I have a theory that Mondays are for repentance, for undoing whatever damages to your liver, psyche or saddlebags you’ve done over the weekend. They’re for getting back on the gym horse, resuming those eight daily glasses of water, and going to bed early. They’re for kale salad; they are not for chocolate cake. But, guys, those bananas that are one day from fruit flies are not going to eat themselves, and they must be addressed, which brings us to this.
I joked earlier this year that I had a new mantra to address all future cooking indecisions: WWAE (What Would Alex Eat?), because my husband rarely chooses wrong. Thus far, it’s had spectacular effects: hazelnut-nutella linzer hearts, a chocolate-peanut butter cheesecake, and a dijon and cognac beef stew. (Don’t worry; my interests haven’t been fully occluded, see also: fennel and blood orange salad and stuck-pot rice — you know I can hear you snoring, right? — oh, right, and morning bread pudding with salted caramel.) And for years, he’s been angling me to put chocolate in my banana bread. “But why?” I’d demand to know. “Banana bread is perfect the way it is. Can’t there be one dessert that’s not improved by the addition of chocolate?”
Well, Alex: 1, Deb: 0 on this one too because it’s so good, I’ve made it three times in the past week. Three. That would be .42 loaves a day, had I not offloaded half-cakes with everyone that I could. The first one was ostensibly for testing, but, guys, it was pretty much perfect. I made the second one for tweaking, and, indeed, the small change I’d made did improve it so perhaps it was justified. But the third one, well, I made that one because the second one was gone and we were sad. This cake is like that. It’s just about a one-bowl cake, requires no special equipment and can be made with stuff you already have around; there’s basically no reason it cannot be out of the oven in the next 75 minutes. I mean, unless you’re repenting or something boring like that, in which case, here’s a kale-quinoa salad. And now you can have this for dessert.
Three years ago: Sally Lunn Bread + Honeyed Brown Butter Spread
Four years ago: Thick, Chewy Granola Bars and Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Five years ago: Red Kidney Bean Curry, Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Soft Pretzels and The Little Owl’s Meatball Sliders
Six years ago: Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges and Rhubarb Big Crumb Coffee Cake
Seven years ago: Strawberry Rhubarb and Pecan Loaf
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, melted
3/4 cup (145 grams) brown sugar (I use dark here; either light or dark work)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional; I skip it)
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup (about 6 ounces or 170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray.
Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. (You’ll have a little over 1 cup mashed banana total.) Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. (My cocoa is almost always lumpy, so this is essential for me.) Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. (A melted chocolate chip smear is expected, however.) Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. I keep mine wrapped in foil. It goes without saying that it has never actually lasted that long.
Is the oven temp really supposed to be 250, or is that a typo?
No, it should be 350. Now fixed, thanks.
I loved this recipe! I used vegan butter and reduced the brown sugar to 1/2 c, and it came out delish! I also baked the loaves in mini pans for 30 minutes, turning halfway through, which was just the right amount of time.
Ive made this for years. I make it in muffins and reduce cook time for 20 minutes. The family, including my anti fruit and vegetable son, gobbles it up!
I just made your jacked up banana bread Friday and was thinking it needed chocolate! Do you mean 250 or 350 degrees for the oven?
This is killing me! I have a bunch of over ripe bananas taunting me from the counter right now. Plus, my boyfriend loves banana bread. Decisions, decisions..
I made this about 6 months ago, twice, and we loved it! I just made it again — it’s in the oven right now. If I have the time when the bananas are too ripe to eat, but not spoiled, and IF I have enough of them…this is my “go to” recipe to use them up! It’s delicious! Even bananas-haters like this recipe.😁👍
This makes me sad that I do not have any bananas. I cannot wait to bake this!
You can make bananas ready whenever you want with this handy trick :)
http://www.thekitchn.com/can-you-quickly-ripen-bananas-in-the-oven-for-lastminute-banana-bread-putting-tips-to-the-test-in-the-kitchn-201764
And I’m ALWAYS throwing baggies of three (almost all banana bread recipes use three) soft, old, peeled bananas in the freezer for future escapades.
Don’t peel them and just throw the whole banana in the freezer. The peel naturally protects and you save both money and the environment by reducing use of baggies.
I’ve found that peeling a frozen banana is high on the list of aggravating kitchen tasks, though – perhaps if you’re thawing them anyway, it works out, but in case you wish to use them frozen, just peel and store in a reusable container.
Calling it a bread is an insult to it — and bread! This looks insanely delicious and chocolatey. I’m not surprised you keep giving it away; I’d do the same!
I’m glad to see the cinnamon is optional. I don’t like cinnamon in my chocolate and the one banana bread I made that did have cinnamon didn’t work for me. I love cinnamon, but it just doesn’t work as well in certain baked goods. I will definitely have to make this during the week with my rotting bananas.
So good! We basically ate the whole thing while it was still hot. I wish I had made 2! Cut the sugar down to 1/4 and that was plenty sweet for our fam. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!
I have this over whelming urge to make this, but with a healthy dose of dark rum added for good measure. I’m sure the recipe is amazing as is, but I can not get the banana-rum-chocolate combination out of my head. I actually just bought millet for your crackly banana bread yesterday, but it’s getting bumped in favor of chocolate.
I want this now. Unfortunately, I am at work, but I have three overripe bananas at home calling my name. *cough cough*…Don’t I feel the tiniest bit sick? Maybe I should go home!
I think this would be SO GOOD toasted, with butter spread on top!
It just so happens that I have some bananas ready to roll for this recipe. I just need to pick up some chocolate!!! Playing around with banana bread recipes is so much fun! Last week I made it with pecans and candied ginger! Your posts always inspire me to try new things in the kitchen. Thanks Deb!
Oh dear God. Not repenting, but on a bloody fast day. Will make tonight, the smell will probably kill me, but will have for breakfast ;-)
This is happening TONIGHT! Thank you!
I’m off to buy bananas. And then wait. Torture.
My jaw automatically dropped upon reading the title of the recipe… it’s exactly what I’ve been needing! It’s an unusual circumstance that I have all the ingredients for this in my home right this minute! However, I don’t own a loaf pan yet. Do you have any specific temp/baking time changes you’d make if I did this in a muffin pan? Thank you so much!
Why Dutch process cocoa if we are using baking soda? Why not natural cocoa? Thanks!
Might add some hazelnuts. This looks so amazing; running to my kitchen NOW!
This looks insanely good… lucky me I don’t have bananas at home (yes, repentance Monday). Anyway, this will be next baking project for the week :)
Also, I wanted to tell you I translated into spanish and shared your Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake in my blog. Everybody should try that recipe!
http://amasakapaka.blogspot.com/2014/03/bizcocho-de-naranja-sanguina.html
what?? chocolate banana bread??
what??
oh no… But it’s nearly bikini season!
:D
Lately, we have have chowing banana bread like no one’s business. You just took it to a whole new level.
Why are all my bananas green?!?!!!! Hmmm, I wonder if I can convince friends to donate ripe bananas to this cause. Looks amazing.
Yum! I have been making my banana bread with Nutella for years. I could add it to this for a triple chocolate banana bread!
I am intrigued, but I have loved your jacked version for years and any banana bread that does not contain bourbon has me automatically skeptical.
You truly are the answer to food prayers! : ) I am pretty devoted to Molly’s (@ Orangette) banana bread w/ chocolate – the recipe I found in her book. And as I think everything is better with more chocolate, I’ve been wanting to make it a chocolate-chocolate banana bread. Now I’ve got a recipe. It looks amazing!
I LOVE your jacked-up banana bread and make it all the time – with requests very often from the guys at the gym ;-) Would this recipe benefit from the addition of alcohol? Maybe not bourbon, but rum? If I were to try, would I need to alter anything in the recipe to account for the added liquid? Thank you!!
This looks insanely delicious. I must pace myself however. On Thursday, I made your yummy Jacked Up Banana Bread and practically ate the entire loaf!
Geez this looks beautifully chocolate amazing! I have so many bananas for my smoothies but I think I can set a few aside for this!
This looks INSANE! Love it.
I need to find myself some stinky bananas now. may not be a fan of quick bake banana breads but choc loaf cake is one of those things I can not resist. Your husband should definitely go in to the recipe making business; he has great taste!
Ha! I was planning on making just plain ‘ol banana bread tonight.
I have a cupboard full of cocoa and way too many chocolate chips I need to unload.
My family thanks you in advance!
I always have over-ripe bananas around and made your Jacked Up Banana Bread (sans alcohol) so often over the past couple months that I almost have the recipe memorized, lol. This will be a nice change-up, especially for my two chocolate fiends at home! :)
I will try this. Having so much fun w/ your blog Deb and your cookbook. I have been making many of your recipes, but don’t always comment. Gave your cookbook as gifts for Christmas, and I just love hearing back from friends when they make a recipe from it, and and express their gratefulness for such solid recipes. If one of your goals with this blog was to contribute to a cooking community and revitalize the art of home cooking/baking, I think you are doing it.
This looks redonkulously delicious. YUM!!!
First, once again, THANK YOU, though your previous banana bread is hard to beat. Second, will this work as muffins?
Why no weight for the cocoa powder? It’s one of my least favorite things to try to measure with volume.
this.
sounds.
AWESOME!
union republic in jersey city is a new restaurant that doesn’t have a dessert “menu” but has banana bread chocolate bread pudding, and I’ve been dying to try making it at home. maybe i’ll make this, eat half, then make bread pudding with the rest…. decadence on top of decadence.
We are the worst banana people! I buy them swearing I will use them in my daily fruit smoothie only to have 2, sometimes 3 left over (maybe I should say we’re the worst smoothie people?). I make banana bread most of the time with those left-outs, but usually end up chucking half the loaf because husband wants choc chips in it and son won’t eat it with the chocolate in it. I, on the other hand have been puzzling over a chocolate banana bread ever since your chocolate loaf bread was featured, but never could pull the trigger on adding the banana. I knew if I waited long enough, Alex would bully you into it! Thank you Alex!
Make it in muffin tins. You can scoop out some batter for plain banana bread and then add choc chips to the rest of the batter.
OMG…this is absolutely gorgeous! quick question: how important is the Dutch-process cocoa? I have everything at home except that one…can i use the natural cocoa powder? Thanks Deb :)
Can I use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch princess? It’s all I could find at the store.
I haven’t but others who have commented have. It sounds like it comes out fine, or possibly a tad more dense. Nobody seems to mind.
“…unless you’re repenting or something boring like that..” You crack me up, Deb!
And did you know that yours was the first cooking blog I ever started reading? I love cooking, and especially baking, always have and there are many fine european cake recipes, but your chocolate peanut butter cake, was my first “american style” cake I made, and I was never the same again :)
I am your fan, you are a great cook and a great writer.
p.s. your book is amazing too.
Looks fabulous! Did you know that your page has mobile pop-up adds? By the way, the brownie roll-out cookies from your cookbook make awesome hamentaschen dough. Mine had peanut butter- chocolate filling.
Mmmmmm double chocolate anything sounds delicious, and banana bread is always a favorite at my place.
Are you and Jenny conspiring to make me stop actually working from home on this snowy day in DC? Seriously – you two plus those overripe bananas on my counter are up to no good.
I can’t wait to try this. I’m a little nervous about displaying this much chocolatey goodness to a 2.5 year old who can now reach the counter to help himself to whatever he wants, but I may have to take that risk.
Can you use frozen bananas in this recipe? Whenever we have overripe bananas and I don’t have time to make banana bread, I freeze them so they don’t go to waste.
Mmmm… I was planning on making chocolate chip banana bread tonight anyway, so I’m definitely going to try this! I love that it uses melted butter because I never remember to leave butter out early enough to soften for recipes ;-)
My kids used to beg their grandmother to put chocolate chips when she made banana bread, much to my dismay until I tasted it. Sold! But this recipe of your’s looks even more fabulous.
My blog is in danger of just becoming “Allie & Deb”, a la “Julie & Julia” because I am constantly just wanting to make your recipes! Damn youuu, slash I love you. This recipe has just been added to my growing list.
I’m purposely in search of brown bananas for this!
I happen to agree with your husband. There aren’t many desserts that cannot be improved by the addition of chocolate. We’ve been making a very similar double chocolate banana bread for years and love it. We tend to like the inclusion of the cinnamon; it gives it a Mexican chocolate flare.
If you don’t have over-ripe bananas handy you can always use jarred baby food bananas! Always ripe, already peeled and mashed.
Could I substitute the butter for greek yogurt or apple sauce?
I just want this recipe forever and for always – so yummy!
I swear this morning I was wondering if cocoa powder would be a good addition to the cracklin’ banana bread. And I found 4 partial bags of chocolate chunks in my baking cabinet (kids…). But I didn’t do it and now I have 2 plain loaves frowning at me! Next time=yes!
I have been craving chocolate bread. Not banana bread. Chocolate bread. There used to be a bakery in my hometown that sold “healthy” chocolate bread. SO good. So chocolate banana bread?! YES PLEASE and THANK YOU!
Just got home from work…this is going in the oven in about 5 minutes!!
Looks sinful…but so good!
That’s hilarious that you just posted this, as I made your jacked up banana bread this weekend! It took every ounce of my being to not throw in chocolate chunks (and maybe regretted it heh). It is so good though! I know that I’ll probably make this banana bread next, whenever I may be graced with almost too ripe bananas!
I love how much of a chocoholic your husband is. This looks sinfully chocolaty! I have to say I’d be tempted to add peanut butter in here as well, yummmm.
Deb, could I eliminate the butter in this recipe? If so, would you recommend replacing it with something else? :) Can’t wait to make this!
Chocolate in banana bread is a very good idea. I often add some pistachios to mine too – they give it a very lovely crunch.
I appreciate banana breads that have more banana than flour :) Definitely going to give this a try while my husband’s away this week – I usually try to sneak mini chocolate chips into mine but he doesn’t appreciate them! I think the kids and I can polish this off before he comes home to the travesty of *double* chocolate banana bread…
Wow. Just Wow.
Holy Double Chocolately Banana goodness Batman! This bread just sounds awesome! I actually made 2 banana breads last week just messing around, found them on pinterest and they were total fails. How can you go wrong with chocolate though. Totally trying this one next! YUM, pinned!
PS What happened one year ago? Two?! I love being reminded of old favourites :) Plus my tastes are growing up along with me so I’m open to more recipes than I used to be. By the way, I’ve made your cheddar breakfast swirls so many times, and every time I get asked for the recipe. There’s been a lot of advertisting for your cookbook happening in my neck of the woods ;)
We are overrun with hamentaschen and really have no excuse for baking right now BUT we also have overripe bananas! I’m guessing this freezes well?
Super ripe banana tip: last time I needed to make a banana bread on short notice, I asked the supermarket produce guy if they had any brown bananas and he gave me the no-longer-suitable-for-the-shelf, super ripe ones they had in back, that he was going to compost….FOR FREE! It’s worth asking if they have any ripe ones!
I made this as soon as the link came across my newsfeed. ABSOLUTELY one ofthe BEST things I’ve ever baked! I didn’t skip the cinnamon and I used all bittersweet choc chips….and for extra decadence, I sprinkled (lightly) coarse sea salt on top before baking. Perfect pair with a latte!
Mmmmmm this looks incredible. I adore banana bread! :)
Your jacked-up banana bread is my go-to banana bread recipe, and I always brown the butter. I know you tend to favor browning butter when you melt it (because, why not?), but is it worth the effort here? Or would the chocolate just overwhelm the flavor?
Alesia, re, browning butter — I do love browned butter, however, I tend not to like the flavor as much against chocolate. I feel like it gets a little lost and at best is a little tiny bit clashy. But no harm if you definitely want that flavor here.
Amy — It got all out of sync! See, I was much busier one and two years ago vs. four, five, six, etc. so there are weeks without any posts… It will even out by April.
Lindsay, Natalie, re, replacing the butter — You could use coconut oil, olive oil (if you like it with chocolate and banana) or another neutral cooking oil.
Nicole — I wouldn’t add it, but you could swap out up to 1/3 of the total flour with cocoa.
Allie — :)
Andrea — I don’t see why not. Just maybe defrost them first.
Clare — Yes, you should totally go home and make this. I would totally write fake notes to bosses if I could get away with it. :) (“Sorry, Clare has to leave early today, she’s got a mad case of the Gotta Bakes…”)
Elisheva — No I did not. Sorry about that; it sounds really annoying. Will look into it.
Amrita, re, using non-Dutched cocoa — It’s tricky to get the rise right with nautural or non-Dutch process cocoa; you’ll probably be okay but it’s possible that it will rise too much (and then sink) because natural cocoas are more sensitive to baking soda than Dutched ones are. You can read more here.
Alison — Actually, pathetically, it’s because I keep my standard weights on a Google Spreadsheet and it kept crashing on me earlier and then I gave up. However, I have trouble getting an even read on it because brands can vary. My half-cups are usually between 42 and 50 grams. I use Valrhona cocoa.
Tucker — Thank you.
God I regret using the last of my dying old bananas to make pancake mixture last night.
This looks awesome….looks like chocolate banana bread is going to be made in my kitchen this week.
your jacked up banana bread is already a staple in our home. i always add chopped dark chocolate to it and sometimes throw in some walnuts or pecans as well. this takes it to another level and i am excited to try it! yum.
What is Dutch-process cocoa?
I find it a cruel twist of fate that this was posted a day after I made by banana bread to use up some too-ripe bananas!
The pictures look like a delicious double-chocolate zucchini bread from the King Arthur Flour website.
Oh my god, thank you. I try so hard to be good every Monday…but also, sometimes Mondays need chocolate. And bananas.
I’ll be over there in the corner trying to figure out how to cram peanut butter into this somehow. Peanut butter baking chips, maybe? And swap out some of the flour with cocoa to keep it super-chocolaty? Hmmm.
I admittedly always put chocolate chips in my banana bread because, why not, right? This is taking it to the next level. Can’t wait to try it!
had exactly three spotty bananas this morning so right now…. this is in the oven!
So my sister in law makes banana bread with chocolate chips in it and it’s honestly one of my favorite things to eat, EVER. Buuuut, I don’t know now! This looks like it may take the cake [pun intended]. ;)
For regular banana bread, do you use the old recipe on your site, or have you found a better one?
Like Andrea, I always tuck my nasty old bananas in the freezer, and when I have 3, it’s banana bread time. I defrost them – they get nastier – but it makes no difference in the finished product. I am making this tonight!
We are having a fundraising bake sale for a friend next Monday, this will be one of my donations. Looks delicious!
GRRRR my son read where if you put tin foil on the tops of the bananas they won’t over ripen -and then tried it. SADLY IT WORKS! I’m going to have to just get rid of that foil and when asked say “HUH – what’cha talking about son?!”. I NEED THIS CAKE IN MY LIFE STAT!
OMG, chocolate, banana and RUM? OK, I’m with Deanna on this one.
After this SXSW weekend I’m going to need a lot of repentance and kale!
This looks amazing. I’ve enjoyed your jacked-up banana bread recipe for quite some time, and I always add chocolate chunks. Looking forward to trying this out!
Chocolate banana bread is the best! This looks gorgeous, Deb! Pinned
Oh No!!!!!!! I gave up chocolate for Lent!! 34 days till I can make this! Looks yummy!
This just came out of the oven, it smells amazing! We’re going to take it to playgroup tomorrow because my hubs doesn’t. Like. Chocolate. (I’m not sure where I found him…)
Oh wow that looks delicious! I can’t wait to try this.
Deb, This looks amazing! I’m glad that Alex was right on this one too, even if it makes another point for him. And…when did Jacob get SO BIG?! He is so cute. Loved this post (as usual).
If I didn’t have leftover triple chocolate mousse cake in my refrigerator, I would be making this today. Sadly, it will have to wait until I have finished off the other cake and I can properly enjoy it. Like maybe tomorrow…
Did you consider a little cayanne for some heat? I love it in chocolate cookies. Do you think it would work with the bananas?
I have a similar recipe that came out of one of the previous years’ Costco cookbook. I adore it! It has a bit more salt than is usual in a cake – 1 tsp, I think. It makes for a really unique flavor. I’ve had nothing but raves!
For those who bake gluten-free: do you think this recipe would work well with King Arthur Flour’s multi-purpose gluten-free blend? Would you add xanthan gum? I don’t eat gluten-free myself but would like to bake this for a friend with celiac disease. I have the gluten-free ingredients but am not (yet) practiced at adapting recipes. Thank you for any tips.
i need to make this, now! looks SO good, thanks for sharing!
xo, cheyenne
This is lovely. Gonna make this in the coming weekend. Thanks heaps !!!
My husband *just* said to me, “So, are you ever doing anything with these black bananas in the fridge?” I just hope they’re not too far gone because this recipe is too tempting not to try! There are never enough banana bread recipes in the world, though of course I love your jacked-up recipe.
I have your cookbook. Where is jacked up banana bread?
Boy am I glad I didn’t have time to make a “regular” Banana Bread ( even my Grandmother’s recipe) over the weekend. Yummers, this one is going to be happening tonight! Why do so many of us have the danged bananas all ready to go I wonder???? Accidentally on purpose?
This is cooling right now and it looks and smells awesome… the kids are excited, I am excited. Wondering if we need to wait until breakfast to try it or can manage it as a bedtime snack.
Hi Deb, your Everyday Chocolate Cake is one of my favorite quick cakes, but I see this one moving on in. My husband just eats too many bananas..I have to hide them if I want them to ripen for banana bread!
I noticed that bag of Scharfenberger chocolate chunks on your counter. I just saw them in Fairway, and wondered how good they were, and if they were worth the money for a one cup bag.. I suspect that they are..yes..no..???
Mondays are the worst; a total day to start over. I made cookies today! Love the idea of double chocolate banana bread.
I saw this recipe today on Facebook and just had to make it when I got home from work! I substituted 1/3 cup of canola oil for the melted butter to cut down on the fat content and used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips and omitted the cinnamon. This bread is delicious & decadent! Will definitely make again!!!
This looks fantastic! And I bet the chocolate/banana mixture smells like heaven while it’s baking!
Is it ok to use white chocolate chips? I don’t have any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips. :( Thank you!
Mondays are the worst. Solution: Make more banana bread. Add chocolate!
Oh my gosh, this just looks so good! So much chocolate — perfection!
Hello beautiful.
I’ve put chocolate chips in my banana bread, but never cocoa powder! Absolutely brilliant, Deb. Can’t believe I haven’t tried this yet!
Where do you find valrhona cocoa? I used to be able to get it at Cost Plus. I haven’t seen it for years. And scharffen berger chocolate chunks? Yummmmm. Surely peanut butter has a place with this bread. Maybe just as a topping?
I hope I’m not repeating a comment but if your bananas are green you can bake them in a 170 degree oven for about an hour. They turn all black and nasty looking but it seems to ripen them both in taste and texture and even sweetens them up. They are good to go after they cool for banana bread or cake. As a lover of greenish bananas (I think I’m in the minority here) this is how I get bananas for cake.
Oh man does this look good!
Sometimes bananas get too ripe & I can’t use them. I have (I am not kidding) a cache of overripe bananas in my freezer. I’m like a squirrel, but with fruit. I’m maybe a little too excited that I have emergency ripe bananas on hand for when this banana bread needs to happen.
Deb, this is really yummy! I just had my first bite and it’s still a bit warm…with milk…oh my my my. I used regular old Hershey’s cocoa and it turned out great! I can’t wait to have it with coffee for breakfast in the morning…because it has bananas in it, duh. Thanks for all you do to give us fantastic recipes.
Recently I made a recipe (I actually can’t remember which one it was, sorry) and my friend tasted it, complimented it, asked where I got the recipe…then immediately said, “oh wait. let me guess. smitten kitchen.” boom. :)
Perfect timing, I had some bananas on their last leg. However I think only half the batter made it in the oven! Haha! If the end result is as good as the batter then there will be none left to share!
Trying my question again in fewer words~ c: Do you have any temperature/baking length suggestions if I made this in a muffin pan instead of a loaf? I don’t know if this is possible to convert, but thank you so much either way!
Made this immediately when I got home from work. It was super easy (one bowl! no mixer!) and I just had a slice with tea for dessert. I used frozen bananas and I swapped 1/4 cup of flour for spelt flour. It rose maybe a bit less than yours in the pictures, but it is seriously delicious. What a great easy treat recipe, thanks!
This looks sooo good, can’t wait to try it!
My, my Deb,
This looks divine, and I love Banana bread, and Zucchini bread too, though this recipe when baked almost could pass for fudge, if it were not in a loaf shape. :-)
I may have to try this one.
Just made this and had the first piece. You weren’t kidding. This is spectacular!
Would have loved a little bit more about how this tastes? More chocolate, less banana? Do you get both flavors clearly? I sometimes add chocolate chips to my banana cakes, but never thought of adding cocoa, too.
I was going to try and rope the kids into baking soda bread or something Irish-y for St. Patrick’s Day. Then I saw this. And wow. Really easy and absolutely delicious. The local store only had non-Dutched cocoa, still turned out fine and rose a decent amount. Very tender, very chocolatey (more chocolate than banana, I’d say, but that’s not a problem). I like the addition of cinnamon – you don’t taste it directly but it adds a bit of depth.
I almost always pass on banana bread recipes because I already have the perfect banana bread recipe but this looks so good I might just have to try it.
To Deb, a question. I make banana bread weekly and our recipes are nearly identical however I include 1/4 cup whole milk which I acidify with either 1 tablespoon vinegar or I use a 1/4 tsp tartaric acid or real buttermilk. I always thought the bicarbonate of soda needed an acid to work against? You have no acidifier in your recipe. Why does it work? Or would it work better with the milk and acid?
stu b
Like you, I always do “penance” on Monday, but part of this could involve thrift. I love ‘the waste not, want not’ approach to squishy bananas, therefore justifying the use of chocolate. A great combination.
In my oven now. In my tummy in 1 hour & 10 minutes. But really, I have to wait until it’s (mostly) cool, because all good banana bread deserves cream cheese frosting and toasted nuts…
Oooh I love this idea. Chocolate makes everything better, I will be trying this when I have my next batch of over ripe bananas!
This looks amazing. Chocolate + banana = <3. Luckily that I bought banana yesterday. I know that I am going to make banana bread this weekend! Waiting for the banana to overripe.
I made your chocolate stout cake yesterday, your chocolate peanut butter cheesecake last week and I happen to have all the ingredients including 3 bananas ripe and ready. So here we go, baking this one now! My friends and husband thank you for my chocolate baking obsession!
Uh-mazing. You can’t never go wrong with the choco-banana combo!
Holy Crapola! This is taking banana bread to a whole new level – a level that I want to go to right now!
I will make this right this afternoon -it looks SO delicious. By the way, I made the broccoli-wild rice casserole this past weekend, and used a Gruyere as you suggested: it was amazing, thank you!! :)
I have been making a chocolate swirl banana bread lately (from Chocolate Covered Katie) and she solved the lumpy cocoa problem by dissolving it in 1/4 cup of boiling water. I also used the extra dark type of cocoa with outstanding results! Just a thought!
So then, can we use baking powder and regular cocoa powder in the same amounts in this recipe? I read you need baking soda with dutch processed cocoa powder, and baking powder with regular cocoa powder because of the different processes getting dutch processed, and regular? thanks
Chocolate and banana are perfect together :-) This looks perfect
Double Chocolate is like bacon…. it makes everything better
The recipe looks fab (very similar to what I make but I MUST try it with the chocolate) but can we just talk about your little nugget?!?!?! When did he go and get all grown up??? That picture just slays me. Some mornings I look at my boys and I’m sure they must have grown overnight….J looks like he is 10 in that picture! So precious!
Why oh why did I throw away my frozen bananas on Sunday in a freezer cleaning frenzy! This is just the recipe I needed to get me out of a “the usual banana bread” rut! Drats! Can’t wait to try this with the next batch of spotty bananas!!
Dutch process cocoa is SO DIFFICULT to find! At least out here in upstate NY. The only place I’ve found it is Penzeys, and I don’t want to spend that much on cocoa when it generally goes to my coworkers. I used Hershey’s Special Dark, which is a blend of natural and Dutched. I wasn’t happy with the color, and I thought the flavor was too intense. What brand do you use, Deb?
Making this today. As always, thank you!
We’ve put chocolate chips in since I was in my 20’s and first tasted it that way. I think a chocolate loaf would be good too, but sometimes there is such a thing as too much chocolate, lol. Yum!
This looks so good! I have to try it, too!
I love your blog!
Cheers from Vienna!
OMG — how do you always know what I need? I have a bunch of over-ripe bananas on the counter that I was about to throw out cuz I’m just not really thrilled with more banana bread… but adding chocolate should boost the flavor! YAY DEB!
i have been making banana “bread” with chocolate chunks and walnuts for many years… but today i will go “all the way” with the chocolate… what a great idea! enjoy your blog and recipes. thanks!
Hi Deb. I would like your professional opinion as to whether adding 1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts would work out okay. I guess I am asking if you feel the batter could support the additional add-in? Thanks.
CarolJ/gluten-free question — I haven’t experimented with Xanthan gum so I don’t know if it would be needed. However, if you have KA’s blend and they say it can be used to replace all-purpose flour in cakes and baked goods (I think they do?) you should be just fine using it as suggested.
Jessiet — Yes, I think it would be just fine.
cara_mia — This is definitely an intensely chocolate banana bread, and not terribly sweet, so that may have been correct. I use Valrhona cocoa powder. It’s definitely a splurge but I’m also working through a 3kg package from Paris many years ago…
barbara — Not exactly. See also my response to Amrita in Comment #70… natural cocoas are more sensitive to baking soda than Dutched ones are; you might just need less baking soda if using a non-Dutched cocoa. Baking soda is also much more powerful than baking powder so you’d never want to use it in a 1:1 exchange (more like 4:1).
Stu — Technically speaking (and, given, I am not a scientist) bananas are acidic, with a ph of pH 4.5 to 5.2 (or so Google tells me). So, they should be sufficient to activate the baking soda (also, as the huge doming on the cake will evidence). While Dutch-process cocoa should have neutral acidity (the Dutching process specifically, intentionally removes acidity, creating a darker color and, many such as myself feel, a nuttier, deeper flavor). Chocolate chunks/chips, too, have some acidity. However, I believe that the rise comes mostly from the bananas because my standard banana bread uses 1 teaspoon baking soda for 3 to 4 bananas and also has a great dome.
ATG — You will definitely taste both. The chocolate has some intensity, though. But we all agreed that you could still definitely taste the banana, that it wasn’t just a chocolate cake.
To make muffins — Use the same temperature, fill the muffin tins only 2/3 to be safe. You’ll probably get 12 or more. I’d check them at 20 minutes, but might take up to 25.
Kylie — I just mentioned this above, but a friend brought it to me from Paris. They sell it in massive packages at G. Detou for a great price. Keep it in a cool, dark place, it lasts for years. (I won’t admit how long I’ve had it.) Nevertheless, I know Amazon sells it, so does Sur La Table, and I’ve seen it sometimes at Whole Foods and the like. And many cook/baking stores have it too. I don’t know where you are so it’s hard to say which ones…
Marcia — I like the quality a lot but they are pricy for what they are. Easier enough to hand-chop. I started using them instead of chocolate chips in cookies, though, and really like them. Chips have stabilizers; these don’t seem to.
sweetpea — The Jacked-Up Banana Bread is in the site archives, not in the book.
This goes in the Must Make Soon category–after Lent and all of the giving up that entails….
I’ve been making this for YEARS!!! I got the recipe from Cooking Pleasures magazine when I was a member of Cooking Club of America. Must buy bananas today…
“Can’t there be one dessert that’s not improved by the addition of chocolate?”
I would say no. But that’s just me. I put chocolate chips in just about everything (banana bread, waffles, crepes, muffins, etc). In fact, i believe that if it’s not chocolate, it’s not worth the calories. SO, this looks amazing and I will have to try it.
If you sprinkle some brown sugar over the top before baking you can get a great crunchy crust!
Nice recipe. Bananas and chocolate go hand in hand – I can see this as a dessert or snack w/vanilla gelato; yum!
Just baked them in an effort to warm my house…my furnace broke and here in Wisconsin it’s too cold for no heat. Now my kitchen is warm and smells delicious. Update: and the bread (made as mini muffins and baked for 20 mins with regular Hersey’s cocoa) is awesome. Thanks for the tasty warm up!
Made this last night – only had natural cocoa on hand, so the end result may be a tad denser, but so far, rave reviews.
This looks great for Spring Weekend Breakfast :)
You must have read my mind. I have some bananas that are at the banana bread stage and was thinking I should look for a recipe for chocolate banana bread. And here was your email in my inbox today! I am definitely making these, though I’ll have to decide whether to use the natural cocoa I have (thanks for the answers to the questions other asked about substitution) or go out and buy some Dutched cocoa.
Made these last night because I had everything on hand, but decided I couldn’t wait an hour to eat them, so made them into muffins instead..delicious! Hot with butter right out of the oven!
Now you’ve done it, Deb. I’m thawing out the 4 bananas I put into freezer bags last night. Defrost time will give me a chance to ponder the cinnamon :) Thank you (again!!)
Ah! I just made regular non-chocolatey banana bread last week….if I only knew….
Incredible! Although I always use my brown bananas for banana ‘ice-cream’ (aka frozen bananas blended). I’m thinking of using this as a zucchini bread instead, thoughts? Rose’s Bread Bible (by the way, HUGE thank you to introducing me to that particular book) has a banana bread with a zucchini variation, so I’m thinking that would work here too?
Living on Maui means a nearly endless supply of bananas just outside the door- think I’ll go grab a bunch, stick them in a paper sack and have this ready by the time the kiddos are home.
Not only do I have all the ingredients necessary, but I also have the same exact Pyrex bowl. This is fate. One chocolate banana bread coming up!
I am pregnant and had such a craving for something out of the oven :) So I just baked this and I want to thank you for this great recipe!!! My “bread” is more like a brownie and not as banana-ish as I would have thought. But great none the less:) I paired it with a scoop of coffee ice cream and was in heaven! I used the cinnamon, can’t say I taste it though. Oh, and I threw in some leftover roasted walnuts, just a handful. Next time I will up the banana and add some flour, otherwise I am afraid it might be too soggy. We’ll see. So thanks again. Greetings from Germany:)
I just made this. It is perfect.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your blog, but I have to tell you how much I love it. Everything I’ve ever made from one of your recipes has been outstanding. From your pickled sugar snap peas (AWESOME!) to your Dijon & Cognac Beef Stew (loved it so much I made it last week and again this week!) And I can’t wait to try this banana bread with chocolate. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
i have everything for this recipe already in my kitchen except the cocoa powder. think it would work without it?
Bananas and chocolate are an addicting flavor combination. I would love to have this a la mode. Mmm..
Just pulled this out of the oven, and OH MY GOD it is sooooooooooooooooo good. I added some pecans that I had lying around, and it was delish! Thanks so much for the recipe, I am never disappointed when I make anything off of this blog!
I always put chocolate chips in my banana bread, but making the batter itself chocolatey will put this “breakfast bread” firmly into the category of “dessert”. It had been hovering on the margins of “acceptable at breakfast” but I don’t think even I can swing that if the batter is chocolate, too! Here’s to double chocolate banana bread for … whenever! :)
A question. I was taught to freeze overripe bananas for making banana bread. Have a bunch in my freezer. May I use them in this recipe? Thanks. Anna
Love this tart and have made it several times..always a hit.
Opps, posted on the wrong recipe (lemon tart) but plan on making this too. Love your blog!
For those of you who have asked where to find Valrhona — as well as Scharffen Berger — you might want to check out http://www.chocosphere.com. They have all sorts of high quality chocolate products that may be difficult to find locally. No, I don’t work for them. Yes, I have ordered from them in the past. Good luck. ^_^
I made this last night and normally I’m the one with the massive sweet tooth but my fiancé love love loves it! I subbed in buckwheat flour for about one -third of the flour and it’s awesome. Increased the nutritional value but the bread didn’t turn out heavy at all! Gave it some depth.
I could definitely see this double chocolate banana bread being my downfall on a Monday where I have vowed to drink less, start exercising and get back on the diet! I also see myself enjoying it with a glass of wine, because if I’m already eating double chocolate banana bread, why not?!
Awesome, just made this tonight, I don’t think it will last 4 days either especially as I have to share it with my 3 boys& husband! Really love reading your blog!
This recipe came at a most opportune time: I happen to have some VERY ripe bananas sitting on the counter. I also have an almost-full bottle of Baileys in the fridge. I think I’m going to have to splash some Irish cream into this bread (with a sprinkling of extra flour) and see what happens.
Made this tonight. Seriously good! I may need to make it again tomorrow (for the work gang).
Hi Deb! Not to be a downer, but I wondered what is the calorie count for this bread? Mine is baking in the oven right now! Smells great already!
As I was leaving the house yesterday, I noticed the brown bananas sitting on the counter and was thinking of making my normal boring bread. And then lo and behold I saw this glorious bread on my favorite blog, Smitten Kitchen. I made it tonight and it smells amazing. Can’t wait to dig in! Thx!
Wow what the heck??? So excited to try this with my almost-fruit-fly banana bread, followed recipe to the “t” and it collapsed when I took it out of the oven! The center test came clean w/toothpick after 55 minutes but then it just caved. So bummed out because the smell is awesome in my kitchen but I have a very flat and deflated loaf! I don’t get what I did wrong. Will try again tomorrow.
I made this this morning and shared it with a group of ladies at a professional meeting tonight–rave reviews! And thank goodness there are a couple of pieces left that I could bring home! So good,thank you.
It’s in the oven now! Can’t wait to try it. :)
Just made this bread this afternoon…amazing! I used 60% chocolate and the chocolate flavor really resonates.
This was easy-peasy to make! Love, love, love one bowl recipes… I melted the butter in the bowl while the oven was preheating, then just mashed the bananas in. I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup, cut the chocolate chips to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/4 cup chocolate nibs (since they have sat in the cupboard for ages and needed using up!). My crowd devoured it and thought it was super tasty! Thank you for sharing such a yummy alternative to regular banana bread.
…oh, and used Trader Joe’s cocoa powder since that’s what we had on hand….
mmm! This looks delicious! I’ve been making a lot of fun cakes using my loaf pan lately. I think it’s my new favorite cake pan since it’s the perfect size for only two people (plus a few visitors) without having to waste a lot of cake.
This looks amazing. I have a recipe from my husband’s aunt that is called Chocolate Zucchini Bread. It is not bread just like this is not bread! Cake…delicious. I think I want to make this for my birthday cake in 2 weeks. :o)
This is in the oven now… Can’t wait to eat it!
I was literally looking for a chocolate banana bread recipe specifically when I opened your website just now. You never let me down, Deb! Thank you!
Question, though: Why do you always use Dutch-process cocoa? I normally sub natural and add baking soda for the reaction; but in this case you’re using baking soda and Dutch instead of baking powder and dutch. Maybe everything I’ve read about the difference is wrong, because your bread seems to have risen just the right amount!?
Howsa bout some sour cream ? All my favorite banana bread and some chocolate cake recipes include it. Makes it real moisty and the extra fat provides such great mouthfeel! Heck I might use this recipe and throw it in myself :-)
OMG! I just made this & it is amazing. I left out the cinnamon. Maybe I’ll try it with next time. Also, I only baked it for about 45 minutes. I am adding this to my go-to recipe list!
I added pecans to the batter and split it, making a small, chocolate-less banana bread for my husband and double chocolate muffins for me. I ended up with 8 stout muffins. They took 24 minutes to bake. The bread was in for 50 minutes, but I think I could have taken it out sooner.
The muffins are so delicious! Especially as they’re just cooling.
thank you! A recipe just in time to use up these sad brown bananas. And me and my family are kind of tired of the regular banana bread. I used part white / part whole wheat flour, that worked out really well. In my oven it only took about 40 minutes. Nice.
Yum! I will bake this…with big pieces of toasted walnuts.
Deb, I’m wondering, just out of sheer curiosity: why did you skip the cinnamon? I was surprised to see you did, because it was you who actually “taught” me this combination, what with the “chocolate swirl buns” in the archives and the “tiny but intense chocolate cake” in the book. Granted, in both recipes the cinnamon is optional, but I always assumed that you, yourself, didn’t skip it. Did I assume wrong? Or is there a particular reason you thought it wouldn’t work well in the banana bread?
(Or is there a much simpler answer such as “Um, I was just out of cinnamon…” :D)
Thanks!!!
Eliza
ps: this comment (and really, who am I kidding, all my comments :-/) should be sub-titled “Questions to an obsessive home cook from an obsessive reader” ;) – I apologize in advance :)
dancing gal — I love your questions. I sometimes like the cinnamon-chocolate thing, others, not so much. I wasn’t in the mood for it here. I also felt that I really wanted the chocolate and the banana to both come through, and not be muddled or bridged with cinnamon. Plus, I made some vanilla extract and it’s killer good. Only so many flavors are needed. :)
Lissa — I use Dutch-process cocoa because I find its flavor and color to be vastly superior. It’s nuttier and when mixed with a buttery baked good, as good as any great chocolate bar would be. Dutch-process cocoa doesn’t react as well as natural cocoa with baking soda, but it does have some reaction. Also, as I mentioned in an earlier comment, bananas are lightly acidic so there is enough acid to activate the baking soda. However, we end up using more than we would for a straight cake (the norm would be 1/4 teaspoon to 1 cup flour).
Carol — What kind of cocoa did you use? It sounds like what would happen if you don’t use a Dutch-process cocoa.
Lauren — I use this site as a resource to check calories. You can cut and paste recipes and adjust portions and ingredients as needed.
Diane — No, you would have to replace it with flour. And of course, it would only be a single-chocolate banana bread then.
This looks amazing. Next time I have over-ripe bananas, I will make this! Question… what brand loaf pan are you using?
Your timing is (as usual) impeccable. I have new neighbors across the street and had been searching for something to bring to welcome them! Unwilling to give them the entire loaf or present a half nibbled cake, I divided the batter into two paper 6″x2.2″ mini loaf pans. They were ready in 45 minutes and just a teeny tiny bit underbaked – just the way I like it – in the center. I delivered theirs still warm and ours was gone before it could even cool. Also, huge fan of the Valrhona poudre de cacao but out of it at the moment. Used Ghiradelli with reasonable success. Thanks for yet another winner, Deb!
This was fantastic! So moist, and you can really taste both the banana and the chocolate. I was skeptical of altering something as perfect as banana bread, but I was very pleasantly surprised and I’m so glad I made it – it’s so different than the original, there’s really no point comparing. It was great for dessert last night, and even better with a cup of coffee this morning!
DEB! I love you for reminding me it’s okay to make things like this. And I also love you even MORE for providing me and my family with such wholesome and SPECTACULAR recipes!! Also have I ever told you, you are my NUMBER 1 food blog ever. Every recipe I try of yours gets me tons of love and praise from my family!!!! You are literally awesome! I sometimes wish I was your daughter or niece or neighbor..or someone in close proximity to your kitchen haha just so I could eat all the food you make. Hope that’s not creepy on any level!
My son is coming home for spring break – and he already loves the Jacked-up Banana Bread and Pumpkin Muffin recipes from your site. I do add chocolate chips to both those recipes as there is a firm belief in my house that there is nothing baked that isn’t improved by chocolate. This will be perfect 1st breakfast home!
We can use comfort treats right now and this fits the bill perfectly. Thanks again Deb!
Wow, this looks DELISH!!!! Banana bread stepped up… this is a MUST try!!
I made this last night and it was/is delicious — dark, moist and very flavorful.
I had only Ghiradelli natural cocoa (not Dutch processed) on hand, so used that and if the bread was diminished in any way it was not noticeable to us. The loaf raised fine and was richly chocolate tasting. I want to thank the commenter who suggested the sea salt atop though. I might not have thought of that myself, although I love salted chocolate. It gave the bread an extra wallop of oomph.
Hi, Deb, follow up comment, Barbara, question 133, made this recipe this morning first thing, cut the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon, non dutched cocoa, and used 3 bananas, rather large, I might add….baked the bread, and it did rise, but not a whole lot but looked awesome…while it was baking I reread the recipe and noticed it said a little over a cup of mashed banana, I then realized I had a good cup and a half or more, but it was in the oven already, so had to wait and see….sliced it up for a dessert with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top at lunch, and my husband said what an awesome fudgy brownie, lol…..so it is going in my recipes as double chocolate brakeownie, for bread, cake or brownie…thanks for all your wonderful recipes, and I love your book, and bought several for gifts as well, have a great day!!
I *love* this post. When is a double dose of chocolate not good, and if baking can cure sadness, then all the more reason to stay in the kitchen. :) Thank you for sharing!!
Got the cake in the oven. I WILL NEVER BE READY FOR BIKINI SEASON – as if! LALALALA
I just made your jacked up banana bread on Saturday! Looks like I’ll have to wait for more over-ripe bananas to show up on my counter so I can make this!
I made this yesterday and today – it is DELICIOUS! I subbed whole wheat pastry flour for AP flour and no one said a word. Even my pickiest child devoured it. Thank you Deb.
YUMMY!! Made this tonight with my two boys. It was a hit! However, calling it a bread is a bit of a joke. This is one full on cake baked in a loaf pan! Nothing wrong with that in my house though!
Made these today. I did 2/3 the recipe because I only had 2 overripe bananas. I baked them in muffins and got 8 so I bet if you did a full recipe you would get 12 muffins (perfect!). I also subbed half the ap flour for white whole wheat and fudged the chocolate amount a bit (in favor of increasing :) I tried one and they are truly sublime! I don’t know what you do to make these things so good, but it sure is working. This recipe has made my “healthy but also kinda indulgent treat” list. YUM!
Made this today. Only had 2 ripe bananas (my 12 yr old stole the third for a smoothie) so probably should have cut the recipe by 2/3 like Lindsey (#210). I used pernigotti Dutch processed cocoa from William Sonoma. The texture was excellent but I would’ve liked it somewhat sweeter (probably would have been perfect w 3-4 bananas instead of 2). We sprinkled powdered sugar on it, which helped. Btw those looking for valrhona chocolate — saw it today at sur la table 250 gm for $13.00
Just made this tonight and had a nibble fresh out of the oven. AMAZING. I just added a tb of instant espresso to the melted butter. So intense and comforting. Thanks Deb.
I made this today, with orange zest and mini peanut butter cups added.
It was amazing, gone within seconds. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Going to make this for dessert for Shabbat, can’t wait. By the way, on the (tiny) chance you don’t know this already — peeled overripe bananas not only freeze beautifully, but something about the freezing/thawing process intensifies their banananess. So good! I keep a gallon ziploc of overripe bananas in the freezer for baking and “shakes” (frozen bananas blenderized with milk and cocoa and stevia — big treat for the kids.)
Whoa, this is to. die. for. Made it last night was some bananas that were candidates for freezing/smoothies. My 3 teen boys and hubs came home from their evening commitments and were furious when I told them it was to be saved for breakfast. This morning, all I heard was “oh my God, mom, I love you for this.” Thanks Deb! I was out of dutch-process cocoa so had the perfect dome on the bread after 55 mins, then it sank during cooling but only slightly – of course it totally did not affect taste, nor did any of my boys notice/care. The really battle for the remaining 3 slices will come this afternoon when the school day ends :)
I was asking myself just the other day what I should do with all the ripe bananas I had aside from smoothies, and then this recipe was posted, talk about PERFECT TIMING! I made this last night (used extra dark cocoa – a mix if natural and Dutch process) and it was phenomenal! Seriously, my husband came home and smelled the aroma and couldn’t wait for it to cool down, if only we had vanilla ice cream and strawberries, it would make for a great pairing!
I made this yesterday, and it was gone in no time.
I made this last night and it is DIVINE. I’m sharing the swaps I made here (I wanted to follow the recipe exactly but I used what I had in my pantry instead; it worked out great). I only had two ripe bananas, but I had banana yogurt so I added a heaping 1/3 of a cup of yogurt to the mashed banana mix. I didn’t have any chocolate chips, but I had a cup of toasted and chopped pecans which I added in place of the chips. I checked the bread after 45 minutes of cooking and it was done then. Result: a moist and delicious bread. The dutch cocoa is really delicious here. I will definitely make this recipe again!
I took this to my choir practice last night and everyone raved about it. :). I, too, added a smidge (technical term lol) of instant espresso to give the chocolate a kick. Winner! Thanks, Deb!
Oh.my. That looks mouth watering…. *drools*
That looks really, really good but I have a grave dislike of bananas, banana bread and pretty much any type of fruit with chocolate. I’m weird. I know. It still looks delicious.
Deb. Read your email.
Oof! That looks amaaaaaazing.
I didn’t have any chocolate chunks or chips, so I grabbed the 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips…WIN!
Oh man! My banana bread is in the oven! It took me exactly 22 minutes to read the post, make the batter, and do the dishes. Awesome.
Yum! This was wonderful! My bananas were not that big, so I used four, also just had natural cocoa (not dutch-process). I don’t use sugar for an everyday dessert, so I used 1/3 c. pure maple syrup and it was definitely sweet enough. Really good!
Second time this week I am making this. Very nice, moist, chocolatey and you can definitely taste the bananas too. Great recipe!
LOVED this! I added a scoop of sour cream and used walnuts in place of chocolate chips. Made 9 oversized muffins and they are divine!
I just made this tonight, and it was so easy! The loaf came out moist, chocolatey and banana-y. It looked exactly like the picture. I will definitely make it again! Thanks for having the metric conversion available—made weighing everything a breeze.
Just pulled these from the oven! I made per your recipe, although I was skeptical of only 1c flour. They’re delicious. Oops – I lied. I used ww flour instead of white, you know, so they’re “healthy” now! ;) Thanks again, Deb! And my 4yo twin boys thank you, too, as I made them as mini muffins (w/mini choc chips) that they’ll take to preschool for snack today!
I made this yesterday and WANTED to love it, but there just wasn’t enough banana flavor. It was more like a chocolate & banana-essence bread. I really love the idea though, so I think I’ll try again using Cook’s Illustrated’s “Ultimate Banana Bread” technique (it packs in 6 bananas without bogging down the bread, by microwaving them and then reducing the released liquid). I may also reduce the cocoa to 1/3 cup…and possibly add some sour cream…hmmm.
I subbed out half of the white flour for whole wheat flour and didn’t miss it though!
I spent the last two days constantly thinking about this banana bread, to the point that this morning I just couldn’t take it anymore. Dropped any work I was doing, finally got to the kitchen. It is craaaaazy amazing and I will probably need to make a second batch if I want anything left for my husband to try tonight! THANK YOU
Just made this exactly as written and it is outstanding. I was worried that the chocolate would overpower the banana flavor- but it doesn’t! It is just lovely!
I made this and it was an absolute it… I added a whole tsp cinnamon and a generous handful of pecans. I also baked it in a couple mini-loaf pans rather than one pan… seems I burn the outside and inside doesn’t get done in these types of recipes… plus I can give one away (if I’m so inclined).
Hi, Deb!!!
I wonder if you’ve ever tried this recipe:
http://www.bakingobsession.com/2008/03/07/chocolate-and-grand-marnier-banana-cake/
this is the only banana bread I ever make, not being a banana bread fan, it’s really really tasty (as pretty much everything from her site).
Love this recipe! I made it this morning as soon as I got up. I didn’t have ditched chocolate but my regular old natural cocoa worked fine. Also, I’m eating it warm with some peanut butter on it. Soooo good. Thanks Deb.
Like Roxlet (#6) said, calling this bread is beyond inaccurate. This is the moistest, fluffiest chocolate cake I have ever made. It’s so delicious it’s crazy. I’m not sure if I under-baked it (I accidentally cleared the oven timer somewhere near the end so I guesstimated the remaining bake time), but whatever I did, it worked. I used to add chocolate chips or Nutella to your Jacked-Up Banana bread, which was awesome, but this recipe takes the bananas to a whole new level of awesome, and is heaven to a chocoholic like me.
Btw…I used 3 frozen unpeeled bananas, which I subsequently defrosted and squeezed out of the peel like a children’s yogurt tube. I think the taste and texture of the defrosted bananas work beautifully in this…ahem…cake.
Thanks again for another killer recipe Deb! I might have to make another batch of your quinoa kale salad (which I’ve been eating for lunch for 2 weeks straight) to alleviate the guilt.
I just ate my 3rd slice of this right now and had to have a stern discussion with myself about not eating a 4th slice. I added an extra banana, just because and kept the cinnamon in.
Ok, we’ve polished off the two loaves I made (recipe doubles beautifully.) Used frozen overripe bananas, worked great. Also added a slug of black rum and some espresso powder to intensify the chocolate and the banana flavors. Used a smaller amount of chocolate chips, and chopped them up so they were smaller bits, which I liked. The flavor was superb in this – rich, dark, chocolatey, just exactly sweet enough but not too. But next time I make it (oh yes there will be a next time) I am going to sub oil for at least part of the butter, to give it a less crumbly texture. This was moist enough, and super delicious, but the crumbs got all over the place. I’m thinking I’ll try with walnut oil.
Oops! The cocoa powder I had on hand was Hershey’s Special Dark and, while delicious, the chocolate totally overpowers the banana flavor. A word of warning- if you want to taste the banana, don’t use the Hershey’s Special Dark. I have a delicious loaf that tastes like chocolate cake, happy accident!
Made this and it was delicious! I used bittersweet chocolate chunks.
I made this, but I replaced the butter with about a half cup of greek yogurt and a splash of skim milk. The “bread” was absolutely delicious– though we ate it like cake (topped with vanilla ice cream)!
I just baked this bread. The smell was intoxicating!! We are eating it hot out of the oven as I’m typing!!! Heaven!
My husband said this is the best thing I have ever baked……THANKS Deb….your recipes never disappoint:)
I baked this yesterday and it was gone by this morning! So so good and rich. I used oil instead of butter and (gasp!) forgot about adding salt until the loaf was in the oven. Still awesomeeeeee
I made this as cupcakes last night for a coworker’s birthday. Threw in some peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips and topped with a peanut butter frosting. SO good. And then the co-worker didn’t show up at work today, so do I get to eat them all myself?!
I have made this twice this week and i will probably make it twice more.I don’t care.This is Love in cake form.Thankyou so much.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. Thank you for posting!!!
What?! Really wishing I had checked your website before using up all my too-ripe bananas on plain old muffins. More than likely I have a freezer stash I can dip in to for emergencies like this!
I made this yesterday and I don’t have words to describe how awesome this chocolate-banana bread is. ¡Bravo!
I would like to know if somebody used cocoa from the brand “Valor” for this recipe, and if so, was it good?
Thanks a lot!
I cannot wait to make this! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!
This working mama of three waited til today, my day off at home with the baby, so I could finally make this perfect cake. I mean bread. Oh it is good! Someday I hope you read the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books aloud with your son. They are dated, especially when it comes to gender roles, but I confess something about all those stay at home 1950s mothers in aprons sitting over their 8th cup of coffee – pondering what to do about little Janie and calling Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for help – appealed to me. What I liked the best was that they always had enormous brownies or cookies waiting for their children after school. This cake is my version of their wholesome chocolately after school treats, and I absolutely loved being able to surprise my big kids with it this afternoon.
Well….this is the first recipe that I have tried, since you are a recent discovery. I have to admit that I thought that double chocolate would just be ‘too much’. I took my loaf out of the oven 1 hour ago, and just had a slice. Now, coming from a girl that loves vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce or fresh fruit, I have to say…THIS IS AWESOME. I loved it, and so did chocolate loving hubby. I am anxious to try some of your other recipes. Thanks so much !
very cool to translate in grams, thanks
I also used the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, but unlike Liz, and had great results. Super dark chocolate flavor, and great banana flavor as well. I had very ripe, organic bananas, so maybe they were more prominent. This was such a delicious treat!
I’ve made so many awesome recipes that you have shared (the one made most often is the granola from your cookbook), however this banana bread may be the best yet. Actually, I just made it as a birthday cake for my 3 yr old. Rave reviews from all. Thanks!
PS. I used Hershey’s special dark chocolate too, loved the results too.
Uh, whoa. I think we were on the same wavelength, cause I just made a chocolate chip banana loaf. Yours is definitely more committed to the chocolatey aspect of the recipe! This is on my list — might make it as muffins. :)
I made this on Sunday night…DELICIOUS! My boys loved it. I had to make some adjustments (no brown sugar and whole wheat flour instead), but it turned out great! Every recipe I’ve made of yours has been awesome and gotten rave reviews. Thank you!
I had to wait 5 days for my bananas to ripen enough. Totally worth the wait! My husband and I devoured the loaf in no time. Next time I bake this, I’m adding chopped walnuts. Thanks for an incredible recipe!
FAIL! I had perfect banana-bread bananas on the counter and I forgot I had an awesome recipe to try (this one, obviously), and made Old Faithful. It’s delicious and all, but definitely not chocolatey. Fail.
Holy Smokes! Just had my first taste, warm from the oven, and it is incredibly moist and delicious with the perfect balance of chocolate. Hubbs is really loving it also! Thank you for another amazing recipe. Going to serve this tomorrow at the neighborhood coffee gathering. =D
I made this gluten free and it’s great, very moist and rich. Perfect for my sugar craving at 9 months pregnant. Something tells me it won’t be in my kitchen for long :)
Does this freeze well?
Made this a few days ag, I loved it, devoured it, and my usually food-apathetic husband begged for more. The second time around I replaced 1/3 the flour with whole wheat and found there to be a crunchier crust. That could also be related to me forgetting a timer. Regardless, still delicious. As if the previous billion comments aren’t enough, I highly recommend this recipe.
Hi again – made this today and it was as good as I expected (and I had high expectations). It had wonderful banana and chocolate flavor. Thank you for doing what you do! : )
Thank you for this incredible recipe:)) the ingredients were very similar to my regular banana bread, except some flour is replaced with the cocoa. And this version is soooooo much better:)) I made some subs your readers have been inquiring about. I used 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce (next time only a tablespoon of oil and the rest will be applesauce). I also only put in 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Making these as muffins for a Sunday brunch- along with your blintzes:) thank you Deb;)) you’re awesome;)
I made mini versions of this as a guest gift at a bridal shower I recently co-hosted & catered. My friends LOVED them, the best compliment being that they were mini loaves of chocolate madness with a “banana afterthought.” Thanks for a great recipe! I love it when my cooking makes people happy, as I’m sure you do as well.
my boyfriend and I made this last night, to shake up our typical jacked-up banana bread routine. we left the cinnamon out, because we take Deb suggestions to heart. it was perfect and delicious. tastes like a chocolate loaf cake with a subtle, delighftul hint of banana.
(sidebar: one sign that he’s a keeper is that he was smitten with smitten kitchen. hallellujah, amen).
Too much baking soda and needs baking powder–should rise more. Too many chocolate chips for anyone older than 7–reduce by half, to half a cup. Adding toasted nuts is nice.
This comparable recipe does all the above and is better:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateBananaBread.html
I just made this! It is the best banana bread ever!!!
How would I, or could I, make this with spelt?
As the kids would say OMG! This is very good. I would agree with some of the other comments that this is more like cake than bread. I would have made this sooner only I was searching for Dutch process cocoa. Living in the hinterlands of Montana it is sometimes a challenge to find ingredients. Thank goodness for Amazon. My order of Dutch process cocoa and Scharffen Berger chocolate chunks arrived this afternoon and the bread was in the oven about 30 minutes later. I added the cinnamon and thought it added to the overall taste of the bread. Might try adding some espresso powder next time. I love regular old banana bread. This takes it to a whole different level.
Made this yesterday. I’m with Wendy in the hinterlands, just not the Montana variety. I always have my Dutched cocoa from Amazon though, so I only had to wait to get into town for bananas. I added a few walnuts on top because you can’t have banana bread without walnuts. I had thought about try espresso powder next time too. Very rich and moist, a definite keeper but not for the faint of heart!
Made this last night for a study group at my house and it was a hit!! It was super quick to throw together in the midst of the after-work rush. It is more cake than bread and oh-so-rich. My brain was screaming for peanut butter flavour with it – I think next time I may try adding peanut butter chips. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
This turned out super yummy I substituted the brown sugar with regular sugar and used Trader Joes cocoa powder and it was great.
Made this a few days ago and it is, hands down, the best banana bread in the world. We enjoyed it so much I just bought more bananas to make it again. Sadly, bananas take a long time to ripen.
This is SO AMAZING!!! I experimented with making my first batch of gluten free flour (white/brown/sweet rice flours, tapioca starch, xanthem gum), added 2 tbsp dark rum, 1/2 tsp espresso powder, and everything tasted absolutely perfect. I’m so happy with both the texture and the flavor. I’ve made at least a dozen different renditions of banana breads and this is the first chocolate version, and I’m thoroughly satisfied with it. Thank you so much!!!
Uff, delicious!!!
Do I have to use Dutch-process cocoa powder?
I just made this yesterday using Trader Joe’s gluten free flour mix (which I was kinda surprised to find doesn’t contain xanthan gum or something similar, it’s just a blend of flours/starches, but said it can be used in place of AP flour) with success! Granted, my cake wasn’t quite as pretty (didn’t seem to get quite as much rise, but that could have also been my slacking on the cocoa and just using what I had around, which wasn’t dutched), but came out quite tasty, and super duper moist.
Being relatively new to the GF world, and having baked a ton w/regular wheat and things, I’m not yet acquainted with how similar I can expect GF things to turn out, and in my estimation this might be a tad on the gummy side, but if so, only in a minor way. It’s hard to tell because it’s so moist and cakey, might just be the bananas.
At any rate, hope that helps, or at least emboldens one other person to give it a go anyhow!
I made this last night. Easy and delicious! Currently being devoured in my office kitchen.
Hi Deb, this banana double chocolate cake is absolutely amazing! this is heaven! thanks for sharing lovely recipies with us.
I love your jacked up banana bread–what do you think about adding a Tbs of bourbon to this…too much?
I made this last week and it’s still delicious and fresh. I used bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli) which made it less sweet than semi-sweet chips. Plus they are bigger and hold their shape. So when you take a bite of the bread, you get a nice hunk of chocolate too.
Deb, this is THE BEST banana bread I have ever had. One of the most amazing recipes, thank you!!! xo
Ok…..so I am not a baker but a coworker made this bread and I loved it. I am more health conscious and this bread looked like. Great way to have a healthier treat. Anyhow, I used bobs red mill whole wheat flour…..it was not all purpose. My bread was flat and dry looking. The inside was moist though and the taste was good but the top of to was dry looking. Smh….anyhow….do I have to use an all purpose flour? Oh might I add that I didn’t use all butter, I used half cup applesauce and about 1/4 cup of smart balance butter. I will also say I “rushed” my banana ripening as well as I just bought them today.
jameika — What kind of cocoa did you use? I don’t think that the whole wheat flour would alone wreck it, but a 100% swap is a dramatic change and if combined with an applesauce swap, underripe bananas, and if you used a non-Dutched cocoa… yes, this would make it flat and dry.
Great cake, chief taster loved it! It received the “bake this one again” rating. Thanks
Hi, I made this tonight and for any of you still wondering… This recipe is FANTASTIC. Can hardly believe how moist and delicious it is. I did not have Dutch process cocoa, only the non Dutch, and it still turned out to be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made, better than cake, better than brownies, thank you!
I resisted this as long as I could. I have it in the oven now!
What a great recipe! Made this in mini muffin tins (baked about 10 minutes) and used just regular Hershey’s cocoa. Turned out wonderfully! Thanks for another fabulous “keeper”!
I gave up refined sugar for Lent (why, oh, why – every sweet thing has been calling my name), so made this last week with coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar and sans chips. It was absolutely fabulous! Didn’t miss anything in the flavor. Can’t wait to make this again, chocolate chips included!
I just pulled this out of the oven – we added a 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts, and it smells scrumptious!
Not wanting to run out in the rain when I discovered I was almost out of cocoa powder (after mashing my bananas, of course) I subbed in some spicy hot cocoa mix for half of the cocoa powder. It gave the finished product a subtle kick that I would try to replicate in the future using a dash or so of cayenne. I also skipped the cinnamon.
This looks fabulous! Would there be any way to make it a ‘gluten-free’ bread? My husband can’t have gluten, and would be so jealous if I made it just for me! :)
I took a mental health day from work today, and I happened to have all of the ingredients on-hand. My husband shares your fondness for super-ripe bananas, and is more obsessed with chocolate than any one person should healthfully be, so I’m thanking you from him in advance. He gets home right around when it’ll come out of the oven :)
Yum! I’ve made this twice in the past week and a half or so. I used whole wheat flour instead of regular all-purpose and it works just fine for me. The second time, though, I used peanut butter instead of regular butter and, omg, it’s so good! I also LOVE that the recipe uses 3 bananas instead of only 1 or 2. I think this will be the recipe that uses up the stock of frozen bananas in our freezer. Thanks, Deb!
I made this again, substituting oil for the butter and adding an extra banana to see if I could get it to be less crumbly. The flavor was just as good (I also added a little black rum and espresso powder because I always do to any banana bread) and I am pretty sure it WOULD have been less crumbly the next day, or even later that same day, if it had lasted that long, which it emphatically did not. You should have seen the hub’s face when I told him I didn’t make a double recipe that time.
I used canola oil instead of butter, and for the Dutch process cocoa I used regular cocoa + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda for every 3 tablespoons (a substitution I once found online somewhere). I also used–scaling back to your proportions–2 bananas instead of 3.
So I made this last night and tried some warm, and then had some again this morning at room temperature. I found it to be very chocolaty and tender and somewhat addictive. The banana flavor was not incredibly strong, but it was there and enhanced the cake (or bread, if you choose to call it that; to me it’s cake). Thank you for sharing; I enjoyed it!
So, I made this recipe as muffins, and got 14. They taste excellent, but didn’t rise properly — they ended up sinking a little and were rather flat, so I suspect it was the baking soda. My own banana bread recipe uses 1/2 t soda and 1/2 t powder; I’m going to try that next time and see if that helps. I used dutch-processed cocoa and didn’t substitute anything, so perhaps baking in a loaf pan is just more forgiving.
Very frustrating. Trying to print out recipe and got 63 pages of comments printed! Want to make it now!
Carol — There is a “Print” link at the bottom of every post before the comments begin that takes you to a print template that’s 1 to 2 pages of just the recipe.
I love this bread – I made two right away and it was devoured. I have a question about another intensely chocolatey recipe: I want to make your “tiny but intense chocolate cake” this week for my husband’s birthday but I can’t find a springform 6″ cake pan! I don’t even have a 9″ springform, but am wondering if you think doubling the recipe in a regular 9″ cake pan will work???
olivia — Yes, it can be doubled in a 9-inch pan.
I have been waiting to make this recipe for weeks, finally did last night and absolutely loved it!! My biggest struggle was that the edges got a teeny bit overdone, and the middle could have used another 2-3 minutes. Any tricks to evening out the cooking? I’ve seen tools that are supposed to help, but I’d much rather find the right way to fix that issue than rely on a tool.
Deb – thank you so much for all of your recipes, I have followed you for years and absolutely love your blog and your recipes! Thank you for helping all us novice bakers/cooks out there feel like magicians in the kitchen! :)
Made this last night. Very good…dense, moist, very chocolate-y with a nice edge to it and still tastes strongly of banana. Thank you!
Oh myyyyy. This is delightful. I must politely refute those who say the banana flavor is not present enough. I found this recipe perfect as written (skipped the cinnamon).
Which do I love more: this recipe with all of the rich, oozing chocolate (in two forms, cocoa and chips!) or the gorgeous photos? Sold and sold. And, the blue ceramic mixing bowl is retro and cute! May I ask what type of cocoa powder you use? I have been trying out different types in search of a great tasting, high-quality and unadulterated version. You have a great blog here, Deb. There is nothing I would not make or eat. Best, Shanna
I made this for my RPG group last Sunday and they RAVED. I believe the operative word is “decadent”. Round two is in the oven right now, this time in muffin form for a friend’s birthday. She actually requested to try this instead of having regular cake!
I’ve made this two times, once with dark rum added, another with cardamom instead of the cinnamon. It was great both times. The first loaf lasted two days between my husband and me. It’s super easy, quick, and you may already have all the supplies in your house. Perfect recipe.
Paige (#306) summed up perfectly what I was about to say. This will be a real keeper in my house…despite the fact that my husband does not like dark chocolate anything…he really likes this bread!
Your book was given to me as a gift-always trying new recipes-they are lovely-read your blog and finally decided to chime in….fantastic variation on banana bread-I love the dark chocolate “tea bread”. Keep up the good work! I always grease and line my cake/loaf tins with wax/parchment paper-in this case I used the butter wrapper-cut to size. Thanks again for your great work.
This recipe is just delicious and very simple to made. I am the worst cook but I always succeed with this chocolate-banana bread. It is perfect as a desert, every time I have some people at home, I am cooking it: everybody loves chocolate and banana!
And by the way, your blog is amazing and your recipes are very original, so thank you!
This looks absolutely amazing and I’m currently letting some bananas get overripe on the counter so I can make this this weekend!
In other news, Deb, where did you get that lovely serving plate? My mother is always looking for a plate she can use for loaf cakes. Thanks!
Marie — I can’t remember where I bought it, but I think it’s Acacia wood and if you Google around, you’ll find stores that sell things like this. Best to keep it oiled.
I made this yesterday, and I think the cooking time needs to be reduced for best results. The cake was really tasty, but it was a little on the dry side.
Marie — I can’t remember where I bought it, but I think it’s Acacia wood and if you Google around, you’ll find stores that sell things like this. Best to keep it oiled.
Perfection in a loaf pan. And it keeps so well without getting that peculiar banana bread dampness!
I made this yesterday and took it to work today. Awesome! I was a rock star! Everyone loved it, and all the women asked for the recipe. I followed the recipe exactly except I used 4 small loaf pans so I could share easier :) My 26yo son came for dinner last night and raved about this bread! I sent a loaf home with him and about 2 hours later he texted me that he’d eaten the whole loaf (remember, I used small loaf pans!) He said it was sooo good. Thanks for a recipe that will go into my favorites folder and be enjoyed for years!
Just made this last night so that I could make it into french toast this morning. My husband begged me to let him have a piece last night because it smelled so divine! The bread by itself was phenomenal, but turning into french toast took it over the top!! I served it with whipped cream on top. It was a huge hit!
Loaf in the oven now. Anxious to try it plain and then maybe with a smear of peanut butter.
Hey Deb,
Loving the recipe and comments, it sounds like a winner!
If I wanted to reproduce it in a 8″ square cake pan how should I adjust the cooking temp and time? As a poor uni student I don’t have the widest array of bake ware but still keen to try out this recipe for a friend’s birthday :)
Angie — You should not need to adjust the cooking temperature but it will probably bake faster. I’d check on it at 30 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter.
I made this today. I opted for the cinnamon and accidentally added a cup (instead of 3/4 C) of brown sugar. Oooops! I was worried it would be too sweet, but it still turned out AMAZING. We love it. Thank you so much for sharing!!! New staple.
This banana bread is so delicious! I’ve made it twice and its so moist and doesn’t last long. I have had one small question, and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to answer it or not, but I’ll give it a shot: Both times it has come out perfectly soft and moist in the center, but the “crust”(outside of the loaf?) has been a bit tougher (dryer? crustier?). Still delicious(!) but makes for a bit difficult slicing, even with a serated bread knife–The outside doesn’t want to cooperate and become a nice, even slice, while the soft inside is no problem at all to cut through. Any suggestions what it might be? My oven tends to be on the cooler side, so I baked for full 60 min the first time, then tried 50 min the second time, with similar results. (Maybe its my Pyrex loaf pan, and I should try my nonstick metal one?)
Your pictures look so lovely and the loaf looks like its evenly dense all the way through. I don’t want to undercook for fear of the center being undone, but then the crust tends to be a wee bit overcooked. Any baking wisdom you could impart?
Thanks!! Been a loyal reader for years and love to see when you post new recipes :)
Sara — Hm, I’m not sure. Mine has had a nice little crunch at the lid on each loaf. I think it has to do with the bananas and the way they bake in breads. We like it. But it certainly wasn’t too hard to be cut with a serrated knife.
Made this recipe last night, it was DELICIOUS! What a great recipe for a chocolate lover! My office LOVED it too! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks Deb for a fabulous recipe :) I always love to see what you’ll cook up next, can’t wait to get your next cookbook too!
Sounds like an easy recipe. Can’t wait to try it and enjoy it!
One of the best, pickiest cooks I know is still talking about this after eating a piece at my house two weeks ago :) In other words, it was a hit.
I bookmarked this recipe when I saw it a couple of weeks ago and made it this afternoon. I used natural cocoa but everything else as written and it came out beautifully. It was a big hit and certainly a keeper.
I made muffins instead of a bread, and they were amazing. Honestly, you could put icing on them for a kid’s birthday party and call them cupcakes.
I did that. I put chocolate frosting on them and served them up for my first son’s 3rd birthday, and am planning to do the same for my second son’s 2nd birthday next week. They are awesome.
I find it so irritating that people post comments about WANTING to make a recipe instead of comments about the recipe so I wanted to post some usable info. This bread was unbelievable delicious. It’s a cross between banana bread and a fudgey brownie. First time I made it I over baked it and it was still good, just a tad dry. Made it again last nite for friends and pulled it out of the oven a few minutes early; the bread was so moist and fudgey and fantastic. It’s intensely chocolately and absolutely wonderful. Very quick to put together. Highly recommend.
I love banana’s and chocolate, so this is a perfect recipe for me! I can’t wait to make it! Thank you Deb for sharing such wonderful recipes!
First and foremost, all of your recipes are incredible, so thank you for your kitchen creativity and excellent palette! Second, I made this last night and had a couple of concerns: one being that my bread ended up falling in the middle, which I realized was likely due to the kind of cocoa powder I used (Nestle Toll House). My second concern was that I found my batter to be really dry or at least, drier than expected. I had a piece of the bread this morning and it was quite good, so it all ended well. Is the batter supposed to be more on the thick and dry side?
Also, I’m a nervous baker/cook, so I tend to freak out about even the slightest thing going wrong.
Matthew — It’s a little thick, but it shouldn’t be dry. Tell me more — were the bananas big? super-ripe? How do you measure your flour? (Maybe you ended up with a little extra, which could cause dryness.)
Deb, The banana bread was very good. I think the banana took a backseat to the chocolate w/ this version. It received much praise from our mid-week house guest(s)
Keep them com’in.
I’m currently making this for the third time in 10 days, and this time I’m making a double batch. I think I’ve been accidentally/on-purpose neglecting my bananas just to have an excuse to make this yet AGAIN. This recipe is dangerous!
I made this yesterday and it is amazing. Really, really moist and not too sweet. And the richest chocolate taste ever.
BLARG!!! I’m such an idiot. I was making this for the 2nd time, and wanted to try mixing a little whole wheat flour in. Should’ve left well enough alone! I realized when I put the bread in the oven that I had accidentally grabber the whole wheat BREAD flour. I did a 1/2 and 1/2 mix, I really hope it still turns out ok.
NCBakes — I think it should be fine. Was it okay?
I made this today- but I wasn’t paying attention (I can blame the 19-month old who just figured out how to walk today and who was clinging to my leg shouting at me to pay attention to her instead, can’t I?), and, instead of measuring 1/2 a cup of cocoa powder, I read the line above, and put in 125g instead! I thought it looked a bit much, but put it in anyway… then realised my mistake! So the rest of the cake got 100g of flour only.
It came out somewhat brick-like, but it is delicious, and far moister than I was expecting considering the boob! My non-cake-eating husband has had two slices. A record! Daughter no.1 (almost six and very picky) ate half a slice (pretty good), Daughter no.2 (3) ate a slice… and Daughter no.3 ate a slice and a half. I guess she thinks that it was thanks to her that it was so good!
Of course you were right, Deb….it was more than fine! It is just as good, if not slightly better than, the 1st one I made! All of your recipes are wonderful though, and I will surely never be able to make all of the ones I want to try!
Deb, I really want to make this, but… Did you by any chance happen to weigh your bananas in any of your tests? I’m hesitant to try this with three ‘eyeballed’ bananas. Thanks!
Beth — I did not weigh them. This will work with any medium-large bananas you have. Bigger, even, too.
Made this a few days ago sans chocolate chips. My husband loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
I made this today with little guys (35months & 19months) it’s really incredible. My older guy kept walking around saying “I need some chocolate nana bread.” And when I finally gAve him a slice he was quite proud he helped make it. Thanks for another winner Deb!
Made it today. It was absolutely awesome. Very moist. Very chocolatey! I had to give much of it away so I didn’t eat it all myself. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Perfection! My friends and I took some to the beach and ate it all after a hike. Keep it comin, Deb!
Had two leftover super-duper ripe bananas. So I put together about a 2/3 recipe of this — still used the whole egg, but cut back the butter a little bit. Made into 8 muffins. They domed beautifully and taste fantastic. (Who am I kidding, these are totally cupcakes. I should just give up and frost them.)
Dear Deb, I made your bread for the second time yesterday and I have to tell you it’s one of the best breads I have ever had. Moist, extremely chocolatey with a full banana flavor. I love it! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. My boyfriend says thanks also! :)
I love and curse you for this recipe! It haunted me for DAYS and I finally gave in. I made it gluten free by substituting Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend for the cup of all-purpose flour. Ah-maz-ing! Of course, now I’m addicted.
I agree with DV that it is annoying to sift through comments of ‘looks amazing!’ and ‘I’m totally going to try this someday!’ to find useful comments about how it turned out for us lay people. Any chance you could create a review section of the site yet keep this general comment area for those who just want to tell you how amazing you are? If you wanted to go really over the top, you could include a third section for Q&As….okay, that’s maybe a little intense. But yeah.
For those wondering: the banana bread is amazing. Even the batter is excellent! Do try to use dutch cocoa – it can’t be beat. Costco has a great deal on it where I live in Canada. I might attempt to use half whole wheat next time – I think I can hide it in there and then it might slow the sugar shock on my poor system after it gorges itself on multiple slices :P I’m certainly not willing to give up the chocolate chips!
PS. You really ARE amazing, by the way.
I made this last night and will be putting in my chocolate recipes binder. I loved it–rich and moist and just a little bananay (that’s a good thing, in my book). I like that it was easy to put together and it didn’t come close to overflowing the pan. I used bittersweet chips.
i haven’t read through all of these 300+ comments, but just wanted to say that my partner has made this 3 or 4 times now, and i love it so much i even requested it for my birthday cake! (warm from the oven with a little vanilla ice cream omg). she makes it exactly as written (has made it with raw cacao powder, saco baking cocoa, and tj’s baking cocoa- all excellent) and the whole family loves it! we use 60% chips or chunks for the chocolate.
This looks amazing! Should I change anything if I omit the chocolate chips (one of my family members doesn’t like chocolate chips in bread/muffins)? Or just leave the rest of the recipe as is? Thank you!
Joanna — The recipe works without the chips and it is still chocolaty.
Made this today and it’s marvellous ! Didn’t realize the difference in cocoas and all that my local store had was Hershey’s. I must be really lucky it turned out so well !
Hi Deb, Can I use Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe, or should I still get the dutch processed cocoa powder for the best taste/rise? Will be making it this weekend!
So delicious and moist! I made it this morning, used Hershey’s cocoa as that’s all I had and I cut the choc chips down to half a cup, so good and my kids love it!
I made this last night and living in a group house, it was almost gone in less than an hour. I had to hide it just to save a little bit more for myself! Excellent recipe.
I made this yesterday, doubled. Used random size 6 bananas, full bag of choc chips, 1/4 tsp cinnamon for entire thing (not really needed). Absolutely fantastic even though in my doubling I omitted 1/2 cup brown sugar. It is however a little crumbly to slice. I wonder if I overcooked a bit? It was still incredibly moist. A keeper for sure. Love your site Deb!
This loaf is so good and I will definitely be making this over regular banana bread now. I didn’t add the cinnamon, I didn’t miss it. Instead of the butter, I used coconut oil and instead of the brown sugar, I used the same amount of coconut sugar. So very moist and such a nice change from non-chocolate banana bread. Thank you so much.
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! Didn’t have Dutch process cocoa so I used a bit more baking soda and I also used some chocolate chips and some peanut butter chips. It was delicious!
Kinda late to the party, but I wanted to post my reaction to this recipe, which i made last night. I have a pretty serious sweet tooth, but I found this to be waaay too sweet, almost cloying, and far too rich to be called a “bread”. It’s a cake, a very heavy cake, suitable for dessert only. (I was hoping to have it with coffee as an admittedly unhealthy breakfast, but no way.) The chocolate chips mostly sank to the bottom, so the bottom half of each slice was almost candy-like, and the heavv double dose of chocolate nearly obliterated the taste of banana–I think anything with the name banana bread should have banana as a major flavor, and this was basically a chocolate bomb. I think it would have been much more successful without the bits and will try it that way next time I have overripe bananas.
I agree with others that it would be helpful to filter out the compliments vs tips from people who actually tried the recipe (though Deb, you are amazing and do deserve all those compliments). The only thing I could think would be to have a like option on the comments and then you could filter them by most liked (e.g., most helpful).
Anyway, on to the recipe. Super tasty. Based on a perusal of the previous commenters, I made the following changes with success– ended up with one tasty loaf with a subtle banana flavor, and more of a dessert than breakfast food.
1. 2 bananas instead of 3, bc it was what I had
2. used ‘natural’/regular cocoa with the addition of 3/8 teaspoon extra baking powder (1/8 tsp for every 3 Tbsp of cocoa)
3. Used half whole wheat flour and half AP flour, instead of just AP
I only had unsweetened baking chocolate, so I used that for the chocolate chips and added about 4 tablespoons of plain nonfat yogurt to compensate. The resulting loaf was perfectly done at 50 minutes. With the unsweetened chocolate, it’s definitely a DARK chocolate taste, but I love that flavor so it worked for me!
Magical. I had five (five!) bananas all in a state of too-ripe-to-safely-carry-to-work-as-a-snack, so I definitely needed to do something, and this was the BEST possible something. It took me exactly 60 minutes in my oven, which is pretty new and I think pretty temperature accurate. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was so delicious. Brought some to my boss the next day and I’ll probably get a promotion (okay, maybe not the last part, but a girl can dream).
I agree with Janyll that this is a “chocolate bomb” but my chocolate chips didn’t sink, and I wouldn’t want it without the chips – it was so delicious with. And I still ate mine for breakfast with a glass of milk. Yum.
This is an awesome go-to recipe. I’ve made it three time now, I think. Thank you so much for your terrific recipes – my husband talks like you are his personal friend:)
Eating a piece of this as I type, with a cup of tea. Rich and delicious!
Should the butter be salted or unsalted?
You can use either, but skip any added salt if you use salted butter.
Will definitely bake this banana bread this week! Banana bread without chocolate just doesn’t seem right. Can’t believe I never tried a double choco banana bread before. Your recipes always turn out great so I’m looking forward to this one :)
Hi made this tonite, and it turned out really well
Very, very chocolately and not like banana bread , but still amazing.
I used regular cocoa and doubled the recipe and they still turned out great
I made this twice and did everything wrong and still ended up with absolutely fantastic loaves each time. I admit I had reservations as I’m not a fan of banana bread and I’ve always thought chocolate banana bread was an affront to chocolate. The first loaf I subbed in whole wheat flour and rye for half of the AP flour, canola oil for most of the butter, used still cold frozen bananas, used a creepy pitch black (even for dutched) cocoa power I got from a bulk bin, and replaced a majority of the chocolate chunks with sliced almonds.
I ended up with one of the best chocolate freaking cakes I’ve ever had in a loaf. It was awesome.
The next time I made it I did all walnuts instead of chocolate chunks, and decided to use all butter. I thought it was a little tougher than the last time I made it, but it still tasted great. I had assumed it was overmixing or the fact that I kept it in the oven an extra 10 minutes because I set the timer wrong, but no one else noticed the difference and devoured it.
Two days later I found the entire stick of (once) melted butter I was going to add in the microwave. I’m convinced this recipe is invincible and urge everyone to make it immediately. You can do no wrong!
My husband is not usually a big chocolate fan, but he loved this recipe. We couldn’t believe how well the banana taste came through! Thanks for another great one.
Ohmygosh I am in banana heaven! Just made this after school, and it was so nice to come home to after swim practice! I baked it in two pans, as I have had problems with burning banana bread in the past-and one loaf is gone after twenty minutes! Thanks so much for the recipe, I will definitely be making this again!
This was really good — moist and chocolaty. We ate every crumb. There is a but though — the banana flavor was not as prominent as we would have liked.
I have made this yesterday it turned out perfect ..so delish. It’s smell filled the house that my husband smelt it from outside our house…tastes wonderful ..definitely will make it again.. I substituted the processed cocoa with nesquik cocoa becoz I ran out of dark one..and also the brown sugar with caster plus 1 tbsp molasses.
.thnxxx for the gr8 recipe
This was amazing! A tip for those who don’t like their baked items too sweet — I used four *very* ripe bananas and omitted the brown sugar completely, and it was still plenty sweet. I’ll be making this again!
I’ve never made anything of the sort, and decided on a whim to try this. Apart from cocoa bombing my kitchen (those boxes are a pain sometimes), it turned out fantastic. Thank you for sharing the recipe! Everyone in the house loved it, so I’m going to make some and take it in to work next time ♥
DELICIOUS! Added the cinnamon and used 3 bananas. I think I could have used 4. Perfect balance bet chocolatey and banana!
Love this recipe! Truly is heaven, Deb! I used Guittard cocoa powder (unsweetened rare red dutch process) and Ghiradelli 60% cacao/bittersweet chips and it turned out amazing. It has an deep chocolate flavor with subtle banana notes; I did use 3 bananas, though one was a bit less ripe. My chocolate loving husband loves it and I will definitely make again.
Love your site and look forward to every posting. Thank you! (and Happy Mother’s Day)
I have made this recipe and it is delicious. I used whole wheat flour for more fiber and also I just read that regular cocoa, not dutch, contains more flavenoids.
My son is allergic to dairy so I substituted butter with canola oil, It came out great,
Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Tried making this today. It’s so delicious! :D Everyone at home really loved it. Thank you!!
I made the recipe according to directions and the bread tasted and looked fantastic. Moist, dense and rich chocolate flavor. Highly recommend.
Deb; this recipe is excellent, easy to make, tastes incredible (a little cayenne gives it an interesting twist). I made this a few months ago for a Shabbot for a group of people. The next day they emailed me asking for the recipe. I want to thank you very much as I use a lot of your Jewish food recipes as I am learning to cook Jewish.
You and your family have awesome recipes that delight everyone at the table. Thank you again. :)))))
I browse thorugh your posts every couple of weeks, looking for inspiration, and here I found an excellent recipe! First time I’m grateful for being Belgian/Dutch, because I aways have that cacao powder here ;-)
Very easy to make with most excellent results: my sister-in-law and I almost cleaned out the entire cake, my boyfriend had to hurry to get a piece himself (he liked it but wasn’t overly enthusiastic, but the women were extatic). The last piece (I made it yesterday evening and it’s now 10 AM) is sitting in front of my nose as we speak, waiting to be hovered up. Thanks!
I made this chocolate banana bread and it´s delicious!! Thank you for the great recipe!
FINALLY! I finally brought enough banana so that I’ve got some left even after waiting for it to spot. I used 3 large banana, added a dash of Amaretto, and only used 1/2c of brown sugar.
Oh gosh the scent wafting out of the oven when it was baking! And the chocolate chip that melt in my mouth! It is very VERY chocolaty. You can still taste a bit of banana but it’s a little overwhelmed. SO delicious fresh out of the oven.
Regular muffin pan baked for 20-25min, yields ~16 muffin (or 12/one pan and a mini casserole dish of a cake).
Finally made this today! The loaf did fall a bit after I took it out of the even (yes, I used Dutch process cocoa), but it was wonderful anyway. I can see why it didn’t last long in your house! My husband didn’t believe it has bananas in it, although I could taste them. Will definitely do this one again — would like to try it as muffins.
Hi, going to make this,but wondering is baking soda bicarb soda or baking powder ? they are the ones we have here in Australia and both different …….love your blog and of course your recipes….Thankyou
Norma — Baking soda is bicarb soda. Baking powder can actually made from baking soda, like so.
i usually make muffins instead of bread-never quite sure how long to bake them-i guesstimate and use the toothpick method and they usually come out pretty good-i just happen to have 3 bananas on the counter starting to turn brown-maybe Wednesday will be good-can’t wait
Made it this afternoon, turned out perfect! Love it! Super delish! Thanks for this recipe, it was so simple and quick! Will make it again soon.
Thanks, Deb, for your delicious recipes. I am SO GLAD Alex loves chocolate; I do, too. This banana-chocolate bread is scrumptious (sp?). I also like pumpkin, so I wonder whether you have any pumpkin-chocolate recipes to share. Thanks, again, for all you do on this wonderful site!
Mona — There were some pumpkin and chocolate brownies, but we didn’t care for them. I found the flavors strange together.
Saw this recipe at midnight and thought about the overripe bananas on my counter and made it. Yum yum yum. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Wonder how it’d taste w/ zucchini…?
This recipe sounds wonderful. You can always purchase bananas that are overripe or even have some brown spots. The more ripe, the more sweet they are. Grocery stores just dump what doesn’t look perfect. You can also freeze bananas and use them a little bit later. I’m ready to this recipe.
Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips is also quite yummy, I know it doesn’t sound like it, but the first time I tried it, it was absolutely scrumptious.
Made a double recipe of this over the weekend. It’s one of the best dessert breads I’ve ever tasted! Next time I’ll add walnuts.
Thanks, Deb.
This is absolutely delicious. I made this recipe 2 days ago and we crushed it. Now as I write this there is another one baking in the oven. Next time I try adding nuts,
I made this one for my work colleagues and it was absolutely delicious. I was skeptical about the chocolate but am glad i tried this. I plan to make more as end of the year thank you gifts to my son’s teachers.
Love it. I used natural cocoa and this came out with a beautiful crumb. I live at 1500 meters (the altitude of Denver) and changed nothing about the recipe except the natural cocoa. I buy my cocoa from the farm in Tabasco, Mexico. I sometimes really like the acidic fruitiness of natural cocoa powder and in this recipe I found it came off like raspberries which is quite lovely with bananas and chocolate (and pecans). I did add cinnamon and agree with Deb if you have good quality vanilla, and chocolate the cinnamon detracts from the blend of that with bananas. Thank you very much for this recipe. It was the first thing I baked in our new home and I am glad I did.
As SOON as it went into the oven I thought….WHY did I not put coconut in that? Next time.
I have made dozens of your recipes and this one is no different, it’s FABULOUS!!!
Wowzers. This is amazing! One of the best things I’ve ever baked. I used 1 cup gluten free oat flour instead of white flour and it turned out perfect! I also didn’t have a loaf pan (I’m visiting family with super basic kitchen) so I baked it as a cake in square pan. Thank you so very much for the fabulous recipe.
I’m so ready to try this. I second bananasandrice’s idea of adding coconuts. I’m going to see your coconut and raise you browned butter.
Rather than 1/2 cup butter(8 tablespoons), I’ll start with 10 tablespoons of butter, brown it which will be reduced to 8 and then rock on.
Brown butter is my new perfume :)
Just wonderful! It’s hot here so I “baked” it in the slow cooker.
Ok…I am new to baking so I didn’t know that all flours are not created equal…lol. I am going to try this again with the regular all purpose flour this weekend. I am on a contest prep right now so I cant have any, but I wanted to try this again with some ripe bananas I have. I must say that trying to oven ripe bananas is a no go…produces too much liquid. I will do it again the right way. oh and the applesauce kept it moist, I will just increase it the next time i try to make it “healthier” with the all wheat flour. I will keep you posted. I still loved the taste though…it was just more brownie like. lol!
I made this two nights ago using the recipe exactly as posted (without the cinnamon though). I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but…for me it was almost TOO rich and chocolatey! I think my tastes much have changed over the years, because five years ago I would have been scarfing this up with perhaps a small scoop of French vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of crème anglaise. I will say that of all the people who helped me to eat this I’m the only one with this “complaint”; everyone else raved about it so I consider it a great success and will definitely make it again.
I made this and it turned out amazing! It is SO unbelievably rich and delicious. It’s great warm out of the oven and several days later (if you can make it last that long). Just fantastic! I swapped out the butter and used coconut oil. Divine! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this and my husband AND my daughter both said it was delicious.
Simply spectacular banana bread. Followed recipe as written, without cinnamon, with semisweet chocolate chunks (highly recommend that part). Will definitely make again. I’m interested in trying it as muffins.
A winner for sure! I’ve made this several times since I found it and it’s awesome. I like it best with whole wheat flour and half a cup of chocolate chips. It has definitely usurped my old banana bread standby (a yummy Mark Bittman recipe with coconut). I may start “accidentally” buying too many bananas forever now! ;)
oh my gosh!!!! these are so amazing made three batches for my work!!!!! one question, should i use salted butter or unsalted butter for the future?
I just made this. IT WAS HANDS DOWN THE BEST BANANA (with choc) BREAD EVER!!!!!!!
I love this banana bread and everyone I gave some to loved it as well! I don’t think it’s overly sweet (I don’t know if that’s a testament to the level of sweetness that I’m used to!), but I used bittersweet chocolate chips which I usually prefer over semisweet.
Followed the recipe to a T (minus the cinnamon)… mine sank in the middle (why does it do that?), could have probably left it in the oven a little longer but it was so moist (had to put it in the fridge once cooled to help firm up). It tastes like a banana flavored brownie more than banana bread, but it is sooooo good. Tastes yummy with vanilla ice-cream :)
I made it today, great taste, just one suggestion – 1 cup flour is obout 160-180 grams, not 125.
1 cup of flour should always be in the 120 (the package weight from King Arthur) to 130 range (what many cookbook authors use) — I meet them in the middle. I occasionally see 140 grams, but have never clocked that or anything higher on my digital scale.
I made it last night and it is delicious and moist! I always put chocolate chips in my banana bread (and walnuts), and have wondered how adding cocoa would work. FYI, I throw extra ripe bananas in the freezer, so I usually have them on hand. Microwave them on defrost, and they work great (just try not to let them thaw so much that you lose the water that separates due to freezing). I made it “healthier” (gasp!) so it could be a breakfast food. I used whole wheat flour, Hershey’s cocoa, 1/4 cup each apple sauce and canola oil instead of butter, only 1/2 c. light brown sugar, and slightly less than 1/2 c. chocolate chips. I love cinnamon with chocolate, so I used it and was very happy I did. I also added 2 T vegetable protein. 10 slices, each slice is 225 calories, 5 g protein, 9 g fat.
I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I took a healthier spin and substituted the sugar for 1/3 cup of maple syrup, whole wheat flour instead of white, and raw cacao powder along with 58% cacao chocolate chips. I sprinkled cinnamon and a little bit of sea salt on top. It was such a great take on banana bread. Next time I may sprinkle coconut flakes on top. Thanks again Smitten Kitchen, as always you never disappoint!
I want to make this gluten-free but don’t have the special King Arthur flour mentioned in other comments. I do have coconut flour, almond meal, and buckwheat flour… how do you think I would fair using a mix of these? Any recommendations for the balance?
PS- I LOVE your site and was just telling someone how fabulous your recipe index is!
Hi! I first came across your blog as a suggestion from bloglovin’ and today since it is in the 70s and raining where I live, I made your chocolate banana bread. Oh my goodness, it is so good! Thank you! I had 2 large bananas and was a bit worried about that not being enough, but I did end up with a little over 1 cup mashed. I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and forgot to add the salt (I didn’t use the cinnamon either). Ooops. I had Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark (100% cacao) Blend of Natural and Dutch Cocoas on hand and I was tempted to use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour but stuck with AP for this first go. My chocolate chips were Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao bittersweet and well, the end result is pure chocolate heaven with banana. The chocolatey smell is still lingering in my home…I know I will not need to worry about freezing any of this wonderful chocolate banana bread….it will be gone before it comes to that. I think your recipe needs a better name…this one just does not do it justice. :-D
I have made this a bunch since you posted it and absolutely love it. Banana bread doesn’t usually work for me , I dry it out, but not this one even though I have to bake it a bit longer. I think my oven runs cool. To the person who said it might be good toasted, I can happily confirm it absolutely is.
I made this into cupcakes and they’re amazing! I used canola oil instead of butter (ran out of butter). Although slightly too much mixture to fit a 12er cupcake pan – so I ended up making a mini cake too :)
This makes me cry real tears every time I make/eat it. It’s that good! Thanks!
I’m dying only reading the recipe! Today I’m gonna make it!!!
It sounds delicious! I’m tempted to try it as a cupcake recipe – do you think it would work, or has someone tried? Would be grateful for any feedback. Thanks!
Sorry, just saw Tamsin’s comment – I will try cupcakes then :)
I just want to say that not only was I immensely happy with this “bread” (wink, wink…not cake AT ALL). Also, I happened to serve it for a book club and it just happened to get served next to my friend’s cheese and cracker tray. One of the guests thought to spread it with the honey drizzled goat cheese from the tray next to it and ohmyword! An out-of-this-world combo!
I saw this recipe on Yahoo.com while scrolling the news articles a few weeks ago. I promptly went home and made it! OH MY WORD! It was delicious! Loved it! Highly recommend this recipe :-)
This looks really amazing and very moist. I think I might try it with some candied walnuts pecans on top. Really glad I found this, delicious!
Hi Deb — I just made this delicious bread replacing the butter with melted coconut oil and half the chocolate chips with sweetened coconut and it turned out delicious! More of a very moist chocolate coconut cake than a banana bread but amazing nonetheless. Thank you!
I’ve been meaning to make this forever, and today I finally got around to it. I made it exactly as you wrote, except I only cooked it about 45 minutes and…
WOW. I am speechless. I expected it to be amazing, but I didn’t expect it to be THIS ABSURDLY AMAZINGLY GOOD. I was wondering how my boyfriend and I would manage to eat a whole loaf in 4 days, but there is no way it’ll last that long… I will be making this over, and over, and over again.
Btw, I also made your “favorite brownies” for a party last week, and they were a huge hit. I wasn’t sure I could trust someone who prefers brownies cold, but they’re basically perfect. My new favorite brownies :)
Hiya, I just made this today and it came out looking exactly like yours! After my husband and I had a little slice each to make sure it was OK, we thought we’d just hide it from the kids so there’d be more for us. (We did relent a little later, but reluctantly.) Wonderful cake, thanks for the recipe!
I just made this for my husband’s birthday – it’s a few days away and we will be camping so is seemed like a great option to make and freeze ahead. When we go to serve it I’ll throw a little ganache on to fancy it up. Great recipe!
Hi, I am confused about the recipe and the Dutched/natural dichotomy. Everything I read suggests baking powder and Dutched go together and natural is typically used with soda. The Dave Leibovitz link included in the comments even suggests that. Or am I missing something? Thanks, looking forward to baking this, perhaps as muffins.
As best as I understand it (and I welcome correction whenever I’m wrong), baking soda needs an acidic ingredient to activate; baking powder does not (it contains an acidic ingredient). Natural cocoa has a slight acidity, but Dutched cocoa has had it’s acidity neutralized (for a nuttier, deeper flavor). For this reason, Dutched is often not used in baking goods that ONLY have baking soda in them. But it’s not a hard and fast rule because as long as there is acidity somewhere — for example, even bananas are acidic! — your baking soda will be just fine. It’s rare that a baking good will simply not rise because Dutched cocoa + baking soda were used.
I think I may have found the answer with a second review of the comments. So it IS ok to use Dutch process cocoa with baking soda then. (Very annoyed that none of the cocoa at my local Fresh Market was actually labeled “Dutch process” but that’s a story for another day.
Thanks!
This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog and I make it often. Last night I made it in mini muffin tins and baked it for 9 minutes on convection. They came out great; way better than the loaf in my opinion! One recipe made about 4 dozen minis.
I love you.
I have made this 3 times now, and everyone thinks I am a superhero! These are truly perfect – I say these because I made muffins – takes about 50 minutes to cook, but wow they are moist and super chocolaty!
I love this recipe! I’ve made in many times in the past couple of months and it never lasts long enough to go stale. It’s delicious toasted, though I have to use a wooden spatula to get it out. The last time I made it, I threw in a handful of dried chopped cherries, delicious!
did not use sugar or butter and added 1 cup greek yogurt
50 minutes at 325 and comes out moist and delicious
also added 60 percent cacao chips 1 cup
We are now addicted to this. I made muffins of this today, and this evening’s dessert consisted of sliced muffin topped with fresh berries, topped with chocolate sauce (see http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Sauce-231351), with a little whipped cream on top. Double chocolate banana bread is not just for breakfast any more!
I made this last night and it was delicious. It’s already gone!
I’d like to make it now as muffins. Any instructions for baking time?
I made this chocolate banana bread. It is wonderful! Thank you! It freezes well too.
Monica — I haven’t made these as muffins yet, but see my response in Comment #146 Commenters #151, 191, 210, 228, 230, 291, 301, 332 and a few more have done so and offer suggestions. Enjoy!
Seriously love this bread, the only version I have managed to make successfully. Last time I made it, I added a handful of chopped dried cherries. Oh my.
This is a great recipe! However, I have a son who does not appreciate the banana-chocolate combination. I’d like to make this for him without the banana, because the intense chocolate flavor is killer. Can I sub applesauce, or is that too much liquid? Or do you have any other suggestions?
Bill — You might like the Everyday Chocolate Cake, with an almost equivalent chocolate intensity. You could add chocolate chunks to that.
i turned this into muffins and used 5 very riped bananas instead of 3. The outcome is very moist and delicious. This would make a great after dinner dessert but I cant see how people can eat this as bread. This is just overwhelminly sweet. It could be because of the extra bananas but I double that’s the only reason. I will try this recipe again and use only 3 bananas and maybe skip the cocoa powder and use wheat bran instead.
My 4 yo son and I made this delicous concoction this afternoon because we had all the chocolate ingredients. We are big fans of your jacked-up banana bread without the alcohol (i.e. we make it every week – sometimes twice a week). Now, we have a new favorite recipe – double chocolate banana bread!! This is so awesome. Thank you!!!
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My husband’s only complaint was that it was too chocolatey it kills all the banana aroma, but he finished it anyway. I baked this for 1 hour and let it sit for 10 mins in the oven. It looks exactly like yours but didn’t cut nicely, it breaks easily, more like a moist chocolate cake. Do I have to wait till it cool first or refrigerate it? Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Chocolate banana cake? I must be in heaven when I saw this post! Looks so YUM <3
This recipe is so wonderfully simple; I love it! Second time I made this bread but I forgot to put the eggs in. Turned out okay in the end, just not as good. I’ll definitely keep using this recipe though.
We made this last week and…holy moly…it was moist, rich, and delicious! Thanks much :)
Fantastic recipe,I want this immediately…
I already commented months ago. Just wanted to add that this recipe is fantastic as muffins. Bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean (a few crumbs is ok, just no batter). These are best if you take them out right away and don’t overbake. This recipe is my go-to for chocolate banana muffins. They are insanely rich and delicious. Thank you!!! (Note: we prefer them made with coconut oil..mmmm)
I have made this a number of times. delicious. fabulous. delicious. i routinely buy extra bananas just so i can make it. i am ruined. :)
Um, yeah, so there is all kinds of awesomeness going on in my tastebuds right now. Not to mention melted chocolate everywhere.
Holy cow this is a good recipe. I’m sad it’s taken me so long to discover the recipe on your blog! I used frozen bananas, only 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3 ounces chopped chocolate and made mini loaves, baked to 40 minutes. So ridiculously perfect. Yum. Thank you!!
Btw, you might want to start incorporating a “top” link to your sites! You’re getting so many comments, it takes forever to get back to the actual recipe! Haha
Tastes great! Does anyone have the calorie info for this? X
This was decadent! I used all white whole wheat flour and it doesn’t seem to have suffered at all! (And whole grain + bananas = health food no matter how much chocolate is involved!) I think this could make a great 1st birthday “cake” if you didn’t want to give your baby a total icing sugar shock. ;o)
Hai Deb,
I have tried this double chocolate banana bread, it taste delicious.
Love this one, really. Posted already on my blog and link back to smitten kitchen.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I love this! It’s easy to put together n it’s yummy! It does not taste like bread
Deb, I just wanted to stop by to tell you that I make this recipe at LEAST twice a week! Its a huge hit with my coworkers (and my husband and his soldiers!) Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
I also made your banana crepe cake this week… anddddd used your salted caramel last week… my waistline might not be happy, but what can ya do? Someone has to bake these things! :-)
I made a tropical version of htis last night — coconut oil instead of butter, grated ginger instead of cinnamon/vanilla. Delicious, even though I over-baked it.
Made this a couple of days ago… Loved it! And sooo easy to put together. It was demolished within a day…
My new favorite recipe for banana bread! I’ve already baked it three time and it turns out beautifully each time. It’s quite easy and fast to make, and it tastes so chocolatey and rich. I even indulged in some Valrhona cocoa powder… yummm…
Made it for the second time tonight, this time with some gluten-free AP flour that was on its way to (past) expired. Still amazing. I think the recipe is quite forgiving, but definitely weights (for dry ingredients) are better than measurements — my weigh-in for flour ended up being under a cup and the texture was perfect. I had a bagful of overripe banana in the freezer that was probably 3.5 bananas, and I added about a tablespoon of coffee rum again.
Silly question — should the brown sugar be packed when measured??
Madeleine — There are no silly questions and yes, brown sugar is usually packed and leveled in recipes, not that it’s fair to assume everyone knows that.
Amazing. I leave out the cinnamon. Took it work and people raved.
it is currently 10:23pm. There are 2 bananas on the counter screaming to be mashed, mixed, and baked with chocolate. decisions, decisions..
I’m travelling through New Zealand right now. Trying out new things every day. Your “bread” was now one of them. And it is delicious. I will share it with some people of the village and the host that is giving me a home here in Ongarue for two weeks. Thanks for that :)
Oh My Goodness! Made this last evening. The greatest banana bread recipe!! The chocolate takes it to an entirely different level, and the flavors are nothing short of perfect together. Thank you so much! I will be making this on a regular basis.
It looks so delicious! I will definitely try this recipe!
I made this for the second time today and the top was burned again before the inside was finished. My oven runs true to temperature, so I’d turn the heat down to 325.
Let me start off by saying this is one of my most favorite cooking blogs on earth. I can always count on your recipes to be raving hits. I couldn’t wait to finally try this bread. I didn’t like it. I don’t know what happened.
I’ve been a long time fan of your site and you have a few recipes I make very often. Your Jacked-up banana bread is one of them– at least until you posted this gem. I don’t know why I had never thought to make a chocolate banana bread before so thank you very much for this! I’m pretty sure I made it the day you posted it because I came to your site for the jacked- up recipe and I haven’t looked back since. I do make this, like most of my desserts, with flax eggs because I have a friend and now a boyfriend that can’t handle eggs. I have also subbed the regular butter for salted or coconut oil and both turn out great. I usually add a lot more of the spices as well because that’s just how I roll. :)
Made these into mini-muffins. Fantastico!!! Filled cups to the rim, 15 minutes bake time, 24 mini-muffins. Substitutions: I diced chilled bananas instead of mashing; Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa instead of dutch processed; about 2/3 cup mini Ghiradelli chocolate chips instead of 1 c regular sized chocolate chips; no cinnamon; an extra pinch of coarse sea salt.
I was successful making this with a regular loaf pan – totally loved it and was so proud of myself haha. How much should I fill mini loaf pans (I’ve got ceramic ones) and what do I adjust baking time to?
This delicious chocolate banana bread made me quite the popular gal amongst my co-workers when I brought it into the office. Just wonderful. I, too, skipped the cinnamon. The bread tastes especially good when it’s chilled. SO good!
Just took this out of the oven and my wife and I ate our first slice and WOW! Great job Deb! I cut the sugar a bit to 1/2 cup but added roasted walnuts. Also sprinkled with Kosher salt and all is right with the world.
My son went nuts for this when I made it and I want to make his birthday cake with it. Would you say that using a 9 inch cake pan instead of the loaf pan should give me a nice size layer (goal is to have 3, 9 inch layers so thinking i just triple this recipe)? Also, I was thinking of a lightly sweet whipped cream frosting for the outside, but do you have a suggestion for something chocolate-y for between the layers? My dream would be Nutella (obviously :)), but there are guests with nut allergies. Thanks so much and love love love your site.
Moist, delicious and hit the chocolate craving spot. We really wanted muffins so we just put into muffin cups and recipe made 13 muffins. Cut chips in 1/2 and added slivered almonds and used all white whole wheat. Between the four of us and our downstairs neighbors, gone in 3 days. Thank you, Deb!
I LOVE this bread. I make it all the time. I’m assuming I could figure it out but figured I’d ask since I’m on the page…(I memorized this recipe…sad?) do you think it would bake well or be too dry if I doubled it and baked it on a sheet pan or a 9×13?
I’m surprised that this recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa powder. When I researched the difference between Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder I found that Dutch-process should be paired with baking powder, and natural cocoa is paired with baking soda. I don’t see any baking powder in this recipe so I’m wondering why Dutch-process cocoa is being used. I haven’t read through all 400+ reviews and apologize if this has already been addressed.
Sadie — I have read that many, many times but, in practice, it’s not a hard and fast rule. (See also my response to this same question in #441.) It’s not about Dutched cocoa needing baking powder; it’s about baking soda needing an acidic ingredient to activate. (Baking powder contains an acid; it’s a blend of baking soda and cream of tartar.) Dutched cocoa isn’t acidic; natural (U.S.-style) cocoa is slightly so that takes care of it. But as long as there is an acidic ingredient SOMEWHERE in the recipe, it doesn’t need to rely on the cocoa for it. Here, bananas themselves are acidic. I believe brown sugar is somewhat as well, etc. Hope that helps!
I tried this yesterday & LOVED it. So delicious. Perfect for a chocolate-lover! Keep up the good work.
I made this recipe as written, with the addition of an extra banana (I had 4 lying around, and wanted to make sure the banana flavor came through) and about 1/4 c. of bourbon. The flavor was great, but the bread itself was somewhat dense and gummy. I’m not writing this as a criticism of the recipe, which I’m sure is excellent as written, but as an FYI for anyone else who wants to change the banana ratio — better stick to the letter of the recipe. I’m still enjoying it very much though. Thanks Deb!
Hi, just made it this morning and all my family loves it! I used only a third of the sugar and added a table spoon of grape molasses (an iron-rich syrup very commonly used for breakfast in Turkey, where I live). Oh and instead of chocolate chunks I added a few walnuts.
I love your recipes and so when I was looking for a new banana bread recipe with a chocolate twist, of course I came here first..;)
Best greetings from Turkey!
Hi Deb,
Can I skip the egg?
Thanks
Alice
Alice — It may not be a total flop without it, but it is the binding of the cake; it won’t hold together well without it.
My 3 yo son asked for chocolate banana cake and this was the perfect recipe! Sooo chocolatey but not over-rich. I did try and be ‘healthy’ and replaced 1/2 the butter with applesauce – so 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup applesauce – and it came out divine! Thanks Deb for scrumptiousness as always – I turn to you first every time I want to bake something out of my repertoire!
Made this to take to friends’ for dinner. Big Hit. I made it according to the recipe except for I did half white and half whole wheat flour, because that’s what I had. My friend, who died over it, but is much more health conscious than I am, redid it the next day. She subbed low fat yogurt for the butter, used 100% whole wheat flour and coconut sugar instead of regular brown sugar. Results? Just as amazing. I’m going to try her version today and see if I agree.
Hi! My friend brought ‘your’ cake over for dessert. Delicious. I made one the next day. In the interest of ‘health’ (for a chocolate cake…I know, but I do what I can where I can), I substituted inn 100% whole wheat flour instead of white flour and subbed no-fat yogurt for the butter (savings of just under 800!!! calories)–total success. Still moist and a great texture.
hate finding typos after posting…I subbed in 100% …
Well, I have arrived at a certain time of the month and made this ‘to take to rehearsal’, and I just ate one and I am totally floored. Exactly the chocolate hit I needed, and came together so fast. I used organic cane sugar because my dark brown had gone hard, subbed in about 1/4 cup of spelt for the A/P, Made muffins instead of a loaf and they were done in about 25 minutes. Thanks so much Deb!
I was looking for something different to do with my ever present bananas in the freezer … this is amazing! Tasted so much better than I expected, as I’m not that big a fan of banana bread. Thanks :)
Used four medium insanely overripe bananas. Added a big handful of chopped toasted pecans. Halved the chocolate chunks. Used half butter and half oil because I was out of butter. This is cake that’s trying to pretend it’s bread but what utter fabulousness of a pretence it is. Intense hit of chocolate, distinct banana flavour, delicious crunch of toasted nuts, faint notes of the cinnamon and vanilla. This will be what makes Monday entirely bearable for my workplace tomorrow. Thanks Deb.
Just made this banana bread in two 8×4 pans, baked for 33 minutes. They are squatty but so very delicious!!
I just made this but I did not include the cocoa powder. So good!!! Thanks for the recipe. :)
Making this recipe for the SECOND time because it was just SO delicious the first time around! HIGHLY recommend it. It was gone within a day and a half, THATS how fabulous it is!
Thanks for sharing, looking forward to following your blog journey!
Dutch-processed is usually paired with baking powder, whereas this recipe uses only baking soda. I only use natural baking powder; hence, swapping the Dutch-processed for natural should result in a fabulous finished produce. I’ll find out this afternoon and update. I’m off to buy semi-sweet chocolate chips and natural cocoa powder.
This recipe is incredible. INCREDIBLE. Also – FYI – I only had one lone (though huge) banana, so I replaced half of the amount called for with some grated yellow beets that I had on hand. It turned out beautifully, with nary a beet seen or tasted.
OMG this recipe is simply to die for!! I followed your recipe but made a few adjustments to what I had on hand. I used whole wheat flour, a bar of dark chocolate cacao from trader joes and Hershey’s extra dark cocoa powder. I’m gonna make another loaf tomorrow because my hubby and I just can’t get enough and I know my friends and family will too. Thank you for sharing!!
Made this a couple days ago and it was Amazing!!!! YUM!!!!
just made this last night. definitely not a traditional banana bread — closer to chocolate cake if anything — but it’s phenomenal. i opted to include the cinnamon and i also sprinkled in a bit of espresso powder too. this recipe rocks! thanks deb :)
Looks Yummy!! In the oven NOW!! :)
This is without doubt the best way to use any ripe bananas. The chocolate taste was so intense and fabulous! There’s not much banana flavor here, but I’m not complaining at all! The bread was moist and delicious but it kinda fell apart when I tried to slice it after cooling for a couple of hours. Any idea why this happens?
This is delicious if you omit the sugar.. The bananas and chocolate make it plenty sweet enough. I also recommend switching all of the flour for whole grain, but that depends how hearty you like your banana bread.
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to give it a try
My picky kids won’t eat banana bread (of the shame…) anyhow, do you feel the banana in this bread? is there a way to make it less noticeable?
Gili — It’s as much a chocolate cake as it is a banana bread. :)
Do you think I can add coconut rum or would that be mingling to many flavors?
Thanks, Deb. I don’t like banana bread but I find myself with extra very ripe bananas right now. Suffice to say, I will be making this.
Oh gosh. I made this yesterday, and just pulled another one out of the oven today. So dang good!
I made this yesterday and added walnuts. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
Okie doke. This is ridiculous good. My kiddos couldn’t get enough of it! I do, however, have to agree with my nearly 2 year old daughter in her assessment of its title…as she stood at the counter on her stool literally grabbing handfuls from the loaf saying, “More cake!!” It truly does land squarely in the cake category. Excellent recipe!
I’m fasting for Ramzan right now, and this is making me so emotionally confused. I think the dominant emotion is genuine sadness that I can’t eat this right now.
Sam — You must like to torture yourself, visiting food blogs while fasting! Hope it’s an easy one.
I made this tonight with my tiny tyrant. He loved sifting and we both loved scarfing it down. SO. GOOD.
SERIOUSLY. So. Very. Good.
If it helps anyone, I made this using regular unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch process, without changing anything else about the recipe. It turned out great! Love the balance of the chocolate, banana, and chocolate chips!
This is currently in the oven with 20 minutes left. It smells AMAZING and I can’t wait to dig in!!!
The banana bread turned out beautifully, ate the entire thing myself! Thank you! Love your recipes!
omg! So good!
Hi! Does anyone on here know how to double this baking recipe? Ive heard that you can’t simply just double the ingredients. I made this recipe a few weeks back for a get-together and people loved it so much that they have asked me to bake it again but bring two loaves. Yeah, it’s THAT good! Any tips or how to’s???
Carrie — You can double it by doubling everything. I’ve done it often.
I’m almost out of cocoa powder but I do have a jar of RAW CACAO powder. Is it possible to use this?
My family loves this recipe. I always make it into muffins, because we can’t wait long enough for a loaf to bake. Anytime you can legitimately have cake for breakfast, it’s a winner day!!
I made this while on vacation visiting my family. I actually found Dutch-processed cocoa powder in the local March grocery store. My favorite part was biting into the chunks of chocolate after it had cooled. Some family members couldn’t taste the banana, but I could taste it just fine.
Deb, why doesn’t this have bourbon in this? I think I need to fix this…
Made this today. WOW!!!
Deb- I loathe and love you for this recipe! I will turn my nose to regular banana bread from here out. This has joined the ranks of “Smitten staples” in our house. Thanks!
I’m obsessed with this bread!!! I make if for everyone :) If I make as cupcakes, how long should I bake for?
That is simply amazing!
I just made it today and wow.. amazing yummy!!.
My 1st choc banana bread I ever eat!.. my kids like it too!
Thanks for the recipe.
I reduce sugar amount and using corn oil because I dont like butter(kind of smell)emm..
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for the second time yesterday, last time with chocolate chips, this time with chocolate chunks. It was incredible!
People!!! If you do not make this YOU ARE CRAZY!! my kids detest bananas but they ate this bad boy with wild abandon! I will be making about 12 of these to give away for christmas gifts it was THAT GOOD!!
Just made this for the second time. It’s a hit at the office but seems a bit dense. Really only 1 tsp of baking soda?
James — 1 teaspoon is actually high. The cake standard is 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of flour. That said, this is supposed to be a pretty dense cake; most moist banana breads are. You can use a little less banana to make it less dense.
I LOVE this banana bread. I look forward to my bananas going brown now.
I have made this twice now following the exact recipe. I want to know if I want to make it eggless for my husband’s nephew, who has an egg allergy, could I use 1/4 cup Greek yogurt instead of the egg?
Thanks.
Btw I just wanted to add that my husband who HATES banana bread could not stop eating this!
Found this while browsing “Surprise Me!” random recipes and the prep looked so simple I just couldn’t resist. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it called for dutched cocoa instead of regular, and we only had regular in the house, so with a wince I went ahead and used what we had and prayed that it would come out ok. My cocoa swap may be responsible for the mediocre rise of the loaf in the pan, though I’m perfectly ok with my banana bread being moist and dense, and maybe the dutched cocoa would have imparted a deeper chocolate flavor. Either way, the heel that I sliced off for a taste test disappeared so quickly down my gullet that I was a little disgusted/shocked at my utter lack of self control, so even if I did botch the recipe a little bit, it’s still perfectly palatable! My husband refuses to try it and has demanded that I remove it from our residence immediately, lest he be tempted to gobble up the rest of the loaf this weekend. I’m thinking we’ll have to share our waistline busting baking with our neighbors?
Lovely, quick recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
What is the most you have increased this recipe by? Doubled, tripled. I would like to make several loaves for gifts for the holidays! Just wanted to check. Also, have you made these in mini loaf forms? If so, what size and any other info one should know (changes in temp, how long did they bake for)? Thanks so much! I know Williams Sonoma has the mini gold touch pans, but there are different sizes even for mini/small ones!
This is a really nice moist chocolate cake, which tastes a bit like bananas. It is interesting with the cinnamon …. it gives it that ‘little something’ to move it from being traditional chocolate cake (but I have never been totally convinced of the cinnamon/chocolate combination). Watch the time though – mine only needed about 50mins.
I’ve made this a few times now, and just want to add a note that I prefer the flavor with Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder. It makes the bread intensely chocolaty! I’ve tried it with dutch processed and regular unsweetened powder as well, and definitely prefer the dark cocoa power.
HELP!!! I am making the TINY BUT INTENSE CHOCOLATE CAKE from the book but I only have an 8″ pan. Cannot find a 6″. Should I adjust the recipe or just count on a thinner cake. What about baking time??
Thanks.
Maggie — You could almost double it in an 8-inch or just make a thinner cake that would bake quickly.
Deb, I just made this for the third time in 2 weeks, and needed to thank you! This recipe goes together quickly, and is so yummy! You rock! Note: I have made it with and without cinnamon, and it’s great either way! Last week, I used a healthy tablespoon of Bailey’s Irish Cream (leftover from the holidays)… Very nice! :)
I made this. The bread is delicious but it did not rise. I used very ripe bananas that had been frozen, a 50/50 blend of dark brown and white sugar, a blend of 80/20 AP and whole wheat flour, and Dutch processed cocoa (Droste).
I have baked this, as well as the Browned Butter banana bread from Food 52, using the gluten free flour mix from Gluten Free Girl, adding 1/2 tsp ground chia seed for each cup (140 gms) of flour. It is a mix of 400 gms millet flour, 300 gms sweet rice flour, 300 gms potato starch. You can either mix it thoroughly in a stand mixer, or sift it back and forth 3-4 times. Or, you can buy it from her website, glutenfreegirl.com. I have never used either xanthan or guar gum, only the ground chia, which I grind in my coffee grinder.
This was exactly what I was hoping it would be! Made it substituting 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil for the butter. And then, because I was craving a banana bread that had a bit of more of a chew/texture to it (I know, it’s weird!), I used 25 grams of wheat bran and the rest (100 grams) all purpose flour. It was perfect. I will be making this again!!!
The children in my classroom saw me eating a piece of this cake. Now they donated ripe bananas so i could make it for them.
Hi! I’ve made this recipe several times and its one of our family favorites. Today, I’m making the batter into cupcakes and I’m also going to use your dulce de leche recipe to make into a dulce de leche buttercream frosting for the top of them. It is Mardi Gras, after all! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and ideas!
I really loved this. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. I was wondering how this banana bread will turn out as a birthday cake with frosting?
Your blog is very cute, but seriously, you can’t eat as much as you say you do, sorry! :D Unless there are like, 100 people in your family. Ok, then you could. I’m almost tempted to try this recipe, because I do have the world’s best banana bread recipe, but cocoa.
I made this few days ago and it was gone in a blink! We had it warm (after I forced my teens and friends to respect the “10-15 minutes Deb says you need to wait!!!”) Needless to say, I cannot comment on how left overs keep…but if you enjoy your kids and their friends chatting with you in the kitchen, gathered around your table while they stuff themselves silly, this is our recipe.
Apologies if this is a sacrilegious question, but can I substitute margarine for the butter? I would like to serve this as a parve dessert for Shabbat. Looks insanely delicious. Thank you!
I made this GF and vegan and it was inhaled!
This will be a standard!
DE-LI-CIO-SO!
I made this last night and it was delicious! How can I make it gluten free (I want to make it for a friend).
I make this so often and it is always, always a hit. Thank you!
Can anyone tell me if the chocolate chunks melt, or if they stay chunky? I can’t stand chocolate chips in brownies, muffins, etc, but if I used chopped chocolate and it melts, that would be great.
Thanks to the poster who suggested Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. It’s a mix of dutch and natural, which I hadn’t realized, and I know my local stores carry it. I read in David Lebowitz’s blog that dutch process cocoa is hard to find outside of Europe.
Christy — They should stay in chunks, or melted chunks.
Made this last night because I had some bananas that needed to be turned into something delicious, and this was PERFECT! I made a couple substitutions based on what I had on hand, and it still turned out great! I used 2/3 cup AP flour (all I had left) and then 1/3 cup bread flour. I also used Hershey’s cocoa instead of dutch process (again, because I had it on hand!). I did a mix of dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.
This was super moist, and it almost tastes like a chocolate banana brownie! Adding this recipe into my rotation for what to do with over-ripe bananas!
Thanks for sharing!!!
So, I grabbed for the vanilla extract (which I typically keep near, but not inside, the small wooden box I keep the gobzillion other extracts in, since I use it most) and, being the confident baker I am, opened it and poured straight from the container into my bowl of banana-sugar-egg-butter mixture. (Who needs a measuring spoon when you have muscle memory?) And noticed it was clear. Realized I made a mistake and hoped it was at least almond extract, or maybe orange. Then I immediately smelled that it was lemon extract. Not vanilla extract. My son was helping me, so he was stirring while I added ingredients and while I was able to get some of it out, most of it was absorbed into the wet ingredients before I could stop it. HAHA! Well, heck, we just went with it. Then, because no I do not always prep my baking pans before I gather my ingredients and start, I realized I lost every single loaf pan I own, apparently. So, we ended up with double-chocolate-banana-lemon mini-loaf, mini-mini loaf, and mini-muffins. 15 minutes out of the oven they tasted, surprisingly, not as bad as I feared but do have a slight “hmmm”ness to them that they could certainly do without, and a slight aftertaste that I can’t seem to shake. My son doesn’t seem to mind so I foresee these going into the freezer for future snacks rather than sharing them with his teachers as I’d planned. I also foresee me reading the labels in my future. Probably. :)
This was fantastic!! Making for the second time in a week!!
I made a cinnamon version of this by doubling the cinnamon and using cinnamon chips instead of chocolate and it was wonderful. Thanks for always having such delicious recipes!
I had to make some little changes because of the 9400 ft altitude and the fact that some bureaucrat in some ministry outlawed baking soda. Not to worry. I’ve been messing with recipes for more than half a century. Hey, at my age, it’s one of the few enjoyable things I can do that’s legal.
I’m in the perfect place to experiment with bananas. Ecuador’s the original banana republic. At any time of year, there’s around 20 different kinds of bananas. Yes, I made 3 perfect loaves, and my friends and clients love me for it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Deb, for turning my 21 month old daughter into a major whinger. She knows exactly where this is on the counter and every 5 seconds I swear she runs over there, reaches up and makes this pitiful sound that would make anyone who didn’t know us think the poor girl was never fed! And she seems to have a constant stain of chocolate around her mouth
Needless to say I think I will be forced to make this on a weekly basis. But surely it’s healthy, right? There’s banana, so it’s fruit and not just a rich decadent chocolate cake, right?
People who commented disnt actually made the recipe. It is overrated. I followed the recipe but i find it so bitter, i peraonally didnt like it.
Mj — Bitter as in overcooked or bitter as in the chocolate wasn’t sweet enough?
Lovely, lovely banana bread recipe! My husband usually waits for me to do something with overripe bananas (actually, with anything that’s about to go bad) and this did not disappoint. I read through the thread about Dutch process vs non-Dutch, because I had cacao powder on hand. I cut the baking soda by half and got 15 muffins (baked at 350 for 20 minutes) that didn’t fall after rising. Intense chocolate flavor that wasn’t super-sweet…well done, Deb :)
I made this this week (with the cinnamon), and it’s so good. I mentioned it in the recommendations section of my most recent blog post. I really was skeptical about all the chocolate in the banana bread, but my friend, who is your die-hard fan and is a pastry chef herself, convinced me to try this. I’m so glad I did. The recipe now resides in the family book of favorite recipes. Thanks again!
Just made this, amazing…. amazing…
All I can say is: AH-MAZ-ING!! And I love that despite its chocolatey goodness it is still called ‘bread’. This is my kind of bread!! May try to add some walnuts next time. Have you ever?
This banana ‘bread’ has become the standard in our household to which all other baked goods are compared. My roommate (a serious Russian man who doesn’t dole out compliments very often) will taste something I’ve baked, chew thoughtfully, then usually proclaim “It’s good… but it’s no double-chocolate banana bread”.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes with the world.
Love this! Extremely rich. I only had Hershey’s special dark cocoa, which isn’t really dutched chocolate (label says “a blend of natural and dark cocoas…) so mine rose and sunk. But the flavor…OMG. I would not call it “bread”, it’s very much a “cake”. Thanks very much for sharing your recipes. I haven’t tried one that hasn’t been outstanding.
Very tasty! I only had milk chocolate chips so I added a little instant coffee to increase intensity of chocolate. My husband loved it. It’s a great, easy, everyday cake-perfect for brunch or tea.
Just made this with only half a cup of very high quality chocolate pieces. Simply divine. My daughter is taking it to a sports’ training camp and I am afraid it may never make it there!
I made this this morning–my family loves it. Mine didn’t rise as much as yours because I only had natural cocoa powder but nobody’s complaining. :) I added 1/2 t instant espresso powder and didn’t add cinnamon. I have about nine million ripe bananas in the freezer–this was a fantastic way to use some up and very easy to throw together!
Holy Toledo! This is the most divine bread I have ever made and eaten..Thank You!!!
This “bread” is really a moist, gooey, addictive chocolate banana cake. I have to limit how often I make it because I literally can’t stay away. Oh, and neither can my 2 yr old, who says “more choca-nana cake, please!” It’s fantastic. Thanks, Deb, for another winning recipe!
Just stumbled across this recipe and luckily happened to have 3 sad-looking bananas on hand. I made it as muffins (easier for lunch boxes) – if you reeeeally scrape the bowl you can just eke out a dozen – used non-Dutched cocoa (what I had on hand), and baked for 28 minutes. Delish, and love that I only need one bowl, one whisk, and one spoon.
This was an easy one to make. I didn’t measure my cocoa powder (there were no weights… sniff…) and just dumped in the last of what I had left in the jar. A girls gotta take risks sometimes! I also had only 80 grams of chocolate but I figured it’s okay to do that.
It took 60 minutes to bake, even with the fan on. I just had a taste and wow! If it tastes this good with half the chocolate… I don’t even wanna know! Thanks Deb.
THE BEST BANANA BREAD I HAVE EVER EATEN! Absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing! It’s so dense, rich, and chocolatey. This is def going into the family recipe box
I made this into a layer cake (the recipe translated perfectly to 2 8″ rounds) with maple whipped cream frosting and strawberries and it was fantastic!
I am an 8-year old boy, and I made this with my mom. It’s awesome!
I made this yesterday and brought to the office. Everyone liked it and thought i was a pro! Thank you :) More recipes please
The other day I had bananas that were about 6 hours from being trashed (my freezer’s too full of nearly 20 pounds of blueberries right now..yes, really…to freeze bananas) and since I had just bought the Hershey’s dark cocoa, and have wanted to make this recipe for awhile, made this. I absolutely love this….I like eating someone else’s banana bread, because then I can have…one slice. I like the fact that the banana flavor is almost an aftertaste in this. One mistake I made was that I had only about 1/2 cup of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips, and I had to fill up my measuring cup with Nestlé mini morsels. The larger chips give the bread luscious pockets ooziness that the little chips don’t, and I definitely will make this again, with the larger chips in full measure! Deb, I’ve been following your blog since shortly after Jacob was born, and my daughter has been following you since well before that. She and I have both made a number of your recipes and I have to honestly say we haven’t hit a “meh” one yet! Love your posts. You rock! (and your adorable family, too!)
This recipe is amazing. I’m not really a fan of bananas or banana bread but when I made this for my fiance…….”OH MY GOD” it’s like heaven flew in my mouth and now I can’t stop eating it. Soooooooooo good.
I made this recipe into muffins and added pecans. Baked for 15 minutes on 350 degrees. My husband loves them!
Sorry baked them for 25 minutes not 15.
Hey Deb,
I made this today and while it is not going to be uneaten, the texture is a bit dry and brownie like. I baked it for less than 50 mins at 350. I also added a little more than half a cup of roasted hazelnuts to the batter; do you think that could be the issue? Do I need more liquid to compensate for the additional nuts? The bananas I used were medium sized. Would love to know what you think.
Thanks!
Were the hazelnuts chopped or whole? If chopped well, it can add a powdery/dry effect. You also might wait until tomorrow. Just about all quick breads seem twice as moist the second day. Wrap it well, keep it at room temperature.
Thank you, will do. I crushed the nuts with a knife and chopped them roughly. Will try adding more liquid next time
My loaf pan was wider, so I only baked it 35 minutes. It was perfect. Start checking with a toothpick at 35 minutes next time.
It’s in the oven. Will make comments later. I am on my way to work. I had 3 over ripe bananas. { (I have been catching feral cats (16) and raccoons (12) }since Monday. Nededed to find a quick recipe for the bannas. And there it was!
Hi Deb, I’ve made this a couple of times with regular loaf pans (so SO good!). But now I want to try making this as a layer cake using 2- 6″ round pans. How much should I fill each pan? Half way? Do I bake at same temp, but less time? Any input would be great. Thanks!
I’m sorry, I haven’t made it in those size pans. Halfway is usually a safe start.
Thank you for another stellar recipe which my work family loved!! My family-family says it’s more like a rich gooey delicious cake , not a “bread”….. but as long as I make it, I don’t think it matters what I call it!!!
I had 4 bananas on my counter so I used all 4 and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. I used whole wheat flour which means it’s officially breakfast food, so I made it into muffins. They were perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
May I ask if your bananas were very large or medium sized? Also approximately how long did you bake them for? Looking to use whole wheat flour as well and I’m not sure how long to bake muffins for. Thanks in advance! :)
Made this today with a few adjustments; I used natural cocoa powder and thus reduced the baking soda a tiny bit, I swapped half the butter for a heaping 1/4 cup of applesauce, used mostly white whole wheat flour, and added a hint of almond extract. It took at least 70 minutes to bake, but it came out super moist, chocolatey, and delicious. It’s basically healthier chocolate cake (although the “healthier” part is ruled out by the fact that I’ll probably eat twice as much).
Eating this on day two and oh my goodness it’s even better. It’s like the moistest chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Now every time I have ripe bananas I’m going to be torn between making healthy, breakfasty bread and addictive, succulent chocolate cake.
I want to use cacao powder also. Why do you adjust the baking soda? I’m also planning on using half almond flour and half cake flour (because I don’t have any all purpose flour on hand)
I love this recipe, my kids love it, the neighbor kids love it—it’s an all around win. I use 4 medium-to-large sized bananas and leave out the cinnamon. Make sure you watch the baking time…mine is done in about 40 minutes. So good!
I was making this while watching the Office and not paying attention to how much flour I was putting in, and accidentally added two cups! Figuring I had come this far already, I added the chocolate and put it in a 9×9 cake tin. I baked it for about 30 min. It was still delicious (if a little deflated, I guess not enough baking soda) and chocolately! Thank you Deb for making an idiot-proof banana bread/cake!
Great. I used cinnamon and added ground coffee to intensify the flavor. Nice dense loaf with flavor
So yummy!! I’m definitely going to try and make these into muffins. Thank you!!
Just made this… so yummy!
Used a mixture of bittersweet, semi sweet and milk chocolate chips
I also added a teaspoon of espresso powder gives a surprising extra chocolate kick
Very good quick bread. Nice and moist, wasn’t too sweet and had really good flavor. The only thing is my bread was very crumbly and didn’t hold shape very well when cut like in the pictures. Not sure why? Oh well, would make again :)
We love this recipe! We make it at least once a month. I swapped the butter for olive oil in my last batch and loved the outcome- reminds me of your chocolate olive oil cake (another favorite in our house)! My mom and I are both huge fans of yours (and our families that get to enjoy the finished products)! I’ve also enjoyed the first two episodes of your podcast. Thank you for sharing so many delicious recipes with us!
PS. I am a new mom to a red headed daughter- hard to tell if she will have curls like your red head, but I hope so! :)
Not a goood recipe, dry and crumbly and hard like a brick to think it was only baked for 40 mins. The chocolate overpowers the banana. Too much choco powder. I wont do it again. I threw it in garbage.
The batter seems dry probably be ause i had only 2 bananas! I added a splash of milk and creme fraiche (eyeballed it). To make it more cupcake batter consistency. Also added chooped walnut.
They are in the oven now in mini muffin tins, hoping they will be ready soon as a reviewer suggested 15 minutes in muffin tins.
The batter was delicious, thanks for sharing. Hooe this turns out good! I am not used to melted butter as i always cream butter and sugar together!
Will update when made!
Hey Deb (and community)! I’ve come back to make this again soon, but I’m short a banana!
Would adding an extra egg (or some other egg substitute, since I know bananas can sometimes substitute for eggs) be an okay fix, or do you think there might be some problems (maybe too rubbery)?
Thanks so much!
The bananas here don’t work as eggs. I’d replace with applesauce or yogurt, something creamy.
Thank you! Should I try to fill up to 1 cup total (bananas + yogurt)?
I used a 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for one of the bananas, and it turned out great n
Hi Deb,
This looks amazing! My family is skeptical of adding chocolate to banana bread as well, and I want to make this to prove them wrong! I have some very ripe bananas I’d like to use now, but then we’ll be away for a few weeks. So I’m wondering whether this freezes well?
Thanks!
Silly question: “1/2 cup butter, melted” means measure the 1/2 cup and THEN melt it – correct? Not 1/2 cup melted butter?
It’s 1/2 cup melted butter. I wrote it the way I did because butter usually comes in 1/2 cup (8 ounce) “sticks” in the U.S., i.e. grab one of those and melt it.
Didn’t have ripe bananas, but found a hack online. Took my three “normal” bananas and baked them for 20 minutes at 300F. Turned them black and squishy … worked perfectly AND I didn’t have to wait days for my bananas to get ready.
Can I use cacao powder instead?
I had no idea it was something different! Thus, I haven’t ever cooked with it. If you’ve used it in other cake recipes, it will probably work here too.
It is in the oven right now. And it is 175 Cesius, right?
@Alison: I weighted 45g Cocoa powder.
Easy and it looks delicious. Thank YOU!
Yes. Hope it is a hit.
Turned out delicious! As I skipped the sugar for agave and added a little bit more flour, it was a little bit chewy as not to risen enough. Next time I will separate the eggs and whip up the eggwhites. I forgot to take a picture, will next time.
I made a double batch of this because I had twice the required number of squidgy bananas. Oh my goodness, so glad I did! Is it weird that this might become my go-to chocolate cake recipe? One cup of cocoa powder in a cake is the RIGHT amount, none of this two tablespoons business!
Also I added some coconut flakes on top for crunch. Yum!
I like peanut butter chips in banana bread, bet they would be awesome in this loaf
yum!
How long should I bake 3 small loaves? Need as gifts for dinner invitations. This recipe looks soooooo good!
Hi Deb, I made this last night but halved the recipe instead and baked it at 160 degrees Celsius (fan-assisted oven) for 48min as the loaf looked like it was drying up. However, the inside of the bread came out rather cakey and crumbly; unlike yours which looks nice and dense. Any advice on how I can rectify the problem the next time I bake this again? Thanks!
Can I use natural cocoa?
I just made this! I only had 2 bananas and not 3. It turned out VERY chocolately and not very sweet. I think next time, if I only have 2 bananas, I’ll add more sugar to balance out the bitter/semi-sweet chocolate. I will also make sure to use sweeter chocolate. I didn’t have any semi-sweet, so now I understand why it wasn’t sweet enough….still delicious! Serve with a tall glass of milk :) YUM.
Hi Deb! I’ve made this once before – despite not liking fruit mixed with my chocolate, I thought it was really good! I’d like to make it again for a dairy free friend – would it work okay to just substitute 1/2 cup canola oil for the butter?
Made this yesterday exactly as directed, and oddly, it is half gone. 4 days? I don’t think so. It was perfect, and I was surprised how banana-y it is. I may throw in a few hazelnuts next time.
Can you taste the bananas under the chocolate or does the chocolate flavor hide the bananas? I was going to make regular banana bread soon but this looks really good…
If one were to turn this into cupcakes, what kind of frosting do you think would pair well? Caramel? Regular chocolate?
Don’t stop to question whether or not you should make this – run, don’t walk to your kitchen! It’s like warm happiness in a loaf tin, and the chocolate chips are melty inside (I used two ripe bananas and a bit of Greek yogurt in a pinch, it worked very well.)
Dangit! I only have 2 very ripe bananas.
I LOVED this, but I have to admit it didn’t taste super banana-y. Is it supposed to? Not complaining either way, since the banana obviously lent itself to insanely rich texture. But if I were to want more banana flavor, how would you suggest going about it?
This looks divine! But what can i use instead of the egg? family members are allergic!
This comment mentions using a flax egg.
Just made this/ate this. Best Banana Bread recipe ever!
I’ve had bananas in my freezer for… a very long time. i am more of a cook than a baker and it was never the right time, even though i had always heard that banana bread was “so easy!”. So the snowday today was the perfect time for this bread. I didn’t have enough butter and, being in a snow storm, had no means to get it. I figured I just needed something with fat and substituted sour cream (that I had just bought to make this incredibly delicious stilton dressing from didi emmons cookbook vegetarian planet, highly recommend the book and this dressing!
https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/34658/pear-salad-with-stilton-dressing
I also could not grease the pan (no butter) so I used walnut oil and crossed my fingers.
The “how different could it be?” cooks way of thinking of messing with recipes hasn’t always served me well with baking, but this ended up great! l I topped with sea salt and some more sour cream! My husband and 14 month old may finish it today. :)
So good! Made it gluten-free with cup4cup and it came out beautifully! Thanks so much for sharing.
This was divine! A keeper, for sure
Finally made this recipe today. I normally am not a big fan of cocoa but I couldn’t even tell there was cocoa in here. No weird dryness at all! I made this into muffins (makes 12, bake for 19 minutes) and wow…I think this may be my new go-to banana bread recipe.
This was so good. Mostly tastes like a crazy moist chocolate cake with banana flavor somewhere in there. My only complaint is that it doesn’t cut cleanly so I end up “evening off” little pieces all day. Darn!
This is so easy and delish! It’s moist, dark and chocolate rich. I used orange extract instead of vanilla.
I’ve adapted this recipe to make it both gluten and dairy free. It’s amazing!
Here are my changes:
I substitute 1/4 c safflower oil for the butter
1/4 c almond flour and 3/4 C gluten free flour for the flour
I also add 1 tsp Xanthan gum
I sprinkle the top with raw sugar and bake according to your directions. Thanks for the start!
First of all, I heart you. Your wickedly written stories tantalize my tastebuds just as much as the vivid photos you post of your amazing creations. Secondly, this bread is life. I’ve literally made this recipe at least 3 dozen times in the last few months. Everyone devours it! Lastly, I ran out of butter last night (the shame, I know) so I improvised your recipe by using melted coconut oil and plain full-fat Greek yogurt instead. Less bread-like and more fudgy cake-like, but still as splendid and moist! You have smitten my kitchen permanently, my dear culinary cohort <3
Hi Deb!
Imade this not realizing, until it was too late, that I was using natural cocoa instead of Dutch process. It was delicious but the loaf was very squat and dense. I want to make it again, but I’m having a hard time finding Dutch process cocoa in my neighborhood (weird, right?). If I use natural cocoa again, do I need to use different leavening agents and amounts? If yes, do you have a formula? I found some conflicting info online.
Thanks a million!!
Shana
Just came out of the oven… Smells absolutely heavenly — i did add a dash of dark rum in it, and the experience is heady… waiting for it cool down and Yippeee!
Hey there, Deb! Just a super minor but fun hint. I make muffins or a quick bread every Sunday am for my horseback riding buddies, and your recipes are my go-to favorites, bar none! Since I know that – for both types of batter – overworking once the flour hits is death to a good crumb, I add the chips or chunks or nuts right along with the flour, thus avoiding the 5 or 6 extra strokes that might over-activate the gluten. ; )
Sooooo good! Moving across the country next week so this is my last bake before the move and I managed to use up the last of the mini chocolate chips (only 1/2 cup) and some walnuts and the last 3 bananas that were thisclose to overripe on the counter. We are having some for breakfast this morning and it is fueling us for another day of packing. The bread/cake is moist, chocolatey, and has bananas. Fly the W!
Any chance you can tell us how many cups of mashed banana the recipe requires? I suspect the comments on how moist vs. dry the bread was derive from the extreme uncertainties in banana quantity produced by “3 medium to large bananas.” My favorite most consistent banana recipes all call for an exact quantity of mashed bananas, and it would be awesome if you could consider editing your recipe in this fashion at some point/considering that for future recipes. There is nothing so frustrating as feeling like everyone but you had a good result and it is probably because their bananas were closer in size to the recipe author’s than mine were…Thanks much for considering, I do love your recipes, cookbook, etc.!
I promise to check next time but I’d say a heaped cup. Hope you enjoy!
Hoping you are as good as your word, & can give a volume for the “3 med-lg bananas”. If you haven’t made this recipe since 2017 – it’s probably time to make it again. (wink) Thanks.
I’d say 1.25 cups mashed.
Really good! I used coconut oil! A keeper!
Hi Deb
Just made this tonight. Delicious. I actually think the cinnamon adds something special. You almost can’t taste it. Also, I added a cubed extra banana after I folded in the chips. I highly recommend this. It leaves littles pockets of creamy banana flavor to the loaf. Thanks for a terrific recipe.
Great recipe! I added two more bananas and one cup of chopped walnuts to this recipe then baked go an additional 10min til the toothpick came out clean – delicious! I’m freezing half as soon as it’s cool. Super easy recipe. I did grease and line the loaf pan with parchment for east clean up!
This is so yummy! I made it with King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and all I can say is amazing. It is like eating Chocolate Cake. I also left out the cinnamon.
I made it with coconut oil instead of butter and it came our YUMMY! Love this recipe!
This one is a keeper. Really enjoyed. Thanks!
You had me at the melted butter. Well, no you actually had me at the double chocolate banana bread,the fact that you don’t have to cream the sugar and butter was just what tipped the scales into saving the recipe. Since I used up my have to use these today bananas few days ago, and dutifully creamed the butter, this recipe will have wait till I buy more bananas. I did wonder if melting the butter would work, and now I know it will. Thank you 😊
I made this today and it came out so good! I used applesauce for the butter and accidentally forgot salt. I baked it for a little over an hour and it came out beautiful! I also used dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet or bitter. Next time, I will use the same chips and applesauce but I will not forget the salt! There definitely will be a next time for this bread. SO DELICIOUS!
Now what about mexican chocolate banana bread?? NOW THAT’S AN IDEA!
Great moist nana bread. I used raw cacao powder- as I happened to have it and shortened the process by adding wet ingredients to processor adding butter at end and folding into dry ingredients. I always two of any loaf I make, one to eat, one to slice up and freeze with waxed paper to separate the pieces then you have company I can take a few different flavors out for guests to enjoy.
Dont forget to chop up the nana skins and place around your roses,, they love them :]
What about a bundt pan for this?
Double it for a bundt.
Delicious! Recipe worked out perfectly the first time. Not too sweet which I personally appreciate. Only had wholemeal flour at hand, did not matter, however. Thank you for posting!
Followed the recipe as written (used measurements by weight) and it was so yummy!! I was looking for something more chocolatey than banana-y, and this was perfect.
I baked it with demerara sugar and Lindt chocolate reducing as usual the quantity of sugar (I am French) in my old oven and it turned out just perfect ! Thanks a lot for your always fantastic recipes !
I just want to say I ran across this recipe this week and decided to give a try as I had two lonely brown bananas on my counter; recipe called for 3 so I went to freezer and pulled out my stash. {I slice the bananas on cookie sheet w/wax paper
place in freezer then fold up the wax paper and put in ziplock works great!} Let the bananas defrost then got to business. I did use white chocolate chips and when baking (hit or miss w/banana bread) I separated enough for 6 small muffins and baked them for 30 minutes and the rest of the bread checked at 55 minutes. My husbands work buddies wrote me a card requesting I make again and again!!! thank you!
it is 10:26 pm and I just put a triple batch in the oven for a church bake sale tomorrow. it fit my bundt pan perfectly! fingers crossed I win the bake off.
update: 45 minutes for a full bundt pan. will update tomorrow on taste!
Love this cake! Can I double the recipe and then just split the cake into two pans before baking?
Yes, absolutely.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! I made mini cupcakes instead of a loaf and they tasted like those addictive brownie bites sold in the bakery section of most supermarkets. (Actually they were BETTER!) Don’t beat me up, but I did make a few substitutions – coconut oil for the butter, coconut flour for the AP flour (added a little coffee for additional liquid for the coconut flour to absorb), and coconut sugar for the brown sugar. This is now my go-to for yummy chocolaty goodness. I keep a batch in the freezer at all times!
I’ve made this loaf twice and I always underbake. The color is so dark and it’s hard to tell doneness. Just made these as muffins and they’re fab! Batter made 24 small, moist and cakey muffins. Baked at 350 for about 18 mins.
I made this same recipe gluten and dairy free by substituting the flour for Gluteb Free 1 to 1 flour and the butter for coconut oil. Turned out great!!
I’m having fun preparing for a big move by “using up my food” but really just avoiding the bigger packing jobs. I made this recipe mostly as written, but decided to use as much of the Mayan cocoa powder I had on hand as I could. That adds the cinnamon as well as a very slight pepper kick–and it’s turned out SO GOOD! Also added a chopped up banana, plus pieces of banana on top. The pepper kick is not overwhelming (at least not to me) but I think a little whipped cream, or cream cheese, or creme fraiche (but, no, I’m not supposed to be buying any new food!) on top would be perfect.
Deb-
I’m a sad celiac who loves to bake and I’ve dutifully made about 15 of your recipes and watched sadly as everyone around me devoured them and praised them for being amazingly delicious. I desperately want to eat this banana bread. Do you have any gluten free flour mix suggestions or ideas? I have no mix handy, but about a million partial bags of GF flours/starches and I want this in my belly yesterday!!
**I fully understand making any regular recipe gluten free will make it less delicious and ripe for disaster- but I just have to try!
Thanks!
Hi Maureen —
Here are comments from people who have made this recipe gluten-free, including how they did it:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798843
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798858
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798861
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798931
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799004
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799054
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799137
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-898295
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-901540
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-908780
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-923952
Comments about gluten-free swaps are (fortunately) very common here on more popular and older recipes and you can usually find them by search for the word “gluten” on the page. Good luck!
I’ve made it with almond flour..
Delicious!!!
Delicious, and husband thinks the addition of chocolate is spot on! (Nice easy recipe too)
Just made this… I was a tiny bit concerned that this might be too chocolate-y (is that possible?)… I dhave d half the amount of chocolate chips I put in because hey were dark chocolate. But I do have to say this is perfect! So wonderful on this rainy Sunday afternoon… it’s all I want to eat right now. :)
I made this and took it to work. One colleague said, “it’s amazing. It should be illegal.” I’m pretty sure another one of them was shedding tears of happiness.
love this recipe! We made two batches in cake pans, then frosted it with some cream cheese frosting. Definetly recommend!!
I have been making this banana bread for my family for 4 years now…. it is the best recipe ever! And so easy to make. absolutely delish. thanks smitten kitchen!
I have been making this banana bread for my family for 4 years now…. it is the best recipe ever! And so easy to make. absolutely delish. thanks smitten kitchen!
Made this today…turned out super awesome..just a lil too sweet for my taste buds… might have to reduce the sugar next time…thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
Hi Deb! I know you’re always interested in hearing what flour, etc, substitutions work so piping in…
I’ve made this before as written and it’s delish. Today I used coconut oil and cassava flour and it was amazing as ever. Thank you!
I would be surprised if this delicious sounding banana bread actually did rise because Dutch process cocoa is alkaline and only reacts with baking powder unlike ordinary cocoa which reacts with baking soda.
On my 3rd loaf…. need I say more?😋
Just for fun I added 2 tablespoons of chocolate espresso balsamic vinegar the 2nd time I made it. Gave it a great little kick. Thanks for a staple recipe. Everyone loves it!
My whole house smells amazing!
I want to make a few of these soon, and freeze for the holidays. Do you have a tried and true way of freezing?
I went right in the kitchen and made this. I peel and wrap over ripe bananas in saran wrap and freeze them, so I always have some handy for baking. Super good and easy to make.
So yummy! I made muffins for brown bag lunches for my wife, who mourns any cake served without icing. She has yet to mention missing icing on these! Go for the chocolate CHUNKS, baby!
Tried and true…excellent recipe…thank you!
Definitely a keeper!! I’m sure the recipe is perfect as is but just in case anyone’s interested, I made it a tad healthier (and it was still amazing) with the following changes:
– flour: 1/2 c AP, 1/2 c whole wheat pastry
– sweetener: 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/4 c honey
– butter/oil: 1/4 c butter, 1/4 c coconut oil
– probably used closer to 1/2 c chocolate chunks and it was plenty chocolately for me (and I can put away some chocolate!)
This is so delicious. I took some to work today, and everyone who had some loved it. They’d be half-way through the first bite, and their eyes would get big, and they’d do a double take of the bread, and then eat some more, and mumble, omygoshthisissoooooogood. And it is. Easy, too.Thank you soo much!
I’m making my umpty-billionth batch of this (in muffin form) to school at the request of my best friend, who simply refers to them as “those magical muffins.” She asked for them in lieu of birthday cake. I will get completely mauled tomorrow as soon as the rest of the building finds out I have them. Thanks a lot, Deb.
Made this as mini muffins and used whole wheat flour. 14 minutes at 350 was perfect! My 3.5 year old loved them (as did I)!
i love it.. looks delicious…I will defiantly try it soon
you can always check here for health benefits of banana..
http://www.doctor-advice.com/p/banana-health-benefits-you-dont-know.html
What do you think about espresso powder instead of the cinnamon?
Sure, I think lots of people have tried it here. I’d use more — it’s less robust per teaspoon.
Oh my goodness, this is a fabulous recipe! I had four 1/2 languishing bananas, so mooshed them with some frozen banana pieces to equal what I was calling enough for a double batch. I used 1/2 c. butter and 1/2 c. applesauce and reduced the cocoa slightly (eyeballing it I’d guess it was a tad above 3/4 c.). It made 12 muffins (baking for 25 minutes a per Heidi’s suggestion above) and one funky long loaf (my pan measures 12″ X 4 1/2″), which baked for about 40 minutes. I completely forgot the bittersweet chocolate until all the batter was in the pan and cups, so I pushed 3 into each of the muffins and all over the top of the loaf, but did not use nearly as much as the recipe calls for. Doing so required me to exercise restraint, as they were quite goopy in the chip area after baking, but quite easy to handle after an hour or so. 7 muffins and 1/2 the loaf went to work with my husband, as I would likely eat all of them! The banana flavor is mild, but definitely present, which I enjoyed.
I am getting rave reviews from my teenagers. They love banana bread and chocolate. It is a quick easy recipe to make. I baked it 55 minutes. My loaf pan is nonstick. I either reduce the temp by 25 degrees or reduce the baking time by 10-15. It is a nice balance of flavors and a nice change from the plain jane banana bread I make.
This has become my absolute favourite type of banana bread. I love rich chocolatey baked goods. This combination is perfect. It’s rich, not too sweet, and so easy to make! Can’t believe I only discovered this recently.
I have already tried this chocolate banana bread on 3 different occasions and had the same story of using up bananas which are just no good. I must say it is one of the most decadent chocolate recipes ever. It tastes so good, I took it even on a small trip as a handy snack. And every time I would open the mini hotel refrigerator and grab this piece of cake I would be instantly transported to a blissful place. I love this recipe. You are a genius. And why is it called bread? should it not be called as a cake.
I have made this recipe before and knew it was a winner! But I wanted a vegan option today. Substituted avocado oil for butter and a flax egg for the regular egg.
Tinkering with flavors, I also dialed up the cinnamon and the salt to a full teaspoon each. (I’m using flaked kosher salt, so it’s probably around 2/3 of a teaspoon of table salt.) The cinnamon gave beautiful warm background notes and the salt just made everything pop!
Just for fun, I stirred in a cup of chopped toasted pecans with the chocolate chips. Bottom line: this recipe is fabulous AND forgiving. Thank you again and again!
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made! So moist and SO GOOD👍🏾 Make this today, you won’t be disappointed 😉🤗
Somewhere between banana bread and brownies and completely delicious. I’ve baked this in a loaf pan and a large skillet (when I had nothing else), and the recipe was wonderful either way. Extremely simple to make and easy to swap oil (I use olive) for the melted butter.
So it’s four years later and I’m still sad about this recipe because my husband is deathly allergic to bananas and I can’t make it. :-(
Love banana bread, and love this recipe. I just made this and subbed in 1/2 cup of coconut oil for the butter. I also used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all-purpose. Turned out beautifully. Think a little toasted, chopped hazelnut might suit it nicely next time.
This is my all time favorite recipe for banana bread and I make it about twice a month.
Deb, I am asking—hmmmm–begging for more healthy-ish fruit forward bread recipes from you with the ease and bold flavor of this one! Add nuts, raisins, coconut and of course, chocolate and I am ready to bake at a moment’s notice.
Also, I bake the chocolate banana bread recipe at 325 with good results.
Oh My Goodness! This was DEE-licious!! I made two loaves for my daughter’s first grade class and a few teachers! She was doing a presentation on the rainforest and my daughter asked if we could use ingredients that come from the rainforest! Chocolate! Bananas! Vanilla! Done! Super easy to make too! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe!
This is my go to banana bread and I have been making it for years. I wondered why I saw a few complaints about the bread being dry and dense as that had never been my experience…until today. I think the cocoa may play a large role in that process. I used Hershey’s Special Dark today and I normally use Dutch cocoa. My breads are dense and dry. Edible! But not their normal lush selves. I was out of Dutch cocoa but won’t make this mistake again.
This looks so great! How would you modify to make muffins? My daughter wants chocolate cupcakes for her birthday, but I will feel slightly less guilty sending these to school instead of STRAIGHT sugar bombs. I’ve never put banana bread in a muffin tin, but can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. Would you reduce cooking temp, or just cooking time?
Thanks!!
Nevermind! Just found Heidi’s comment above — I’m going to try 25 min at 350.
Amazing!!!!!!!!!
I just made this and it was a hit – super moist, flavorful, and yes, a little crumbly! But that is probably b/c I made it vegan – sub egg for flax egg and butter for coconut oil. I also used unprocessed cocoa powder so toned down the baking soda. And I used 3/4 cup whole wheat and 1/4 cup almond flour.
Finally, I have a massive roasted sweet potato in the fridge – so I used 2 bananas and added some of the sweet potato to get to that 1 cup.
WINNER!
This is really good! I was worried it would be too sweet but it’s not. Nice and chocolatey.
Hi, if I use Dutch process cocoa powder, I thought it needed baking powder not baking soda. Does the baking soda in this recipe provide enough rise without also adding baking powder? Your blog has provided some great family recipes. Thanks!
Yes, you’ll be just fine here. There’s a concern about Dutched cocoa not being acidic enough to activate baking soda; there are other acidic ingredients here.
If I added sour cream to this recipe, would I need to add baking powder? I love sour cream in a bread/cake recipe!
I don’t think there’s any benefit to adding sour cream here, unless you’re using it in place of a banana for a less banana-y cake.
Made this the other day and found it dry. I baked it for less time and wrapped it up once cooled. I have kept it wrapped tightly and it’s on its second day of being made. Also at room temp. How do I make it more moist?
I’m so surprised, not to be arrogant or anything about it, just not what I experience. How many bananas/what size (estimate, i.e. small/med/large). The moisture mostly comes from bananas and then in part from careful flour measurements (too much = dry effect) so if the bananas we on the smaller or less ripe side, this could have been the culprit.
I appreciate the analysis of what might be wrong and suggestions for what to do about it. Because mine was dry, too. I measured the flour carefully, but my banana size might have been off.
I made this today & it was AMAZING! Like I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made. Like ever. I love to bake but banana bread isn’t necessarily my favorite. By this… was… phenomenal! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi. How many grams is a half cup of cocoa powder… That information is missing. But I just made this and used some left over really thick homemade chocolate sauce which I added directly to the banana mix and it was insane. But also in my oven 45 minutes burnt the top slightly. Truly the best banana bread.
It’s about 40 grams but can vary by brand.
What an excellent recipe! I’ve been calling this “brownie banana bread” because it’s exactly that fudgey and banana-y.
Thanks for a new favorite to add to my repertoire!
So!! Good!! My baking pan went missing some how (and I realized only after setting up all the ingredients so there was no turning back) so I baked this in a muffin pan instead and they turned out fantastic!! Perfect amount for an even dozen, too :]
Holy cow! Delicious! Made it exactly as Deb wrote it and the family raved. Would love to see a zucinni version of this bread.
Not sure what I did incorrectly .. I followed the recipe to the letter, but I was very disappointed. The loaf was very dry. Maybe it baked too long .. 60 minutes? Wow .. needs ice cream or milk or coffee or something!
Excellent recipe! The people at my work RAVED. I used a Wilton mini loaf pan for about 25 minutes. I also used Earth Balance and GFS chocolate chips for a dairy free version. Perfection!
I just want to say that I thought your jacked-up banana bread recipe was the queen of all banana bread recipes, but you still always manage to surpass yourself. This is a uniquely perfect banana bread. It’s essentially chocolate cake with some fruit in it so you don’t feel bad about eating it.
I made this exactly to the recipe as muffins, with a 20-25 minute bake time, and they turned out fantastic. I brought them into work and there were a few that could not help themselves to several. They were moist in the best possible sense. Very chocolatey, and banana-y to the point where anyone who didn’t know had to ask what the other ingredient was.
I tried it the second time with just 2 bananas, since I didn’t have three to hand. It was still very good, but noticeably less moist. If I were making it again with 2, I would be sure to add some other form of moisture, maybe sour cream or plain yogurt or something like that. But then again, you shouldn’t want to mess with a Deb recipe in the first place, they’re always spot-on.
I’ve made it twice now and I love it.
I use this chocolate
https://static.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/94314205/front_en.7.full.jpg
and it makes it coconuttily good!
Please could you let me know the amount in grams required of cocoa for your chocolate banana bread? I am in England, my daughter who lives in Australia referred your recipe to me, unfortunately cups aren’t used here on a regular basis, so would be grateful for some advice, particularly as you have put the rest of your instructions in metric.
Many thanks
Virginia
I looked it up online and it was about 85g/c — I used approx 45g
I also veganized this with a well-soaked flax egg and a mix of coconut and sunflower oil for the butter. Worked great in my new right-sized loaf pan! I can barely tell the difference between the original version I usually make and the vegan version. Win!
I love this recipe and have made it many times as is- I want to make it in a bundt pan and I saw in the comments that you recommended doubling the recipe- any alteration to the oven temp or baking time? Thanks!
I made this today and my family got to eat it for dessert while it was still warm from the oven. Really easy to put together and everyone loved it. I added only 1/2 cup of choc chips which worked for us. I didn’t butter the pan but lined the bottom w parchment paper. Came out beautifully. Thanks for the Instagram post that put this on my radar.
Lovely!
I made these today in muffin form and they were divine! Thank you for making my bananas such a chocolately delight!
Dear Deb,
I just wanted to let you know that this is one of those recipes that has been magneted to my fridge for several years now because it’s become such a staple in my baking rotation. I’ve made it every way you could think of – gluten free, dairy free, with nuts, coconut oil, honey. It is infallible, and the best use of those over ripe brown bananas that get tossed into the freezer door. I’ve made it as bread but more often than not in muffin form for easy transport in school and work lunches. I usually decrease the sugar and increase the fat/protein, and it’s a hit. Thanks for the memories :)
Hello, I have just made this Double chocolate banana bread but, have substituted 70 gr of dark chocolate with that much roughly chopped walnuts….. (my husband is here and he likes to meddle when I am baking, so he always “advises” to put an extra egg(!?!?) or, in this case, walnuts – so I did. Not that I ever add “an extra egg”…. I guess some walnuts will not hurt the cake…
It came out smelling divine and looking like a twin sibling of yours in the picture! The three of us are now waiting (and salivating) for it to cool enough to be cut and pondering whether to have it on its own or with some vanilla ice cream…
While waiting, I found the video about what is in Smitten Kitchen and saw your lovely small, pear-shaped, glass spice jars….. I am glass-jar-mad but have never seen gorgeous ones like those! Could you tell me where did you get them from, please! I am in England but, if they can be mail ordered…..🍀🙃
So, so good! I subbed a flax egg and coconut sugar, and baked it in an 8×8 pan for 25 minutes. Perfection!
Oh my goodness this is sooo good. We made this at the weekend and are already planning on making it again this week.
Love this ♡ Making it for the second time in a month. This time for an early mothers day treat for the ladies at work.
Made this and it was yummy. But. Is it just me or is this really chocolate cake with some banana for moisture? I don’t know if I could really call this “banana bread” any more than I could call breads in which I substitute applesauce for butter “apple bread.”
I saw this on your twitter yesterday afternoon and made it last night. I had everything for it! Since I love anything banana, I wasn’t sure if I should make it because I thought the chocolate might take over the banana flavour. Boy, was I wrong! The dominant flavour was definitely banana – and it became obvious while it was still baking – what a nice surprise that was! The chocolate was secondary and the combination/balance was perfect. My mistake was making only one loaf, as I know my gang and it was all gone 30 minutes after it came out of the oven. The best thing about this was of course the result, but the other reasons I will keep making this is 1. simple ingredients, 2. very easy, 3. no mixer (!!), 4. one bowl (ONE BOWL!!). Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Deb!
OMG…. somebody get this cake away from me before I finish the whole thing. Absolutely delicious. Thank you. I will be making this again and again ❤️
Made these today, 4 hours ago, as muffins. I got an even dozen and baked them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I also subbed whole wheat pastry flour for the all purpose. They are gone. They were SO GOOD.
This recipe is a keeper. Made it today – it was easy and scrumptious! I used cinnamon and thought it was a nice addition. Had to have a piece while it was warm. Should be really good with ice cream. Thank you!
I made this bread this morning before work. The girls at work went wild over it! It was gone in minutes. This recipe is a keeper…. I may have become the “famous double chocolate banana bread maker” at work today! Thanks for the great recipes! My coworkers thank you too!
I only had wheat flour on hand and used it— it’s in the oven now and smells great. Think the flour substitution will be ok?
I’ve been told this is the best banana bread ever
This recipe came out sooo soo good! It was moist and so decadent! I forgot to add the salt however when I tasted it, it was still great! I got luck there for sure! In addition to the chocolate chips, I added in fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half and some cherry brandy. Thanks Deb for another winner!
I made this recipe today to use up some over-ripe bananas. I am at our mountain house, and do not have a fully stocked pantry. Discovered too late that we had no brown sugar. I substituted a scant 1/2 cup of honey and it came out fabulously. It is not too sweet like so many of the quick bread loaves are. I also used 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chocolate morsels.
Would definitely make this again – super easy and had all the ingredients in the pantry. I used an Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute for someone in our family with an egg allergy & it turned out great. Quite a delicious bread!
This is so amazing!!! Yum yum
I will never $@#& with another banana bread recipe again. Rich, plushy, chocolatey, adaptable, and easy to make. Wholesome enough to eat as a quick-bread for breakfast and decadent enough to eat as cake for dessert. Oh my god. I have made this GF with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. I have made this with melted coconut oil instead of butter. I have made it in standard loaf pans, mini loaf pans, and muffin tins. In all ways, absolutely fantastic. Thank you!
My husband requested banana bread to make use of our bananas that were starting to look a little suspect. When I asked if wanted a healthy-ish version and he replied “no I want dessert”, I knew this recipe was the ticket. I am picking crumbs off my plate as I type this. I took a risk with some old, probably expired baking powder and it did sink a little in the middle, but it’s so dense and moist I don’t even care. I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder, highly recommend. The loaf is almost black and so chocolatey. I think next time I will try it with the cinnamon, which despite being two slices into the current loaf, I’m pretty sure is going to be quite soon.
This is without a doubt the best banana bread recipie that I have come across. It is perfect. I excluded the chocolate ingredients as I wanted a more traditional bread. It came out fluffy but still very moist and flavorful. I have been trying out new banana bread recipies for years trying to find the perfect one and finally I can stop my search! Thank you so much for sharing!
Somewhere between banana bread and a brownie. So yummy! And it made the perfect amount for 4 mini loaves so I get to gift a few before I eat them all.
I discovered tonight the butter can be replaced with peanut butter and I may never make it with butter again. It’s my first anniversary, so it was the perfect combo of our wedding cake flavors, banana bourbon and peanut butter chocolate.
O-M-G!
I made this yesterday for a work event. They ate it all, I didn’t even get a slice. Loads of compliments and requests for the recipe. This afternoon I was bored so I thought I’d make it again. Had to make a few substitutions due to lack of ingredients (added some yogurt because I only had 2 bananas; whole wheat vs white; black cocoa vs Dutch)…but OMG it is amazing!
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a hit. THIS time, however, I added an additional egg to compensate for the cup of crushed walnuts and cup of quick oats I decided to add to make it more breakfasty (?!) and made it in jumbo muffin tins. They are a big hit!
I’ve made this recipe twice will not waste my time making it again. Followed the recipe exactly as written. Did not rise much and it has way to much chocolate. Our granddaughters who love chocolate didn’t even finish their piece of cake. It’s a waste of bananas and good chocolate.
Doubled the cinnamon and added two pinches of cayenne for some extra spice. I’ve loved this recipe for a while but the spices took it up a notch!
Great recipe. I make mini muffins instead of bread. I call them mini chocolate bites. Bake for 14-15 minutes. Today I had only 2 1/2 bananas available and decided to add about 1/4 c of PB. Wonderful recipe overall. Yum!
This recipe without doubt is the most decadent banana bread you can make. I followed the recipe, the oven obviously was at 350 degrees, to the letter. Have made it numerous times and again this morning. The only difference is that when I bake with chocolate to enhance the flavor I always add instant espresso coffee grains, try it.
Read it, raided the pantry, baking it now. Best.Sunday.Ever
I’m repenting now because I made this and ate far too much!! Delicious! I’m allergic to eggs so I made a flax meal egg for binding and also added a tea of baking powder for a little more rise.
I added 6 dried figs (stems removed) and 1/2C unsweetened coconut flakes to my food processor and gave them a whirl and added it to the batter along with the chopped dark chocolate. Absolutely lovely recipe!!! thanks
Decadent and delicious, plus the banana shines despite the chocolate. Next time, I’ll probably use 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. I used 2/3 this time instead of the 1 cup. The edges get all chewy and brownie like.
Excellent. Easy. Thank you.
I’m curious to know if I can sub the sugar for maple syrup, honey, or a combo of both? Thanks!!
This quick bread was extra delicious because of the use of butter and not vegetable oil. It is so rich and decadent. This will certainly become a regular recipe for me.
Voluntary self quarantine and social distancing (as well as a few over-the-hill bananas) requires this one bowl chocolatey deliciousness. Thank you for so many easy and delicious recipes that we can all fall back on during these very weird and stressful times xoxo
OBSESSED with this double chocolate banana bread. Had to stop myself from eating half the loaf last night while in this Covid19 quarantine. I make it exactly as written, with the exception of my hot oven which I ended up baking at 340° for 50 min. Tried and true recipe, have made it maybe 5 times now. Everything you never thought you needed.
Long-time-lurker, turned banana bread baker over here. Have made this 3 times since this unpleasantness with COVID-19 has made me have little else to do besides watch the spots grow on the bananas…
I am definitely in the camp with Alex on chocolate in everything, though…
I can’t think of a single recipe SK recipe I’ve tried that has been anything other than grand. Thank you, as always…
Made the Double Chocolate Banana Bread this afternoon. It was delish, looked just like the photo, my family devoured it and I will NEVER make plain old Banana Bread again!
I added the cinnamon and it made it perfect.
I only have two bananas and only almond flour available. Can I add some dates to substitute for the third banana and use almond flour instead?
Dates, probably (will need to be softened, pureed and thinned — could also use applesauce or yogurt or sour cream). I’m less confident about almond flour. Here are two comments that reference it, but they use it only in part:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-901540
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-1062271
I made this using regular cocoa powder instead of Dutch. With quarantine going on I’m using what I have! It still turned out rich and chocolatey. I used chopped dark chocolate instead of semisweet morsels which really helped. My loaf did not dome but perhaps that has to do with my choice of cocoa. Next time I will try Stella Parks’ tip to use a mix of AP and oat flour, instead of just AP flour, to improve the rise. I did follow her advice to use yellow rather than fully blackened bananas as called for in this recipe, and I felt that it was definitely better and less gummy than my usual banana breads. Still had a strong banana flavor.
i just made this in a 9×9 due to lack of loaf pan and I baked it in a toaster convection oven without monitoring closely…and it tastes like a BROWNIE. Fudgy, cripsy edges, this is amazing. And so easy. I’m going to try again as recipe is written with some loaf pans STAT. Thank you for a great twist on a classic.
Is this possible to make with regular/non-Dutch process cocoa?
I just made this to enjoy for Mother’s Day, and Wow I am blown away! This is possibly the best banana bread I’ve made, and I made another one this weekend too! The crispy crust mixed with the banana and the melty chocolate is to die for!
Truly enjoyed making this recipe. I happened to have all the ingredients on-hand but with the pandemic, I didn’t have all ingredients at 100% so I opted to make a 2/3 version of this recipe in a smaller pan. It took some fancy math but I did it and it turned out well. I love cinnamon in baking but will probably exclude it next time and I chopped up dark baking chocolate for a nice, deep flavour as my mix-in. I also blended my bananas instead of mashed as I do for all recipes that call for bananas as I enjoy that smoothness more.
I’ve been using this recipe since 2015, and I don’t plan on switching to a different one ever. Thank you for such a wonderful, easy and delicious recipe.
I usually swap out the butter for melted coconut ol and the eggs for flax eggs.I’ve also used butternut squash puree in place of bananas. And chocolate chunks. Same measurements. Just as delicious!
I am so glad that people are still commenting on this recipe after 6 years! It is absolutely delicious and doesn’t last more than a day and a half in our house.
Oh! And Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour!
Love this recipe. I only had two bananas, so I substituted 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for the third one. I also added walnuts, used whole wheat pastry flour, and substituted espresso powder for the cinnamon. It was delicious. I will make it again and again.
I made this and it didn’t rise as nicely as yours. I wondered if this would happen when it called for baking soda but no acid. Should that have been baking powder?
Smells great though, looking forward to trying a piece when it cools!
This is a wonderful recipe…. always a hit and I am happy to report that in addition to always working at standard altitudes it bakes up perfectly, without modification at 9800 feet.
Can we omit bananas if only want chocolate loaf cake ? Will it be still soft, moist goey or do we need add on something else for moisture?
You will need something else — try sour cream or full-fat yogurt or even applesauce.
Ok.I will try once.Thank you.
Could this be made into cupcakes?
Exquisite! I made this last night, and like every SK recipe I have executed, it was outstanding. I did make a few additions (please, recipe purist police, no nasty citations!) because I was trying to use up dates and coconut that were drying up. Changes: I steamed a cup of organic dates and chopped them finely in the Magimix. Added 1/2 cup of shredded coconut getting stale in the pack, and added two cups of pecans. Best quick bread ever. I did not have chips, so I used Valrhona dark chocolate discs.
This recipe is amazing! Is the weight of the cocoa 50g? That’s what I’ve been using as measurement but just want to make sure…my bread is slightly on the crumbly side and think that may be the issue.
this was the perfect baking project to do with my toddler on this rainy morning. we just had regular old cocoa powder (Trader Joe’s variety) and it seemed to work out great. Used earth balance and a chia egg (one Tb chia combined with 3 Tb water – chia is great for banana bread because you don’t notice the black specks and you don’t have to grind like flax seed) to make it vegan. it’s soooo good, might replace my usual go-to — your ‘jacked up banana bread’ recipe which i’ve been making for years. thank you!!
I just made this today.
It was THE BEST!!
My in-person classes were cancelled today due to air quality here in California so I decided to make this into muffins. I baked at 350 for 22 minutes. It made 11 medium size muffins. It is banana chocolate goodness. Your recipes are so spot on. I also made your turkey, green bean casserole, drop biscuits, cheese cake, and apple herb stuffing for my first “cook everything” Thanksgiving. Thank you!!
Wow. Intensely chocolaty, really easy to make and the banana flavor comes through really nicely. I used frozen (thawed) and fresh bananas and it came out beautifully. The only change I would make is next time I might add a rich chocolate glaze. It doesn’t need it, but I do love gilded lilies.
Just made this tonight and it is so good! Very easy also, and nice not to have to drag out the Kitchen Aid. Made it exactly as the recipe said and it’s perfect. :)
I made this and it knocked my socks off! So chocolatey. I used Hershey’s cocoa powder.
I love this recipe and it is requested often (as it’s basically a delicious chocolate cake with bananas stuffed in that you can eat for breakfast – yum!). Would you consider adding weight and/or a measurement for the bananas? Bananas vary enormously in size! I also love weighing everything in baking – so much faster/easier IMO.
This is our go-to banana bread recipe. It’s absolutely delicious exactly as it’s written. Thanks Deb!
Hi Deb, just to let you know that the metric measurement for the cocoa is missing. Super delicious though!
A keeper recipe! I subbed avocado oil for butter and used a bit less sugar- incredibly delicious! I also made muffins instead of a loaf. Awesome!
Oooh, I made a modified version this morning — used 1/2 cup extra light olive oil in place of the butter, only 100 grams of brown sugar (golden brown sugar), half and half all purpose and whole wheat flour, no chocolate chips/chunks, and I made them into muffins. It made 11 muffins, but would certainly have made 12 muffins if I’d used the chocolate chips/chunks. I cooked it for 25 minutes at 350 degress Fahrenheit, as suggested in another comment. Turned out great! Even after messing up the egg — heh, heh. I was about halfway through mixing in the dry ingredients when I realized I’d forgotten to put in the egg. Yikes! I dropped it in there and mixed it thoroughly into a little corner of the batter and then finished incorporating the dry ingredients. Still turned out amazing!
I have made this wonderful loaf so many times, never failed. I need help please. Made said loaves this morning and for the very first time, they didn’t rise. When I bake I line up the ingredients in the order in which they are to be used, then I put them away. Well something happened, please please please give me some ideas, thoughts, share whatever you think I did or didn’t do. Have to also mention because I bake often all the ingredients used are fresh never reach expiration date. Oh dear, woe is me.
For dairy free option, can I substitute butter to a neutral oil at 1:1 quantity?
Yes, absolutely
This is my now favorite banana bread! I made it with Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour and baked it in a 9×9 square cake pan. It came out perfect! I have been impatiently waiting for my current bananas to ripen enough to make it again.
Thank you!!!
This has been my go-to recipe for a few years now. I use a GF flour blend b/c I have celiac, and it works beautifully. The first time I made it, I didn’t have enough dark chocolate wafers/chunks, so I went for a mix of dark and milk to make it a triple-chocolate extravaganza. That’s how I usually end up making it.
What are you thoughts about using Ghee instead of butter in this or other recipes?
I cut the butter some — melted it in the loaf pans (used 2 smaller ones) — and poured it on top of bananas afterwards. I cut the sugar to less than 1/2 cup and the bittersweet choco chips to 34 because that’s what I had. It is plenty sweet and seriously moist and delicious, But let’s not kid ourselves – let’s be grownups and change the title to Banana CAKE. Yes, we cooked it in a loaf pan to pretend it’s bread, but one bite just screams dessert. Lovely recipe, Deb.
Hi,
I love this great recipe, the only banana bread that doesn’t taste like ” but I didn’t throw those bananas”. One thing I’ve noticed. It was baking soda in the recipe but no acidic ingredient, so I added tartar- the cake turned out luxuriously soft textured. The Dutched-processed cocoa is alkaline, but the natural cocoa is acidic. The devil is in the details (I’ve added acidic tartar, because I didn’t think that cocoa could participate in chemical reaction )
I substituted the all-purpose flour with gluten-free AP flour and it actually tasted really good. Usually GF flour has a funny taste but not with the banana and double chocolate.
Rough day today so I decided to make this to treat myself. Halfway through the bake time, I remembered that I had not put any sugar in the batter. It is still quite good, dangerously delicious warm with vanilla ice cream. I plan to make it again, with sugar, this week.
The mark of an outstanding recipe is that it’s not a failure even if you mess it up.
Totally delicious. Moist and chocolatey, really easy. Loved it!
Made this on Monday. Looks just like the picture. It is is almost gone (Today is Tuesday). I had to share some with a neighbour as otherwise we may have consumed the whole banana bread between the two of us before the end of the day. It is so moist and delicious!
I put a little less sugar, less cocoa and chocolate chips than called for. And it was still sooooo good! I will make it again when I can share with friends. It is jut too delish to keep in the house for the two of us.
Amazing recipe. I am vegan so I used flax eggs and subbed coconut sugar but followed the rest. Doubled the recipe and made 7 mini loaves today. Just sliced one to try. Incredible texture, perfect amount of sweet vs. bitter. Total winner! Would make really great muffins.
I’ll be honest, I much prefer a plain banana bread loaf to this. It was a loaf that wanted to be two things, and they each muddied up and distracted from the other.
Hi Deb! Can I ask you to update your recipe so that all ingredients have weight measurements as well as volume?
I started making it this morning and measured out 170 gr of COCOA in my un-caffeinated state, about 5x the required amount! I only realized what I had done because I’ve made the recipe before and it was too stiff for my whisk. Whoops!!!
The recipe is amazing as is with the actual amount of cocoa listed. I had to try some serious doctoring based on what I had in my fridge: which included half a can of coconut milk (had it in the fridge!), 2 additional eggs, a few tbsp of vanilla kefir, more vanilla, a little more salt and baking soda. I baked off one mini muffin to see what I did deemed it ok and then sprayed the heck out of my Bundt pan and baked it for an hour. Was it awesome? No, but it was a damned good choc cake!
Am eating a piece of this right now. It’s amazing. Used regular cocoa powder and it’s just fine.
Ran out of butter so subbed with veg oil. Used normal cocoa, no choc chips. So tender, moist and delicious, and came together in about 4 minutes.
I was delighted to see the oil substitution for butter. I keep a kosher home so most if not all of my baking is done with oil or when I can, unsweetened apple sauce. Thank you for your input
I just made this, and it deserves every superlative! It’s moist! It’s simple to make! It is nearly as good as brownie!
I did make a few changes — no darts, please. I doubled the chocolate (Valrhona blond and bittersweet), added a cup and a half of chopped pecans, used pecan oil rather than butter, used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. But those were changes for my taste. I’m sure this would be delicious as written, too! Thanks, Deb, for this winning recipe, surely the best banana bread by far.
This recipe is ridiculously good. I make it almost every week and every time it goes in about 4 days. I do the whole recipe in the food processor: first the bananas, then add butter, then egg and vanilla, then remove blade and sift dry ingredients over the bowl and gently blend in, along with the chips. This time I used caramel and chocolate chips because I was out of chocolate chips (the horror!!) and my husband actually moaned and he’s not a banana bread fan.
I have made this recipe four times now, every time as muffins, baked for roughly 17 minutes. They are delightful for afternoon tea with coffee, or decadent for dessert with vanilla ice cream. Believe it or not, I once subbed banana for pumpkin purée, and it was perfection. This recipe is a keeper – easily whipped up on a lazy afternoon, not too many dishes, and I always have the ingredients on hand. Thanks Deb.
Hi Deb. I made this tonight, following your excellent recipe and adding some pecans too. It turned out really great, with a lovely chocolate-y flavour, really moist and rich. I’ve had a not great week, and being able to accomplish making such a lovely cake with the help of your clear directions has brightened my day a lot. Your recipes make delicious food and also make people happier. Thank you!
Oh. My. God. I’m going to finish this before the kids even get home.
Deb, this is the site I go to for “things that taste good.”
Just posted. Spelled my name wrong. Please correct.
Made this using canola oil instead of butter due to a dairy sensitivity and it worked great. Mine was done at 45 min.
I was excited to see another baker using canola oil. I keep a kosher house so I tend to bake with canola oil, sometimes as another sub applesauce. There is no question this is the best of the best of banana breads but using the oil doesn’t alter the taste.
I buy bananas to let them get all wild and smoosh just so I can make this recipe. Longest week of waiting but oh so worth it. Best banana bread ever! ♥️ thank you for this gorgeous recipe.
I’ve made this numerous times before and it is amazing. It had been a while so I made it over the weekend. I have since made it four more for not just us, but friends and family! It is so moist, chocolatey, and just perfect. Thank you!
I have a question, I am making the bread today, can I use gluten free flour?
Here are comments from people who have made this recipe gluten-free:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798843
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798858
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798861
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-798931
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799004
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799054
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-799137
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-898295
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-901540
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-908780
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/#comment-923952
Your recipes are usually always on target, but this one was not one of them for me.
I am not sure what went wrong but I just made this and not only did it not come out looking like yours (which is how my banana bread usually does)- it was dry and came out looking bumpy, it tasted so disappointingly bad.
It wasn’t sweet enough, the salt didn’t seem like enough to bring out the richness, and the consistency is nothing like banana bread, more like a bland muffin.
My banana bread recipe usually either has yogurt or juice to add a more silky texture, maybe this needed a liquid?
Anyone else? Any tips?
When it comes to baking except for baking something chocolate I always add either Cuban or Italian coffee, I never add lib specifically because and I feel almost arrogant, baking is pure chemistry and Smitten never fails. Sometimes I use 2 bananas, mostly three. No matter what I bake, the response to this banana bread is always out of the park.
This is such a good, fast, easy treat. I tweak like so: I use 2 tsp of baking powder for the leavener (hate the taste of baking soda); up the salt to 1/2 tsp; I use oil instead of butter because I find it makes a moister loaf at room temperature; AND I bloom the cocoa in the oil in the microwave (stir til smooth) and add it to the wet ingredients. That way I don’t have to sift anything, and I get an even richer chocolate flavor. Always a winner, and tastes more decadent than it is.
We love this recipe! We make it at least once a month. I swapped the butter for olive oil in my last batch and loved the outcome- reminds me of your chocolate olive oil cake (another favorite in our house)! If using olive oil instead of butter (dairy isn’t always my friend) are there any other things I should keep in mind?
My mom and I are both huge fans of yours (and our families that get to enjoy the finished products)! I’ve also enjoyed the first few episodes of your podcast. Thank you for sharing so many delicious recipes with us!
PS. I am a new mom to a red headed daughter- hard to tell if she will have curls like your red head, but I hope so! :)
*Reposted this because I had accidentally posted it as a reply to someone else’s comment… trying to do this from my phone while holding a baby!
Loved your comment and your ginger baby. I never mess with baking recipes given I believe it is all science, cooking not so much. Having said that I always add when using chocolate either a 1/4 tsp Espresso grains or Cuban grains to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. Good luck with your ginger baby.