How do you take something great - and make it better? Add chocolate chips, of course.
Total time to make : 75 minutes Time to prep : 15 minutes
Time to bake : ~ 60 minutes
Servings : 10 slices
Ingredients
250g (about 3 medium) ripe bananas, mashed
220g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
240g soft brown sugar
125g butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
Pinch of salt
200g milk chocolate chips, buttons, drops (see 'good to know', below) - I used 50% buttons and 50% chips
Method
Preheat a fan oven to 165C
Mash the 3 ripe bananas in a bowl and set aside. If you're using any large chocolate buttons or coins, roughly chop these and set aside too
Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together into a bowl
In a seperate large bowl, combine the wet ingredients by creaming the sugar and butter together until there are no lumps left and you have a smooth paste, then add in the eggs, one at a time until fully mixed and add the vanilla
Tip the dry ingredients in with the wet and 'fold' together until just combined, being careful not to over-mix
Finally, add in the mashed bananas and half (100g) of the chocolate you've chosen to use. If you're using a mix of buttons and chips, use the chopped buttons within the loaf here. Fold through evenly
Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin. Scatter over the remaining (100g) chocolate chips
Bake for around 1 hour, the loaf will be a golden brown and should nicely rise in the oven. It's ready when there's no 'wobble' in the middle and a toothpick or skewer comes out clean (with no wet mix) when inserted into the middle of the cake
Remove the loaf from the oven and wait for it to completely cool before slicing
Nutritional Information
(per slice)
409 calories
6g protein, 56g carbs, 16g fat
Good to know:
Chocolate 'chips' are made to withstand higher temperatures than a chocolate bar, this is done by adding stabilisers or more stable oils to them. Chocolate 'melts' contain more cocoa butter which allows them to melt and be re-shaped easier, similar with good quality chocolate bars. When baking with melted chocolate, it's best to use bars or melts. For bakes where you want to chips to hold shape (such as this loaf), use chips. I use a mix of melts/buttons (inside - for a softer chocolate) and chips (on top, more structured and doesn't melt into a mess in the oven). I think the contrasting sizes looks great too.
Check your baking powder is in date before using! The biggest reason for a loaf with no rise is often an in-active raising agent or over-mixing of the recipe
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, refrigerated for up to 1 week
Banana bread freezes really well. Once sliced and totally cooled, individually wrap each slice and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months