Chocolate banana bread

It’s Sunday night and what is your plan?

My plan is to bake chocolate banana bread tonight.  Take it to work tomorrow.  Receive accolades from co-workers for the remainder of the week.  Yeh! 

This chocolate banana bread is dark, moist, rich and tender…..just the way I like ‘em!!!

Chocolate banana bread

3 large ripe bananas mashed, about 310g

75g (1/3 cup) melted butter

150g (¾ cup) light brown sugar

1 large egg, approximately 50g, beaten

112g (½ cup) crème fraiche or sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

155g (1 ¼ cup) all purpose flour

23g (¼ cup cup) natural unsweetened cocoa powder*

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional

¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

85g (½ cup) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven 175C/350F. 

Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add the mashed bananas and stir in the melted butter.  Add the sugar and mix well.  Stir in the beaten egg, crème fraiche and vanilla extract.  

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt and baking soda. 

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and gently combine.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Do not over mix.  Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until the bread springs back to touch.

Remove from the oven and allow bread to rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes.  Invert the loaf pan onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

*Do not use Dutch processed cocoa.  Believe me it will not work in this recipe!