Chocolate Banana Bread is one of the first baking recipes I learned when I started baking. It was so simple, delicious, and easy to make. The great thing about this recipe is the ingredients are common things to find in the kitchen (at least in our kitchen!). So whenever we have some very ripped bananas, we tend to make this banana bread.
Why is banana bread called bread?
Banana bread is called “bread” due to its shape. Most of the time it is baked in a loaf tin, and it is cut into slices when serving banana bread. Usually, banana bread is airy and moist, and it is not very dense, which resembles the texture of “bread”.
The other saying of why banana bread is called “bread” goes back to the history of Banana Bread. It is believed that during the Great Depression in the US back in around the 1930s, housewives try to save every food that they have – hence the overripe bananas. At the same time, it’s also the time when baking powder/baking soda becomes readily available. Bananas and baking powder/soda have turned into the popular banana bread that we are making today. This quick bread recipe is a good alternative to the usual bread recipe, as the typical bread recipes usually involve rising time, and this one does not.
Is banana bread actually cake?
Yes, the popular banana bread recipe nowadays is actually a loaf of cake. It is moist and sweet, it usually cuts into slices, which may look like toastbread. Although there are also some banana bread recipes that are really making bread with yeast.
What I like about banana bread is its versatility. Our favorite flavor is with chocolate, but you can also combine it with peanut butter, or nuts, or also make it with almond flour, yogurt, or even a vegan version! We also have Walnut Chocolate Banana Muffins and I’m sure we will have more banana bread recipes to come in the future!
Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 225 g All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 3 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder
- 3 Bananas very riped
- 125 mL Vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs
- 100 g Soft brown sugar
- 100 g Dark Chocolate
Instructions
Dry ingredients
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a bowl. Mix well.
Wet ingredients
- Mash the bananas.
- Add brown sugar, egg, and oil to the banana mash.
Combine and bake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line the baking tin with a baking sheet.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet one. Mix until just combined.
- Chop the chocolate roughly, add it to the batter.
- Put the batter into the baking tin.
- Bake for 40 mins. After 10 mins into baking, cut a straight line on the surface. (This will help the banana bread to crack beautifully.)
- To make sure it is baked properly, insert a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, it's ready!
