tsp salt

100 g dark chocolate chips 

To decorate - 

50 g dark chocolate chips 

Method 

1 - 

Preheat your oven to 160degC fan.

Start by preparing your loaf tin. Butter and line the tin with baking paper / parchment and set it to one side. I used a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin for this recipe. This is a good time to mash the bananas with a fork until smooth.  

2 - 

Begin mixing the oil together with the sugar, vanilla and coffee, stirring to combine. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder. 

3 - 

To your dry ingredients from step 2, add the oil and sugar mixture, eggs Bananas and chocolate chips. Fold the mixture until combined; be careful not to over mix. 

4 - 

Pour the mix into your prepared loaf tin, top with the remaining chocolate chips and bake it in a 160degC fan oven for 30 to 40 mins, or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. If you notice the top rising and cracking turn down the oven to 150degC and cover gently with tin foil until it is fully cooked through, be sure not to over bake. Once baked, leave your cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely. You can bake the loaf a day or two in advance and store it in an air tight container. 

5 - 

Slice, serve and enjoy! 

Store your cake in a cool place and in an airtight container. It will keep for 3 to 4 days.

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Be sure to resist the temptation to open the oven door too early in the cooking process. Wait 20 mins before checking or use your phone torch to look through the glass of the oven to see. If you open the door too early, this can cause the cake to sink in the middle. 

• If you want to bake your loaf but your bananas are not fully ripe, you can wrap them in foil and bake them in a moderate oven (150 to 180degC) until the skins are completely back. Let them cool completely and then you can use them to bake with. You can of course use bananas that are not over ripe - this will just lead to a less sweet and less strongly banana flavour in your final cake. 

• Chocolate cakes can tend to be dry, hence why in this recipe I have added more liquid ingredients, this will result in a wetter batter and so will need a longer baking time at a lower temperature. But this will also mean it can be easy to over bake, so be sure to check regularly with a toothpick / cake tester to ensure its baked, as the colour is not an indicator.