Less than a week after I delivered the ostensibly completed manuscript for that my second cookbook (just 40 days now!), I received an email from someone was looking for a recipe for a chocolate-vanilla marble cake like the one her grandmother had made, one that had great texture and wasn’t too sweet. She said that no recipe she’d tried had achieved this, and could I help?
I became obsessed; I loved the idea and I fiddled until I came up with a marble cake I loved, moist, deeply chocolaty in the dark swirls, but no throwaway blandness in the light ones… and then I added it to the book. Editors love this, by the way, almost as much as mine loved the ten recipes I swapped in in December and the three in January, and the introduction that I didn’t write until February. Seriously, just let me know if you ever want me to write that How Not To Write A Book Book.
What a tease, however, that this isn’t that marble cake. (That one is really good though! I thought I’d hand it off to friends and my family basically blockaded the door.) (Geez, Deb, stop rubbing it in.) What I wanted to tell you today is what happened after I figured out how I wanted to marble the cake, which is that I found it so much fun, I couldn’t stop. I started marbling everything. Marbled chocolate graham crackers. Marbled gingerbread bars. And then one day I even made marbled banana bread and I shared it on Instagram Stories and I don’t think I have ever received so many requests for a recipe.
At my typically snail-like pace of output, this brings us up to today. Banana bread is perfect fall/back-to-school food anyway, can we pretend I “meant” to do that? And this version, which is 50% this jacked-up classic (my favorite) and 50% this double-dark chocolate version (seemingly everyone else on earth’s favorite) is thus the literal definition of “best of both worlds.” I know for a fact that all of our weekends will be better with this in it.
Marbled Banana Bread
- 3 large very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (145 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
- 1 cup (130 grams) plus 1/4 cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (about 20 grams) dark cocoa powder (I use Dutched but any kind should work), sifted if lumpy
- 3/4 cup (130 grams) chocolate chips
Melt butter in the bottom of a large bowl in the microwave. Mash the bananas right into it until mostly smooth. Whisk in brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring just until it disappears.
Pour half of batter into a second bowl. (You can eyeball it, it’s fine. Or you can know that my batter halves were roughly 365 grams each, but weights will vary with banana sizes.) Into one bowl, stir the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and ground cinnamon. Into the other bowl, stir in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
Dollop batters in large (see pictures above for an idea of size) alternating spoonfuls into bottom of prepared loaf pan. Attempt to “checkerboard” the rest in, roughly meaning that you’ll drop a chocolate batter dollop on top of a chocolate-free one and vice-versa until both batters are used up. Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to make a few figure-8s through the batters, marbling them together — but just a little, say, 2 to 3 figure-8s. Any more and the swirls may not look distinct when you cut the cake.
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 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do ahead: The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. I keep mine wrapped in foil.
Um. Uuuuum. Uuuuuuuuuuum.
Like I wish I had more articulate things to say, but… this just looks delightful and I want it.
I make this everytime we have bruised bananas, like twice a month. It’s so good everytime. My kids go crazy for it, my husband eats an extra slice when he thinks no one is looking, and coworkers always ask for the recipe. About half the time I forget to add the chocolate chips, and I don’t miss them.
Swapped in mini reeses pieces this time instead of the choc chips, and HEL-lo.
Amazing. Everyone needs to make this.
I now quadruple the recipe so that I make a double batch in each bowl and I don’t have to pour from one bowl to another. I give it as gifts. I also top it of with Penzey’s Cinnamon Sugar. It’s delicious!
Your Double Chocolate Banana Bread is up there on my fave bakes of all time, so you’re right about it being everyone’s favorite. :) Has there been any attempts of swapping melted butter for browned butter in that recipe or will chocolate just cancel out that flavor?
:) I think the browned butter goes really well with the non-chocolate half. Not saying it would be unwelcome with chocolate, just less noticeable.
Can you give an approximate weight of peeled bananas? You give other weights, which is helpful.
The size of the bananas are usually 6”-8”. It’s not that sensitive to size. Way way over ripe like a mushy feel to the banana is more of an issue.
Lovvvvveeee this recipe, best banana cake out there.
Just wondering have you tried it with white chocolate??
I swap out half the butter for sour cream.
I’ve been pining for this recipe ever since you posted it on insta! I even screencapped the stories I was so obsessed. Guess we know what I’ll be doing this weekend… Thanks for this Deb!
Made this about a month ago when quarantine started and my kids won’t stop talking about it. I’m waiting for a third banana to ripen! Any chance this could work with 2? I cut the sugar to around 100g and replace the egg with 1/4 cup applesauce (egg allergy) and it was still heavenly.
I made it with 2 (large ones) and it was fine.
I hope your proof reader put a “T” in Dutched in the book. Otherwise, this looks just about perfect!
Thanks, now fixed. This recipe isn’t in the book.
Hi Deb, do you swirl the batter as you go, layer by layer, or do you dig in at the end to make the figure 8s?
Just at the end; go deep. I find less is more with the swirling.
I love your jacked up recipe and so I’ll have to try this one but I have one question, what happened to the booze?! Do you think it would be good added to this or is there a reason it was left out?
What happened is kids ruin everything. ;) I just don’t pour the bourbon in baked good like I used to. But it would delicious here.
if using bourbon like 2 T? and add a few T extra flour?
You can use 1 to 2T. I think you’ll be fine without extra flour.
Any particular kind of chocolate chip you recommend? Semi-sweet? Dark?
I usually use semisweet for baking.
Could you tell me – clueless foreigner – what is semisweet chocolate? The percentage of cocoa?
“There is no exact amount of sugar required to be called “semisweet,” but the name generally indicates that no more than 50% of the mass of the chocolate is sugar.” http://bakingbites.com/2012/04/what-is-semisweet-chocolate/
The most common semi sweet chocolate in the US is Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet chocolate morsels. Depending on where you live, there is likely an American foods distributor that brings it in. I used to be able to find it in London.
It’s about 45 – 55%
Scratch that, more like 55 – 65%.
I am Australian and when a recipe calls for semi sweet I just use our dark chocolate chips, or a roughly chopped block of the original Old Gold (It is often cheaper then chocolate chips and I love the look of roughly cut chunks).
Unsweetened cocoa or regular cocoa powder?
Always unsweetened in baking
Looks gorgeous and I’ll get round to trying it some time, but I’m still one of the ones who thinks your jacked up banana bread can never been improved upon. It’s SO good, no additions necessary.
this looks AWESOME and is perfect for back to school – thanks!
So… me and bananas have a thing. As in, they do not like me and my stomach does not like them. Problems arise when I eat them. But, this looks delicious. Anything I could sub for the bananas? Applesauce? Avocado?
Maybe apple sauce? A thick fruit puree would be the right idea here. Rich is good too because bananas provide a lot of moisture.
I’m going to try this idea with zucchini bread – while i have a lot of frozen bananas right now, I also have too much zucchini.
Could I substitute the banana for pumpkin?
It might work! For reference, this is my favorite pumpkin bread.
Pumpkin bread with chocolate is PERFECTION!! A swirl of cream cheese works nicely with this combo.
Strawberries or peaches would make a nice bread.
IF it helps, I have a banana muffin recipe that I substitute other fruit in all the time – generally 1 1/2 cups of fruit puree is a good sub for the bananas – I’ve used applesauce, pureed strawberries and raspberries and peaches.
3 Bananas = 1 1/2 c of fruit puree
Could you please add the weight of the chocolate chips?
And the cocoa? I feel like cocoa powder is one of the worst things to measure by volume. It gets so clumpy and weird.
And the bananas, please? “Large” bananas may not impact the result much, but how many cups or ounces, please?
Don’t have a banana weight at this moment but the chocolate chips would be 4 1/2 ounces or about 130 grams.
I’ve made every banana bread on SK (all delicious) and will be trying this one this weekend…AND just saw you are coming to my town (Naperville) in October. My day is made :) :)
This looks like a gorgeous bake, and I like the idea of documenting it through photography, the pictures really tell a story. I haven’t heard of this recipe either, its lovely! :-) xx
Helen | Helen’s Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
Is dark cocoa powder different than regular cocoa powder? If so, can I sub regular dutched cocoa powder?
Made this with some frozen bananas and HOLY COW was it good! I’m thinking of trying it with peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips next time.
Amazing. Make this. I am waiting for the bananas on my counter to turn so that I can make another batch (because why eat them when I can make this!). Husband and 9 year old LOVED it. I did too. It was gone in two days.
Of all the gin joints….no wait, that’s a different ….oh well let me just say that your recipes are the most reliable out there…which is why you cook book is my go-to wedding gift. This recipe is no exception…just exceptional. I followed it exactly and the result is so good that I fear I will finish the whole loaf before my family gets home. Thank you again.
Does the banana flavor come across strong in this bread or more of the chocolate? If so, any substitute ideas?? I love bananas, but not so much in bread?
I am not a fan of bananas but this has me intrigued. The Egg & I in Las Vegas has a banana muffin that is excellent. Simply put, it doesn’t taste like an overripe banana. As far as banana taste how does this cake rate? It looks amazing.
Lovely recipe. Now I need to try marbling. I made banana bread yesterday and my husband despaired that it wasn’t chocolate. It does however have raisins infused with rum and crunchy chunks of walnut (Nigella Lawson’s Domestic Goddess cookbook).
I have baked the Double Chocolate Banana Bread SO MANY TIMES! This recipe is the best of both worlds. PLUS anything marbled is way more fun fun fun!
So good! I baked in glass at 325F and it took 70-75 minutes for the center to set but the outside was very well-browned and delicious. I always have to lower the temp for glass or else the outside will burn and the inside will be wet. My kids helped with mixing and they love this chocolatey banana bread.
My Yiayia made the most incredible marble bundt cake — deep chocolate batter swirled into orange-scented yellow batter, and none of it very sweet.
I make it, but it’s not as perfect as hers; the directions are very old-world — a water glass of this, an eyeballed scoop of that, “you’ll learn to know how much.”
So excited to try this one, and to check out the recipe in the new book!
That sounds absolutely amazing!
I had exactly three over-ripe bananas on my counter. What a wonderful coincidence! Delicious, easy recipe.
me too! It’s fate…three ripe bananas on my countertop, begging to be used immediately…
I always put the odd overripe banana in the freezer, just as is, so I am ready to bake this as well!
Can l reduce the butteror or substitute half for apple sauce??
I just wanted to say, I made this but doubled it and baked it in a 9×13 pan at 375 for an hour. When it came out I let it cool a bit and glazed it with a brown butter glaze. I was nervous but It turned out perfectly!!! I served it as little snack bars at a get together and it was devoured quickly. Thank you!
Thanks. You may just have answered my “what shall I make for coffee time at church next week” question.
I have two loaf pans, which unfortunately are both just a little too big for this. So, tragically, I was forced to triple the recipe and split it into two pans. (I added some bourbon to the batter as I am wont to do.) I brought one to dinner with friends, and gave the other to our neighbors, so I wouldn’t eat them all by myself (as I am also wont to do). Thanks for the brilliant idea!
How much bourbon, when did you add it?
What is it with grandmas and marble cake? Mine made one too, in a bundt pan. Two of the ingredients i remember from when I peeked at the recipe 20+ years ago were “1 small can Hershey’s syrup” and Presto flour. As a kid I loved it so much, but based on the presence of Hershey’s syrup, it’s one of those things that is probably better in my memory than in reality.
They make a 5 ingredient variety now that’s probably not as bad as you imagine 😏
So I was at the grocery store today and thought, should I buy bananas? And I decided, no, I don’t need bananas.
Lesson learned.
Hi Deb,
I have a jar of chocolate hazelnut butter I have to use up.. is there anyway I could it here in addition to/instead of cocoa powder?
Thanks!
Not sure; can’t hurt to mix a couple spoonfuls in but in general, at least peanut butter tends to make baked goods more dry and crumbly, so not too much.
you could put the hazelnut butter in between the layers of the checkerboard bit, then swirl it in, or as my partner does, eat slices of banana bread with a thick swirl of peanut (or in your case hazelnut) butter – how he is not a larger man I do not know!
Use it as icing!
Made this today, gluten-free for my husband. Scrumptious! I used 135g all-purpose gf flour and 30g buckwheat flour. Already half gone!
Followed this recommendation with Bob’s gluten free and buckwheat flour. Came out great!
A dignified end for our overripe bananas. I love your double chocolate banana bread, but this came out even better. I let the butter brown, then threw in the still-cool bananas (they had been in the freezer, and had thawed an hour or so) to stop the butter from burning. I also beat the egg til it was frothy, and used a 8 x 8″ pan since I cracked my loaf pan putting it straight from the fridge into a hot oven. I ended up with a thick, incredible cake, almost 3″ tall, with a more sturdy texture than banana bread usually has. Thanks so much for sharing your continued genius in banana bread development!
hi ERINEAGUAYO,
I also don’t have a loaf pan right now, so did baking it in a 8×8 pan turn out like a cake texture, or more like a loaf of bread? Thanks!
Coincidentally, I had 3 bananas on the counter, and plans for banana bread. What timing! My kids have deemed this the best ever! So delish! Absolutely perfect.
I may be the only person on this sight that thinks your crackly banana bread is the best- i make it so much people know that’s what I make with bananas now!
I swear this was fate – I was staring at a pile of overripe bananas in my fruit bowl and poking around for a good recipe when I came to your site and found this at the top of the page! I made it tonight and it is delicious. My husband who hates bananas (!) loves it too and had seconds! Yummmm. Thanks! Also I just want to thank you in general – whenever I make one of your recipes I feel totally confident that it will be great because you’ve tested it so much and explained it so well. I’ve never been disappointed and it feels nice not to have to worry that I’m wasting my time on a dud recipe :) I really appreciate all of your work!!
Banana, chocolate, and chocolate chips?
Thank goodness I can use my oven finally!
I don’t know what’s going on, but your ads are making your text jump all over the place. Reading your recipe and story is really hard. Is there a way to make the ads stop resizing? I know you’ve got to monetize, but this is a little ridiculous.
I’m sorry; it’s not me choosing to give anyone a terrible experience out of greed. Badly coded ads slip through and the second I find out about them, I let my ad guys know and they take them out of rotation. I’m not seeing one today; can you tell me what it’s for so we can get rid of it?
Ads for QFC are doing it to me, and Adobe Stock photos. Since you went to Spain. You just should never leave us. ;)
Its almost a month since i baked and was going through your site yesterday for a recipe. And voila, got an update on FB today morning of this lovely marbled banana bread.
I can almost inhale the smell of it just by looking at the wonderful photos. And definitely wanted to bake it early in the morning. Unfortunately its a working day and a long list of chores waiting to be done. But this is definitely going to be made today evening, no matter what may happen.
Also, All the Best Deb for your cookbook. Your recipes are always risk free because of the effort you take before posting. It can’t go unrewarded.
Yo Girl!
Sorry for the late feedback, especially when I have made the Marbled banana bread twice. The 1st time it came out like a dream. The 2nd time, I got a bit careless and burnt the top. But that didn’t stop me and my family members on basically inhaling it off. I have to improve on my swirling techniques though.
Adding a little pinch of nutmeg along with the cinnamon portion increases the flavor.
Thanks Deb for the wonderful recipe.
I must serve this for our Yom Kippur break fast!
i know this is from 3 years ago but that’s what i’m doing right now! break fast!
Any recommendations on how to make a great gluten free banana bread?
One of the comments above shared her substitutions for gluten free bread.
Easy 1 to 1 flour GF Great replacement
This looks good with the marbling. I do not like banana s. So is there a non banana marbled cake recipe you could recommend ?
Well, there’s one coming in my new book, but that’s not much help today. You could try swapping the bananas with a cup or so of applesauce; haven’t tested it but it should work okay.
I’m a big fan of one in the 60’s era 5 Roses flour cookbook. Was always my kids go-to birthday cake. Don’t know if 5-Roses is only Canadian, though.
Dorie Greenspan has a couple of recipes (traditional marble loaf cake and double chocolate marble cake) that you might look into. I’ve only tried the traditional one, but I remember enjoying it.
What do you think about doubling or one-and-a-half-ing the recipe and making it in a bundt pan?
Doubling in a bundt would be wonderful.
Yay!! Thanks so much, this will be perfect brunch addition !
How long would you bake it doubled in a bundt? 45min?
Sorry was too excited to finish reading the recipie… would you increase bake time tho?
Not sure without testing it how different the baking time would be; might not be much different at all (if it’s equally thick, which it could be).
I recently got a 12-cup-capacity Bundt cake pan so I doubled this recipe and baked for 40 minutes (at 350°F). The texture was firm, no slightly-wobbly insides like I usually get when baking the banana bread in a 9”x5” loaf pan. Next time, I’ll start checking at 35 minutes when baking in the Bundt pan.
Now that I’m thinking about it, I may even triple the recipe for the Bundt pan and start testing at 50 minutes of baking. This is my favorite of all banana bread recipes!!
Can’t wait to upgrade our standard choc chip banana bread to this.
So excited that you’re (possibly!) coming to Atlanta!
Would this be good with browned butter? Worth the extra effort?
Never mind, I see you already answered my question!
This looks really great! I printed it and hope to make it soon. Your recipes are delicious, and your intro to them always makes me smile, inspiring me to make the recipes!
I have a small request, though: When printing your recipes, the large header makes the recipe often run over to two pages. If the header (the SK) were smaller, most would fit onto one page, I find. In the interest of saving paper, binder space, and the effects on the environment, wold you consider making the header smaller, or integrating it into the text somehow, so recipes would fit on one page?
Thank you — I will look into it!
Deb, the person having difficult reducing one of your recipes to one page because of the header may be mistaken, may not be cutting and pasting, or may not be using a Print Preview screen which I only do if I’m on a desktop. In any case, if I cut and paste a recipe, I can delete the header (maintaining your identity, of course) so the recipe fits whatever I need. If she’s using a desktop, she can adjust font size etc, to make it fit. Perhaps you and/or your elves can suggest something. Those of us blessed to have small devices never print a recipe out anymore. We store them in on-line files that we access in the kitchen. Saves paper and permits the addition of notes after we’ve tried a recipe.
Just to let you know that Susie is not the only one with this “complaint” (really, a small one – your commentary, recipes and directions are GREAT!). As to the suggestion to cut and paste – yes, I have done this, but it is so much simpler to just print it out directly. Some of us continue to love paper copies of recipes – the smudges that develop over years of use prompt memories of the good times when they have been used.
Love this idea! However, as a backyard banana grower with a freezer full of little 3-4″ very ripe fruits, I wish recipes included either a weight or volume measure for the bananas! Best of success with new book – looking forward to it.
I only had whole wheat flour in the cupboard but made this anyway — it was delish. Very crumbly and hard to cut into slices but I assume that was because of the flour. Well done, Deb, another triumph!
Made this last night because by some miracle I had exactly three bananas lying around that were way too ripe for anything else. I ate a slice for breakfast this morning and it was the perfect sweet counterbalance to coffee, plus the marbling turned out so pretty. Next time I might add walnuts!
Just made this this morning and it is soooo delicious! And I really like the mix of flavors — not having the whole thing be chocolate actually somehow makes the chocolate parts taste chocolatier (is that a word?me) My only suggestion is to marble the bottom layer before adding the second layer of batter on top of it. Cutting through both layers at the end didn’t mix the bottom one fully for me.
Same here. I put my offset spatula in all the way but still the lower half had no swirling. I wrote myself a note to swirl in between checkerboard layers next time.
Good tip! Thanks.
Deb~ would your Cookbook Tour bring you to Charleston, SC? That would be fantastic…💕
seconded!!! please come to charleston!
I am not sure but can ask!
Third’ed!
Amazing! Excellent way to use up my over ripe bananas!
Just made this today, and it was fantastic! I should add that in my haste, I divided the batter more 60:40 than 50:50, so mine turned out to be more of a chocolate banana bread with regular banana bread swirls …a mistake for which I have no regrets :) This is my second smittenkitchen recipe in a row (first one was the mixed berry buttermilk bundt cake) that has knocked it out of the park, can’t wait to keep baking. Thanks Deb for another winner!
Excellent recipe, really clever, thank you. I’ve made the double chocolate banana bread several times – this version really made us smile and even made me leave a message here, first time ever I’ve made a comment online!!
Can I fold nuts in this batter?
You can but my family would disown you. (More for you!)
Thanks so much, Deb. I’ve been making a marble cake out of a 60’s era 5 Roses flour cookbook of my grandmother’s for ever, so I am thrilled to add the banana factor. Will make this this afternoon and laugh at memories of my grandmother’s famous/infamous banana bread. I worked at a Dairy Queen through my high school summers, and we always had leftover bananas. My boss would give them to me to take to my grandmother, who would transform them into an amazing, dense banana bread (we joked that it was so heavy, you could use it as a doorstop). I always got at least one loaf to take back to the DQ staff! As I’m on a teacher self-funded leave this year, I can honour that tradition by taking one of these to my school staff.
Looking so forward to seeing you in Toronto.
Deb, this was the best banana bread we’ve ever had. Thank you.
So happy to see this recipe…I’ve had some ripe bananas waiting all week on the top shelf on my fridge for something spectacular. I cut down on some of the brown sugar in your recipe and subbed in a little maple syrup. Wow, did that add some flavor to an already stunning bread!
Shawn (or anyone else): Do you think a straight maple syrup replacement would work? (According to my calculations, I’d need to use 0.45 c syrup and reduce the liquid elsewhere. My question’s about flavor. Was the partial replacement super maple syrup-y?
Came here to say that the jacked up classic is my absolute go to favorite banana bread. Deb, you are not alone.
The marbling tip made the diff, I ten to overdo. I had TWO very large bananas on hand and the bread still came out beautifully. Chocolate and banana combos always grap my attention. The entire recipe took 15 mins to pull together-perk! for last min prep ideas. I can’t pick fav SK recipes, they all work for me!
Is bake time really 55-60 minutes? Mine seemed to bake more quickly?
Thanks.
Mine too. I set the oven timer for 50 mins. and tested it at 45. Done.
I didnt mention it earlier because ovens vary and I used one less banana. Best to check iven at the 45 min mark to be safe.
That’s how long it takes for me; how long did yours take? Might your loaf pan be larger?
Three years after the fact, I’m responding to say that my oven always runs cold and I took mine out at 50 min and it was a tad overdone. Still delicious.
mine took 45 minutes at 350 on convection bake setting. but convection ovens usually cook faster.
Mine was 205° F internal temp at 50 minute. The recipe states a 9″x5″ loaf pan which is what I used. I think it might take 55-60 minutes in an 8″x4″ standard loaf pan. It’s delicious though!
OMG My poor Aunt Punkie’s chocolate loaf cake (so rich it doesn’t need icing, or even powdered sugar) has been usurped by this marvel as my go-to food gift. I made this yesterday to deliver to a friend who’s had open heart surgery. He called my cell about a half hour after I left it on his front porch and raved about it. I meant to leave out a couple tablespoons of the batter to bake for myself and I forgot. So, today I had to make it again for myself (and those at work tomorrow who deserve a treat). Densely rich chocolate and moist banana swirls. Thanks for passing this on. It will go into my regular rotation.
Mmm even though it’s been usurped, could you share the recipe?!
Here’s Aunt Clarice’s (Punkie) chocolate cake. I pretty sure it was a Hershey recipe, though, as it specifies their brand of chocolate syrup.
Heavenly Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup butter or solid margarine
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 16-oz. can Hershey’s chocolate syrup (or 2 cups)
1 cup flour and 1-1/4 teasp. baking powder and 1/2 teasp. salt
OR 1 cup self rising flour
Cream butter or margarine with sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, alternately with dry ingredients and syrup. Bake at 350º in greased, lined round pans for 25 minutes or in loaf pan for 45 – 60 minutes.
I just made this and I’ve got to say it’s now my favorite banana bread recipe by far! I used frozen bananas (because that’s all I had) and thought it came out perfect.
Made exactly as written, baked for 55 min (toothpick came out clean at that time). This is so good. I want to eat the whole loaf right now (in the dark stillness of my house, while the toddler and the husband are sleeping – no one would even know it ever got eaten if they never knew it got made, right?)
tried it, loved it (both chocolaty and banana-y!) but my cake has trouble staying together – which never happens with my regular recipe (from Delia Smith). Why could that be? Undercooked? Bananas not ripe enough? Wrong flour? (I used half-wholeweat – don’t know what that corresponds to in the US, basically it’s the one between regular white flour and wholeweat flour)
This is absolutely delicious!! I got rave reviews – even after reducing the sweet things to 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c.chocolate chips. Still delightfully dessert-for-breakfast-like!
Dear Deb,
I ❤️ you so much. There’s truly no need to follow anyone but you.
I have a quick question. My husband is gluten free so I used an all purpose gluten free flour for both the marbled banana bread and the brownie cookies but it was far more successful with the cookies. Which g.f flour would you recommend for the bread to give it a better hold?
Which blend do you use? I’ve had good success with a lot of quickbread recipes using Better Batter. Just be sure to measure by weight (Better Batter weighs 140 g / cup) and not volume. You’ll probably still find that the bread is a little flatter than you are used to (less rise) but the crumb / texture / flavor is spot on.
I’m sorry, I haven’t tweaked this with gluten-free flour but perhaps someone else will chime in soon; someone usually does.
I was lazy and wanted it to be a one bowl bread, so made the batter with the 1 1/4 cup of flour and swirled the chocolate in at the end.. not as pretty but still marbled. This is a keeper
I just pulled this out of the oven–it looks good, but my batter was much runnier than the one pictured, and the cake is only an inch and half high! What happened, ya think?
Update: It tastes amazing!
Yes! We had slices with coffee this morning and I’m thinking a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top would make for a yummy dessert.
Mine was also a pretty short standing bread. I also was wondering if I did something wrong or used too big of a pan? Tastes amazing either way!
Hands down the most requested baked item I make! In fact I was summoned to make quite a few for a “wedding cake”. I never ever make one, my printed copy has the tripled amounts on it, and they fly out of the house. The only thing different I do to it is that I add is a generous amount of raw sugar to the top before baking, did I say generous? Girlfriend-let the sugar flow, it bakes up to the most unbelievably delicious crunchy sweet chocolately goodness ever!
Mine also came out really short. My pan looks the same size as Deb’s although I didn’t actually measure it. I felt like I didn’t have enough batter, rechecked the ingredients (all was in) and worried it wouldn’t be a decent size loaf. A bit sad as it’s for a bake sale and won’t produce pretty tall slices.
I had the same problem – followed the recipe to a T, and used a 9×5 inch loaf pan. It tasted AMAZINGGGG but was only 1.5 inches tall! Any thoughts on what could’ve gone wrong?
I just bought my tickets to your book tour stop in DC mere moments after they went on sale like the groupie-level crazed fan that I am. Yep, Deb, you’re that good. Groupie level good. Can’t wait to see you in person.
Thank you.
Made this bread this past weekend – AMAZING!!! love seeing fun recipes like this!
I’m one of those people who thinks that marbled cakes are dry and unpalatable. This is not the case here. I was intrigued by the banana marbling and goaded into making this by my son. Moist and delicious. I dare say that half the loaf is gone already! Nice recipe!
Also, I only used half the butter and used half unsweetened applesauce. Noticed no difference. Yum!
Made this two days ago and while it tasted great that day, this is one of those recipes that gets better and better with age – it was absolutely perfect for breakfast this morning. I used a chocolate bar that I chopped into chunks because it’s all I had on hand, and also had to sub 1/4 cup white sugar as I only had 1/2 cup of brown left in the cabinet. Like one of the other reviewers, I did have some trouble with the cake staying together, but I suspect it’s due to the fact that I was overly cautious with the marbling and didn’t blend the layers quite enough. Next time I’ll be sure to be a bit more aggressive with my figure-eights. Thanks again for another winner, Deb!
The minute I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I prefer to bake with weights, so I took my 3 bananas and weighed them. Two 6-7 inch bananas and one I’d frozen for smoothies, 100 g. Together they weighed 317 grams. According to Rose Beranbaum’s cups to weight, 1 cup of mashed banana is 227 g.
I’m not sure I liked the chocolate chips. Their melting pockets caused the bread to fall apart. I’d put this in the ‘snack cake’ category, but who cares!! My husband immediately ate two large slices and I had one. There goes the healthy meal I’d planned. Super good recipe. Now, if we can just get peanut butter in it.
I followed the recipe exactly and next time I make this (tomorrow?!), I will reduce the chocolate chips from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. A hit!
for all interested as marbled muffins of a normal size they taste delicious 1 got 12 and they took 20min at 350 degrees. they are delicious!
thanks! I was wondering about muffins. I tried the loaf and it was delicious… will try muffins next. I have a bake sale to bake for this Friday…
Good to know! Was planning on doing muffins
Debs..the next time you ‘marble’ a batter, could you please do just a quick video of the method and a shot of a slice once you’ve baked it would be nice, too. That’d be so helpful. I guess I am an over-marbler. My cut slices look more like I did a poor folding job rather than a deliberate swirling. I think the top of the batter looks like it isn’t swirled enough compared to what has happened below the surface.
Can this recipe be adapted to muffins?
I love banana bread and this looks fabulous. Perfect for when the kids come home from school. A good snack. Thank you for the recipe.
I want the marbled chocolate graham cracker recipe!
and the marbled gingerbread too!
This was my favorite banana bread of yours yet (and I’ve made them all)! The swirls made for such a lovely loaf, and then I gussied mine up even more with banana slices on top–one half dusted with cocoa powder, the other with brown sugar. The perks of having 4 “brown, spotty, past their prime and about 36 hours from luring in fruit flies bananas” when a recipe only calls for 3. Love, love, love them!
P.S. Was hoping those of us in Phoenix would also be getting some good news soon … maybe that we were a pit stop on your way back to NY?! There’s no place more beautiful in the winter :)
Ahhh! I’m so excited you are coming to Denver. I moved from Chicago 2 years ago and my husband wasn’t looking forward to listening to me moan about you being there and not here.
Yay for adding Denver to the list!!!
Oh my goodness! I saw the post on instagram yesterday and I made it as soon as I got home. It was absolutely perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. My pregnancy cravings were thoroughly satisfied. This one is going on rotation!
Didn’t have any languishing bananas, but did have too much zucchini…so I made a mash up with you zucc bread recipe to make marbled zucchini bread. So delicious!!! Have another loaf in the freezer, we’ll see how long i can hold off!
I made this with four (medium-ish) bananas and white whole wheat flour, and it was perfect! I was nervous, because I’ve never marbled anything before, but the instructions were really clear, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out!
I made this tonight with 3 children running around making mayhem. I got halfway through the recipe (already divided the batter) and realized I forgot the bananas. I added them at the end. I also used almond extract (1/4 tsp) instead of vanilla. It is still delicious. Need to work on my marbling (and reading).
I just made this marbled banana bread and I may need to buy a new wardrobe in a larger size. I can’t get enough of it. Delicious!!! I made it exactly according to the recipe. It is moist, chocolaty and the banana flavor is subtle. Another Smitten Kitchen winner. Thank you!!!
Homemade banana bread is my son’s favourite treat. Adding cocoa and chocolate chip for would be heaven for him !
Made this last night– perfect for a rainy afternoon. I made it in a 8×8 baking dish, checkerboarded the batter in 3×3 blobs before swirling and it was done after 45 minutes. The chocolate part is SO CHOCOLATEY, and yet I was pleasantly surprised how “not too sweet” this tasted. That’s my primary concern with baked goods (I don’t love sweets) and this also means I have no problem eating it for breakfast right now :) Thanks for another great one, Deb! Excited to see you in Boston.
Oh, Deb- one more thing: because you’ll be in Boston on day 2 of your book tour (hooray!), for those of us who pre-ordered your book on Amazon, do you know if it will ARRIVE on 10/24, or SHIP on 10/24? I just want to be sure I’ll have a book for you to sign.
Would this work with the Lodge cast iron loaf pan L – 10.125″, W – 5″, H – 2.75″?
I will add my voice to the chorus of praise. I make your Jacked Up Banana Bread all the time to great acclaim, but have never made Chocolate Banana Bread. This marbled bread was awesome and possibly even better than the Jacked Up Banana Bread. I particularly loved how you limited the number of bowls by starting with the same base batter. Another winning SK recipe! Thanks!
Delicious! I used 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup canola oil.
Deb, this is just so good (like literally everything you post)! I am a loyal Smitten Kitchen groupie but infrequent commenter…but felt compelled to tell you that my coworkers are going to lose their minds over this tomorrow. Thanks for everything, and l’shanah tovah!
That scary moment when you open SK to search for a banana bread recipe…only to find a brand new one right.there.in.your.face. Thanks for reading my mind, I appreciate the effort. ;)
I made this yesterday and gave it away so I’m making another one today. So obviously it’s another winner!
I made this using Cup-4-Cup GF flour substitute and it did not turn out well. The cake didn’t seem to bake so much as “set” and was reminiscent of cookie dough. I baked it the full time and I have never had a problem using cup-4cup before (it is designed to substitute in equal amounts in any recipe) so I don’t know if it is the recipe or the flour substitute, but I thought others who need to bake GF would be interested to hear of this result. I also thought the bread had too many chocolate chips (and I’m a chocoholic) and tasted too much of cinnamon; the banana flavor was lost. I am going to stick with Mark Bittman’s banana bread recipe in the future.
I have Celiacs and I use cup4cup almost exclusively and unfortunately it can’t function as it claims, but it’s close! The blog Gluten Free on a Shoestring does an incredible breakdown of gf flours, including a better substitute for cup4cup. For this recipe I added an extra egg and used weight measurements where a cup of flour equals 140 grams of my cup4cup gf flour. I find that for most quick bread recipes adding an extra egg and using the different weight equivalent for flour makes a huge difference. This was a hit in my house of non-gf people so if you’re willing to give this another shot again maybe those tweaks might help.
I was happy with the results of my GF adaptation. As @Another GF Anon suggests, I added an additional egg and also increased the baking soda to 1 1/4 tsp. Since my GF flour blend doesn’t include xanthan gum, I added 3/4 tsp. After letting the batter rest for 15 minutes, I baked it at 325 for 80 minutes, until the internal temperature was 210 F. The loaf got a nice rise.
I made this using Cup-4-Cup GF flour substitute and it did not turn out well. The cake didn’t seem to bake so much as “set” and was reminiscent of cookie dough. I baked it the full time and I have never had a problem using cup-4cup before (it is designed to substitute in equal amounts in any recipe) so I don’t know if it is the recipe or the flour substitute, but I thought others who need to bake GF would be interested to hear of this result. I also thought the bread had too many chocolate chips (and I’m a chocoholic) and tasted too much of cinnamon; the banana flavor was lost. I am going to stick with Mark Bittman’s banana bread recipe in the future.
This looks amazing! Mouth watering as I type this.
This was super easy, and really yummy. As always. Follow the directions exactly and you’re set!
sO YUMMY!! I love chocolate and search new chocolate recipes, now after a long time, I got the fabulous recipe. Thanks, share more chocolate recipe.
And yes nuts may appear as well……. We will be gone for a week. Three very large very ripe bananas taking a time out in the freezer .
Tried this and absolutely loved it. The chocolate sections were the main event for sure, but it’s still worth it to have the light sections just for the visual effect of the marbling. Thank you!!
Oh, yes. Looking at it, it brings to mind a marbled cake of some sort with jam in it. Or maybe peanut butter and jam. Would Nutella marble well? The possibilities make good “Supposings”.
Speaking of marble cakes, Did you try Alice Medrich’s Tiger Cake during your latest bout of cake trials? In this case, tiger refers to the stripey-ness of the cake. Tiger cake is an olive oil based marble cake that seasoned with, somewhat oddly, white pepper which, with the fruity olive oil imparts an almond flavor and gives it a somehow…tigery? warmth. I highly recommend it!
My 12 y. o. daughter didn’t care for this – said it was more like chocolate cake with banana. I felt like the banana flavor was too strong and overwhelming. (We’re like Jack Sprat and his wife – lol.) I might recommend cutting back on the banana (or maybe using ones that aren’t quite so far gone) and the chocolate chips. It sure photographs beautifully!
Deb. This…cannot… be categorized as bread. This is HEAVEN. This is a big banana brownie. I don’t know what to say except YES. Actually, on second thought, let’s go ahead and call it bread. Better for defending second helpings.
I admit it. This is so much better than mine….yummy and from now on, banana bread will always be marbled with dark rich cocoa. …I wonder what it would be like to add some peanut butter to the vanilla portion?
QuiltGranny,
If you have a YouTube channel where you post food videos of any sort, I’d like to share your video content also on DNN. Please feel free to comment on any post so we can connect. Please and thank you. :-)
http://positive-affirmations.drewrynewsnetwork.com/
Hello Smitten kitchen friend,
Congratulations on posting stimulating food blogs. It’s been a good New York minute since I’ve had real banana bread (not just something pre made out of the store). I was wondering by chance if you make healthy eating videos on YouTube by chance. I have a few health forums on the site and would love to discuss your videos if I may please. And by the way, is that Blueberry and smooshed Cherries you have alongside what looks like the Banana pudding? Martha Stewart posts food videos but I don’t think she updates her channel frequently. If you have any questions, I’m more than welcome to an e-mail from you at the address in my comment. Let’s talk sometime about your wonderful food blogs. Thank you so much and look forward to building a relationships in longevity with you Smitten Kitchen! (smile) :-)
Was just curious why there’s not buttermilk in this and a teaspoon of soda and only one egg. Does this make the loaf quite dense? Thanks. It looks lovely.
This looks delicious. If I have 5 slots for racks in my oven, where should I position the rack for baking? Wondering where it should good for optimal desserts!
I just made this this afternoon after ignoring my battered bananas last week with the excuse that I had your recipe to try out. Delicious! Husband and both boys (5 & 2) -loved- it (and me of course). I DID change it a bit. I always cringe when that happens, but I never have exactly what I need or try and make it more geared towards my audience. I subbed the butter for a non dairy butter (dairy issues here), I used all 4 medium sized bananas I had, and I could only find my mini loaf pan, so I baked for 25 minutes total (checked after 20 since my oven runs hot). This is now our favorite banana bread. Thank you! :)
So, this seems like a silly question but I’ll ask anyway. How ripe do you recommend the bananas? The ones in the pictures look a lot less ripe than I usually use in banana bread.
I am a long-time reader/follower but first-time comment-er. Made this yesterday and it came out so well. Very moist; and the banana flavor came through quite clearly in both the “regular” and the chocolate sections. The whole thing together was rich and delicious, though I think the chocolate part really made it. Also, the fact that I achieved the swirl made me very excited. As always, another keeper from Smitten Kitchen. Thank you, Deb!
This is so so good!! Definitely giving this bread a try!!
I made the Marbled Banana Bread. It was not only beautiful, it was delicious!
Yessssss! Please come to Denver!!!! Please please please!
Delicious! For other folks doomed to a dairy-free life like me due to dietary restrictions (or vegans who have made a decision to be so), I used an equal quantity of Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured VeganButter to great success. I also live at altitude (5800 feet above sea level) and found that increasing the oven temperature to 375 degrees allowed it to bake in 60 minutes and wasn’t dried out.
Like some of the other commenters, my bottom layer didn’t marble as successfully as the top, so I would definitely do more marbling of the bottom layer before adding the top layer in the future.
Thank you Deb for another great recipe! <3
I just made this and had a slice. It is just wonderful! It’s not too sweet so the banana and cocoa shine. It is really moist. Mine didn’t rise as high, but it’s pretty darn close. I followed the recipe exactly–came together fast and easy. Except for the batter covered spoon I dropped on myself. Oops! I might share at work… I might not!
Thank You Deb for yet another great recipe. I followed the instructions and it came out perfectly – well perhaps not marbled quite as well as yours – but it looked great and tasted delicious. I’ll make it again for sure.
Made this marble banana bread for a mini reunion I had with my family. It was DELICIOUS. Everyone was so impressed with how moist and tasty this bread was.
Will make it again, especially for my grandkids.
Superb Recipe.
Will Really Love to try it.
thanks for sharing.
Made this last night because we ran a snack stand at my son’s football game on Sunday and had leftover bananas brown from sitting in the 90 degree heat. We had it for breakfast just now and it was AMAZING. Exactly as written. Love love love it.
Hi Deb, thanks for much for all your wonderful recipes, I use them often!
I have had a question for some time about your jacked up banana bread recipe, and the same one is coming up for me on this one. Would you be able to provide a weight measurement for the bananas? Sometimes bananas vary widely in size, and sometimes I like to use more than the recipe calls for a boil them down a bit to get a stronger banana flavor. It would be really helpful to know how much my end result should weigh.
Thanks!!
Absolutely loved this. Made a loaf to bring for my colleagues, and it disappeared! It is a short little loaf, but if you bake it perfectly, it’s moist and rich and perfect for a squat little slice (or 3).
Dang it. I put it in the oven 5 min ago and just realized I used baking powder instead of baking soda. I go to google and type in “used baking powder…” and the third suggested search completion is “…instead of baking soda in banana bread” lol! So I wonder what will happen??
(Note: Some of the answers here were pretty funny!)
So….what happened?
Tastes great, it just didn’t rise much so came out more moist, dense, and fudgy. Not at all a bad thing in IMO :)
Hi! I tried making this today and it is delicious! Thanks for sharing. I didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand (terrible I know!) so I left those out. The taste is great but I find the bread to be quite crumbly…is that what you experience also? It’s still moist and not dry just falls apart very easily. Thoughts?
Last night was a two recipe Smitten Kitchen night – Pizza beans and this bread.
My kids love banana bread, but it has to be GOOD banana bread. This was amazing. I made it gluten free by subbing gf flour (having ingredients by weight is HUGE for this swap) and adding 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum. Otherwise kept everything the same.
I baked in a 8×8 pan as I couldn’t find my loaf pan, so only baked for ~30 minutes. This was amazing!! Really, really good warm, but honestly, just as good this morning.
I made this recipe yesterday. The only change I made was that I used four bananas that had been frozen, so they were very wet. It still turned out well; I just had to cook it 60 minutes. Thank you!
Mine’s in the oven as I type and it smells like choco-banana heaven. And side note THANK YOU for being one of the only sites that consistently lists measurements in grams. I’m generally a terrible baker so I cannot deal with the cup guesswork on most other sites.
Just perfect! Took a little less time in the oven, abou 45 min. Was over after just a few hours. 😋🍌✨
I made this last night with three sad bananas, and it was the absolute best way to give them new life. My loaf isn’t as pretty as yours but it is so delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
This came out fantastic! I’ll bake it a touch longer next time (as Paul Hollywood would have said, “It’s underbaked”) but we inhaled it anyway. Deb, I’ve been making your recipes for a million years but I never comment and tell you how great they are — in honor of your new book coming out, I’m vowing to comment every time I make one of your recipes to say thanks.
This marbled banana bread disappeared in a day when I took it to a gathering of 6 friends! Excellent, Deb!!
I made this and it was delicious!
I do have a question about the flour weights. Do you have more accurate weights for the cup and 1/4 c of flour? Because 4 * 35 = 140, not 130. I figure you got the numbers by rounding and that’s why they don’t quite add up. For me, if I’m going to actually weigh the flour and not just scoop and level, it’s just as easy to weigh out 33g vs 35g or whatever.
Thanks for another great recipe, Deb. I made it this morning and it tastes great. I have one question. My bread came out a little less…perky than it looks like yours did. I seem to have this problem with banana bread; it often doesn’t rise that much. When I make “regular” banana bread, I don’t melt the butter, but I cream it, and this works pretty well. Any suggestions on how to get this (or any other) banana bread to rise a little more?
I subbed the melted butter with liquid coconut oil (100g) and used 100g of dark brown sugar. Tastes delicious and so easy! I had help from my 2 and a quarter year old who frankly was more interested in eating the chocolate chips than mixing the batter!
Just made this and the house smells like banana bread which is always a good thing :) this came out really well! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
One note is that I only had to bake mine for 30-35 minutes and it was completely cooked… I’m pretty sure I used the same size pan so not sure what happened but it’s good to check the baking time in between!
OMG. Have made the jacked up classic and loved it but this beats it. So moist and IMO better with the chocolate swirl vs all chocolate as less rich. Another smitten kitchen win.
What’s not to love? Super simple and quick to make and tasted delicious.
Baked this bread this morning using over ripened bananas that I previously froze. It was easy to make and very delicious. I will definitely be making this again. I will have to work on my swirling technique though . The marbling was pretty at the top, but it was just two separate layers on the inside.
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Yummy, Nice food and good for health, banana always best :)
I LOVE this bread! I made 3 mini-loaves, and baked for 35 minutes each. Next time I’d use mini chocolate chips.. My two halves of the batter weight 395 g each.
Oh boy, am I happy marbled chocolate banana bread is a THING! just made this tonight, and it’s amazing. I used 4 medium-ish bananas, Dutch cocoa, and dark chocolate chips – just, wow and thank you for this recipe, Deb! Every time I make one of your recipes, I spy another I just have to try!
I can’t stop making this delicious, delicious bread. It’s a problem.
This recipe came out great. I doubled the recipe and used an aluminum long, large loaf pan. Baking time was about 65-70 min. I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa which may be more intense than regular dark cocoa?.. not sure. I only added 1 cup of the chips (instead of 1-1/2cups for a double recipe) I might eliminate or reduce the chocolate chips next time as for me, the chocolate over powered the banana… though others in this house would disagree;)
I would love to make this dairy-free, can I use oil instead of melted butter?
Yes.
What amount of oil substitutes the amount of butter? Is there a general rule to follow?
You can do 1:1 here.
This is the second time I’ve made this and it is absolutely amazing! However, both times I have followed the instructions and my marbling is subpar. It still looks mostly like the patchwork from before swirling. The taste is wonderful and makes up for it, but I’d really like to figure this out. A video could help, so if you have time amidst the book tour, food network, two kids, dinner every single night [why??]…well, someday, a video would be very welcome.
Ha! I appreciate you seeing my perspective too. ;) I’d do a few more figure-8s. If it’s still checkerboard-ish, it could still be marbled more. Or same amound of figure-8s and smaller dollops. Hope that helps; thanks for making me smile.
S!uggest lining the bottom of the pan with wax paper – my loaf didn’t come out in one piece, despite waiting 10 minutes and using a knife on the edges. Still tastes good though
This bread is soooooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Hahaha I made this months ago for the first time. The day after I read your chocolate banana bread!!! Everybody loves it. At my son daycare they asked me all the time because kids love it (I reduce sugar for them). Posted on IG some time ago!!!
I love the concept! I never would have thought to make marbled banana bread! I made it this weekend and it tasted amazing, I just thought it would be different. After baking, the difference in color was a lot less dramatic from the pale/dark swirls before it entered the oven. Also, the chocolate really overpowered it (not that I’m complaining ‘cuz who doesn’t love chocolate?)
Deb, in all the years I follow your Smitten Kitchen, I still don’t know which is my favourite discovery, the wonderful creations, written recipes I swear have a perfume, as though the finished dish were hidden somewhere in the email…. or your writing and the wonderful humour you share.
I must have your books, I Always lose reciPes because I no longer have patience trying to save them someplace and forgetting where ‘someplace’ is… writing them down and losing them in the unbelievably tiny place I call home, etc ad infinitum…. Deb, U R A JOY.
I made this within 24 hours of reading the recipe, amazing! So, so good! The cinnamon in the “yellow” half gives the cake a warm, deep flavor that pairs so well with chocolate. Next time I’m going to double the recipe and make a layer cake!
I just made this and it’s great, but a little heavy on the chocolate with the chocolate chips for me–if I leave those out next time should I add anything to that chocolate batter just to keep weight/proportions even?
Thanks.
I was going to make some healthy, breakfast banana muffin with my overripe bananas, but it’s my husband’s birthday week, and he requested I make this again instead. I don’t regret it. Second time around is just as good :)
not as good as BNS (Butternut squash marbled lasagna)
This. Is. Phenomenal. I’ve made it twice today because the first loaf disappeared so quickly. Can’t wait for some more bananas to almost go to waste!
The bread tastes delicious, but for me the texture came out too moist and a little gummy. I had to bake it quite a bit longer than the recipe stated before the toothpick came out clean. My bananas were pretty large, so perhaps this contributed to the problem.
Awesome!
Some changes just because. Blueberry banana devil’s food swirl!
Doubled the recipe and used a Bundt pan, a bit less sugar and added 1/2 cup Dry Blueberries to the banana side
Added 2 Tbs of our homemade molasses (honey might be good too next time) to the chocolate side and a bit more cocoa powder
Everything else is yours and wonderful. Next time some rum maybe :)
That is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen.
Anyone ever make this with mostly whole wheat flour and/or in muffin tins?
Yes, I just made these in a 12 cup muffin tin and they took 20 minutes to bake at 350. Throw some icing on them and you have some pretty awesome cupcakes. With that much chocolate in the batter they veer more toward cupcake than muffin even without icing.
If I wanted to take out the “marbled part” could I just add another 1/4 of flour and 1/2 teaspoon to the other half of the batter?
I made this exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for the great recipe!
OMG – my bread looked just like Deb’s picture, a rarity for me. More importantly, it was delicious. Taking some tips from the reviewers, I added chopped pecans to the batter and instead of chocolate chips (which I didn’t have), I used chocolate shards. I also did a couple of figure 8s through the first layer, and the whole thing came out so amazing! This may be my homemade gift to friends this Christmas. So easy, so delish!
How long did it take you to put this Banana dessert together?
https://drewrynewsnetwork.com/forum/business/entrepreneurial-upliftment/1890-sidehustle-make-money-from-home-now-in-your-underwear
So, even though I mucked this up in multiple ways (..only regular cocoa not dark, forgot to SWIRL!, undercooked bc I used a different size pan & altered time/temp incorrectly, AND added cinnamon to both batters) it was AMAZING! Husband and I shamelessly finished it off in less than 24 hours. I cannot wait to get it right next time. (OR to meet you next week in Atlanta!! I’ve been cooking from your blog since 2010, it’s my favorite!)
This was an easy tasty recipe to make. I feel like walnuts would be a nice to have and after reading your comment will add a little bourbon, I forgot to swirl deeply so will do that as it ended with pockets of chocolate, The recipe was a little runny, Wondered why since the pictures seem not to be so.
My partner’s favorite banana bread! Everything about this recipe is perfect!
It turns out I’m referring to your recipes a lot this holiday season. I used your chicken stock recipe, which I have used for years since first finding it, for something to do with our leftover turkey. Now, I’ve made your marbled banana bread. Both are really good.
On hand I had Hershey’s cocoa and special dark chocolate chips. Even without your exact ingredients, it turned out very well. Thanks so much!
Hi from the UK. Always looking for a great banana loaf recipe and this looks like it could be that. I am all for approximation, but surely 3 peeled bananas could be anything from around 150g to 3 times that or more. Do US bananas come in a standard size? How much should I aim for in weight please?
PS loved the browniest cookies. An all time favourite.
I made it and froze it for a party tonight and it was fabulous. Thanks for another great recipe.
Your recipe is very nice thanks for sharing this post..
Just made these yesterday in a mini bundt muffin pan and then iced them with a thin chocolate glaze for my husband’s birthday. They make awesome cupcakes! They took about 20 minutes to bake at 350.
p.s. I also browned the butter…yum! My 8 year old and I enjoyed swirling the batter for each of the 12 cupcakes :)
This is one of my favorite dish.!!!!! If you love these kind of dishes then you may visit my website: https://www.tomatocafe.com which is full of sweet dishes also.
Take it u r in the States. Is All Purpose flour same as Self Raising in U.K.?
No, it is not. It has no leavener in it. I think you want “plain” flour in the U.K.
This is so good. Told my friends and they made it immediately and also agreed. Chocolate and bananas are such a good combo.
Apologies if this has been asked and answered, but… all I have is bread flour and we’re about to get a SNOWPOCALYPSE. Think this would work?
Yes, I think it will be fine here.
how about whole wheat flour? Can that be subbed? I’m half-half-ing it for this upcoming batch but thoughts or comments from those who have tried much appreciated. will update
I’ve made a lot of banana bread in my life, and this recipe is hands down the best EVER! Ps I added one tablespoon bourbon to batter.
Great recipe! I added a tablespoon of tahini and almond flour.
I see people have had success making this into muffins (and I always have with both the jacked up banana bread and the double chocolate banana bread!). How would you suggest layering the batter so the muffins come out marbled?
When you list cocoa powder is this unsweetened?
Thanks
This is amazing and so easy to make! I made it this past weekend and it’s been at hit at my house and at work. Not too sweet which is perfect! Can’t wait to make it again.
I made this yesterday for my husband’s coworkers and it turned out great! The swirling is easy to do but looks very impressive. I used three medium bananas and it was still fine. A nice change from classic banana bread.
My cake came out totally flat and I was like what the what…. I went through all the steps in my head and realized I forgot baking soda! The house smells delicious and my cake is a disgrace. So tragic! My husband will be so sad when he gets home ☹️
Tried your recipe, with twice the quantity in circular cake pan.. Turned out really good.. Wonder recipe..
Will it turn out same with wheat flour + oats..
I liked the moistness and flavor of this banana bread (I used half whole-wheat flour and 4 1/2 very small bananas). I will try it again with less sugar—even using less than the recipe calls for, it is achingly sweet.
Do you have the nutritional info for the recipe?
I don’t but I use this site often when I’m trying to find the calories of something.
I have been wanting to comment on the Marbled Banana Bread for some time now. I have spent much time and gone through many recipes trying to find the ideal one to use up old bananas, something I seem to always have. This is, without a doubt, my favorite! It is delicious, easy and also freezes well. I make it all the time and I can’t ever imagine growing tired of it. Thank you so much!
I made this again last week, and used my Bundt pan – it came out a bit short (not tall) but baked in about 25 minutes. I’ve had trouble getting the loaves fully baked in the middle.
And because I can’t resist fiddling with flours, I used about 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour, a couple of tablespoons of ground almonds and the rest wholemeal wheat flour.
Half of the cake was gone in about 15 minutes as soon as it was out of the pan!
Handsdown the best banana bread recipe. Moist and rich in flavour. Replaced AP flour with cake flour. Added brandy. Used Valrhona cocoa powder. Batter still gooey at 55 minutes. Took 70 minutes to bake this.
My oh my!! This was an absolute winner! Just finished baking it and now it’s sitting on the counter to cool. I sliced myself the edge piece to give it a try and it’s so moist and delicious! My house now smells delightful with that chocolatey banana aroma.
Definitely a crowd pleaser. Thanks for the recipe!
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. It was simple enough that my 3.5 year old daughter was able to help me measure and mix up the ingredients, but exciting enough (with the dividing of batter and additions of chocolate!) to make it really fun and interesting for both of us.
We baked it in a bundt cake pan for 50 minutes, which may have been a few minutes too long (I’ll try 45 next time) but overall it tastes DELICIOUS, looks amazing, and smelled unbelievably good while baking.
The addition of cinnamon to the “plain” banana bread batter, marbled with the chocolate batter, gives this bread an amazing depth of flavor. I can almost see someone *not* liking it because the flavor is so complex. But I love it! And so did the rest of my family. It’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough.
Totally incredible recipe, I am so glad I found it. Thank you!
Made it twice – loved it every time; will make it again! It’s easy. Followed the directions completely. Looks lovely sliced and is delicious!
Made this and froze it for a week. Though I definitely under-baked it initially, I brought it to a potluck four hours away, and it was still well-loved. Agree with others on the need to swirl a bit more. Will definitely make again!
I just found this and knew it would be just the thing for when my crew of kiddos get off the bus on the grey, cold, New England autumn day. Thank you for always inspiring my home’s ethos of food is love!
Made this last night, wonderful. Wondering if I could swap out flour to use whole wheat flour?
I love the Banana bread ! I used Bakers 100% cocoa powder, it’s unsweetened.
Should I add sugar? Or use a different powder?
Thanks!
Karen
What would you suggest the bake time be for muffins??
Wow, Its looking delicious. I love chocolate cakes. I would try it for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Perfect recipe to double !!! So delicious, thanks
My weekend is definitely better with this in it!! I actually made Marbled Banana Bread gluten free by substituting the flour with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. (Not an endorsement, just wanted to be clear on the product I used.) Stellar results for gluten free foodies and foodies without gluten intolerance, as well! The deep fudgy chocolate balances so well with the earthy banana flavor. I tell myself that this “bread” is healthy enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
-Andrea
Made this tonight. Although I didn’t get my marbling to come out right , it was delicious nevertheless!! I added a little toasted walnuts :) yum.
This was perfect. I used dark chocolate chips and wouldn’t change a thing. Four of us ate half the loaf in one sitting.
This recipe absolutely, positively rocks! I doubled the recipe and put the batter into 3 smaller pans. The reason being: One …I usually freeze my loaves and it’s easier to cut the loaves while frozen for quick lunch treats or afternoon/evening snack! Two: I have 2 daughters … so, share and share alike! I baked the loaves for 35 – 38 minutes at 350! I usually have bananas floating around in my freezer, so this recipe took care of those! I have more bananas to use up, so I am thinking this might be excellent for small Xmas gifts! This is a win win recipe! I highly recommend and …kudos on a great find!!!
I’ve had a craving to make banana bread for several weeks, and this recipe was the perfect fix. Followed the recipe (as closely as I follow any recipe) and it turned out wonderful. It’s very moist and sweet enough to feel like a treat, but wholesome enough to call breakfast. I made it in my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan (9″x5″), which gave it a nice crust, but left it a little flat. Next time I would use a slightly smaller loaf pan to have a taller bread. But that’s user error, not the recipe. :)
This smells like heaven took over my house tonight. As I usually say when your recipes or tweaks make my basics better, “God bless smitten kitchen. God bless Deb Perelman.”
I guess I got a little confused while separating the batter into two bowls and adding 1/4 cup of flour to one bowl. That particular batter was super thick and stiff. I also tried baking it in a square pan since my loaf pan isn;t the same measurements and it barely rose at all. Maybe 1.5 inches tall? I don’t know what I did wrong! :(
I am not sure what happened. The batter is divided so it can be marbled; half has additional flour (to keep it as non-chocolate banana bread); the other half has added cocoa (to make it chocolate). The batter halves should be about the same consistency. I always get a pretty good rise in my loaf pan.
Thank you for the response! I realize I added both extra flour and cocoa to the same bowl. Oops. Still tastes yummy!
I am not a fan of the taste of baking soda..can I use baking powder or half soda and half powder?
Any way to cut down the butter and / or sugar!?
This was easy and delicious!!!! Love this recipe – thanks!
My first successful cake! Followed your recipe to a T and the family (who tend to stay away from my cooking haha) loved this! THANK YOU for sharing!
Deb, your banana bread recipes are amazing. I was going to make one each of the Jacked Up Banana Bread (sans bourbon due to kids) and the Double Chocolate, but when I read that the marbled one was a fusion of two, I took my batters and made two marbled loaves! So delicious. My son said to make sure this gets on our “make again” list!
So, I made this Marble Banana Bread Monday. Today is Wednesday. There are 2.5 slices left – if I you slice them t h i n… that’s how good this bread is (was)… did I mention there are only two of us in the house. Yeah. It’s that good!
I only used two large very ripe bananas (because that was all I had on hand) and mini chocolate chips… it was still out of this world good! I’m heading to the grocery store – Wegmans (lucky me) – for more bananas. I NEED to make this bread again. And the other banana bread recipes on this amazing site! :)
Made this tonight. My family loved it! Delicious and easy! Thanks for posting.
Ok so I baseline don’t love banana bread but I made this tonight because I had several bananas on their last legs and I’m a sucker for Deb. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a glass 9×13 pan at 375 for 40 minutes and it was perfect! Cakey but keeps its crumb, I think I’m in love. I used mini chocolate chips instead of regular sized chips and they melted nicely without causing any separation. This is for sure my new go-to for fashionably ripe bananas. The fact that it’s pretty is almost too much for me to handle.
This was delicious! I subbed flax egg and coconut oil to make it vegan. I keep finding excuses to pass by the kitchen to sneak another taste. Well done Deb!
Perfection! I need to work a little more on my marbling skills but cannot think about a better recipe to practice on. Lol! I added a T of Maker’s Mark in honor of the jacked up recipe. So good!
I’m allergic to milk/dark chocolate. Are there any substitutes for the chocolate and Coco? Looks amazing!
Made this today during my Seattle Snowmageddon 2019 baking and cooking marathon (lemon yogurt cake Friday, baked chicken meatballs last night, oatmeal cookie dough today, and now this) and It. Is. Awesome. The marbling is beautiful, and this bread is neither too sweet, too banana-y, nor too chocolately. It is the best of all worlds! The two bowls / split the batter made me think it would be complicated to make and put together but it was not. Thanks, SK!
Quite delightful and easy to make. Will repeat for sure. I added bourbon.
I’ve made this a few times now and all my friends and family loves it! A friend even asked for the recipe. I made two adjustments—I reduced brown sugar to 1/2 cup, and chocolate chips to 1/4 cup. I find that ripe bananas are already quite sweet on its own and don’t need all that sugar. Next time I might even try 1/4 cup sugar instead! Baked for 50 minutes in my oven. I used about 4 small bananas.
Hi – did you try it with 1/4c sugar or omitting sugar entirely? Using overripe bananas often makes things too sweet to begin with! Thx!
I found this to be dry and not banana-y enough. Tasted too much of chocolate. If you make it and also found it dry; I would take a slice of the bread from the fridge, pour a bit of chocolate syrup over it, then nuke it for 30 seconds. That made it moister like a chocolate lava cake.
Made this today during a snow storm- had some bananas that had to be used up and everything else in the pantry. Wow, this was delicious, moist, chocolatey, and EASY! Really just mix it all up, divide into two bowls, later in a loaf pan and bake. Baked for 55 minutes and it was perfect. We usually make chocolate chip banana bread, but this might be our go-to banana bread from now on.
I’m not a huge fan of banana bread. Once a year is good enough for me, but I think this recipe may have converted me. Recently, I made the double chocolate banana bread from here which was pretty good, but nothing more. Then I ended up with more overripe bananas and I turned to SK for a solution. I decided to give the marbled banana bread a try and I am so glad I did. It was fantastic. Even friends agreed that it was really, really, really good. Somehow this was the right combination of banana and chocolate. I know I will be making this again soon, even if I have I purposely overripe the bananas. Thank you, Deb!
I forgot to add this stayed moist for a few days. I saved a slice for a friend and she was surprised that it still moist on the third day. I know some of the people have said it was dry, but I didn’t find that to be the case.
Does anyone have thoughts on substituting oil or something else for the butter for those with dietary restrictions?
Thanks!
Kate
It shouldn’t be a problem at all.
I just made it and subbed half of the butter canola oil. It turned out beautifully. Next time I’ll go with canola oil for it all. I’m sure it will be great.
If you were wondering whether you can make this in a Nordic Ware cakelet mold shaped like baby bunnies and totally impress your in-laws at Easter, the answer is yes (but use small dollops, fill the molds only 2/3 full, and bang down on the counter a few times before they go in the oven). I doubled the recipe and made the part that didn’t fit in the mold into muffins, which were less #extra but still tasty.
This is the bomb!! or so I am told – haven’t tried because I am gluten free. Second time making – the first was rationed by my youngest son because he said it was so good and it had to last more than a day. Think between he and his brother they got 3 days out of the loaf. Hubby got one slice:( We love all smitten kitchen recipes!!! 13 year old made your banana upside down cake for Easter. Yummy!!
Easy and so delicious! My marbling totally failed; it just became a chocolate banana cake. I was slightly bummed but no one else cared. It tasted great. My bananas were very very sweet and overripe so I cut down sugar by 2 tablespoons.
I made this and it was a big hit this past sunday, reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup and it was still sweet, moist and delicious. thank you so much for the recipe, can’t wait to make it again!
Thanks for another great recipe, Deb! I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this all came together and that, even with the chocolate chips, it was not overly sweet. This will definitely be a go to recipe for me.
I made a vegan version and it was amazing! Used a flax egg, coco oil in place of butter, and added a little bit of my sourdough discard. It was delicious and so easy.
I have officially got everyone I know addicted to this banana bread. I’m even nice enough not to take credit for it Deb! Thank you for another delicious regular recipe. x
This is my favorite banana bread! Family members ask for it all the time! I make it with some slight adjustments. I reduce the sugar a tiny bit, omit the cinnamon, and add toasted walnuts. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I do have one question. It always comes out as a pretty squat loaf. Is there anything you think I could do to get a higher rise on the recipe?
This is the perfect recipe! It is so tasty and I make it all the time!
I <3 everything about it!
Sometimes I stir in butterscotch chips in the just banana half :)
Kid: Can I have a banana?
Me: Um, Deb says not tonight, sweetie. Mommy needs them.
Made 12 muffins (25 minutes). They are fantastic!
This was soooooo good. I used mini loaf pans and cooked for about 38 minutes. Delicious.
Just made this. A success – absolutely delicious. I hope I can freeze some.
I made this today and was really pleased. I’ve had bad experiences with banana bread in the past as they tend to be either too oily or too dry. This bread was neither and the flavors were spot on. It’s a great recipe to make with two “helper” kids too, as there are two bowls that each can stir. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I made this today, and it was fantastic! Super moist, delicious, easy, and I had all of the ingredients on hand. Fifty five minutes in the oven was all it needed.
My personal fave is Moosewood’s, which has a hefty dose of coffee. That said, I think I’ll try this and see which I like better – or incorporate the coffee (in place of espresso powder) AND chocolate!
This was so delicious! Made it yesterday and it’s completely gone today! Mine was done by 55 minutes. This will definitely be in my regular rotation! Thanks Deb!
I somehow managed to forget the egg…was cleaning up after I put it in the oven and found the darn thing still on the counter! And I had been so pleased with myself after the swirling. The bread was still delicious, if a little squat and crumbly. Next time (because there will definitely be a next time!), I’ll get ALL the ingredients in!
Can’t wait to try it – the recipe was easy to follow & my kitchen smells divine!
I am an obsessed SK fan, and have a binder full of printed recipes to prove it, in addition to your cookbooks. I have many SK dishes in heavy rotation, and I make them well the very first time because of your meticulous notes. So I say with all the authority and honesty in the world: Your marbled banana bread is the BEST thing I have EVER made. EVER. The fact that I made it from ingredients I already had on hand was just a bonus. It’s now our household’s favorite snack, our winning potluck contribution and hostess gift. Thank you!!
WOW! This bread is scrumptious. I found the jacked banana bread part of the recipe to be a little dry, so next time I’ll try 1/8 cup flour rather than 1/4 cup. Otherwise, this bread is delicious and the perfect balance of double chocolate banana cake and buttery banana bread. My bread was done at 64 minutes, but I opened the oven twice, so next time I’ll check it at 60. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Deb,
I recently made this marble banana bread and almost finished the loaf myself in 24 hours! (done in 55 minutes in my old Viking stove) Moist, chocolatey and drop dead delicious. I’d like to make three mini loaves ( since I have three little loaf pans and three nice doormen!) from this recipe but can you help me convert the temperature and the baking times.
Thank you for ruining my diet!
Nanci
It turned out yummy, and that is what matters at the end. But I did feel the chocolate overpowered the bananas. For some reason, my bread also didn’t rise as much. Any idea why that is?
Mine didn’t rise much either. I wondered the same thing. Super fresh baking soda and everything else.
I made it three times this holiday season- always delicious and the chocolate and banana flavors were a perfect combination – neither overpowering the other – BUT – it rose so little that the presentation wasn’t what I was used ot. Deb,
please help out here – why isn’t this banana bread rising? Too heavy with all the chocolate? Ingredients were fresh so that’s not it. Three times – three skinny cakes!!
This is my go-to base recipe for banana bread. I made the following changes:
sugar: used slightly over 1/2C sugar instead of 3/4C
flour: white whole wheat flour instead of white flour
chocolate chips: half semisweet, half bittersweet
made them into muffins for ease of serving/snacking. Baked for 24 min @ 350*F
Actually, my nine year old daughter made this as a Christmas present today, with almost zero assistance. Proud mum, delicious afternoon tea!
This was killer! Baked it last night and it’s almost gone. Everyone in the family loves it. Next round I will try my gluten-free 1:1 flour.
I sprinkled chopped walnuts in top. Yummy
I made this’s 3 times – delicious but I can’t get it to rise more than 2 inches! PLEASE help!
I’ve linked to the comments on this recipe because I make this ALL.THE.TIME. but it NEVER rises and I keep hoping someone will have a magic answer. I have several theories – flour protein content, banana ripeness, banana weights. I would love to get some lightness into this delicious cake. HELP! This recipe gets so much comment traffic. Maybe Deb can delegate this to us masses and we can try experimenting with different flours and weighing or bananas…
I liked the loaf very much but would have loved it even more had it not been quite so sweet (not for hip-size reasons, taste only which runs a tad less sweet than the recipe). How much do you think I might be able to cut the sugar before the bake suffers? That to a side, though, thank you for a very tasty bake!
Fantastic recipe! It tastes even better next day. For anyone looking to make it egg free you can replace it with 1/4 cup plain yogurt. It comes out great and not at all crumbly. Will definitely be making it again.
This is probably the best banana bread i’ve ever made! And this chocolate part…ummmm so yummy!
Just made this for the first time. Delicious and so pretty!
I’ve never gotten help with my previous question/problem/issue! Delicious, but how do I get it to be much than 2 inches high? I am using the right size pan and I have read that others are wondering about this. Please help!
You can probably 1.5x the recipe in the same pan.
This is absolutely wonderful. I didn’t have chocolate chips so I omitted. I followed everything else about the recipe. It came out perfect and I think I would continue to make with the chocolate chips.
**without
Hi. It looks wonderful and I’m super excited to try it out. But is there any alternate for egg? Thank you.
I just made this. It was easy and delicious!
I made this today, and it was delicious!
The thing is, though, it is the most delicate banana bread I’ve ever made. It easily falls apart and it seems to fall apart along the swirl lines.
What did I do wrong?
I had to let the bread cool for an entire day. I wrapped it in Saran over night and it was much easier to cut the next day. Yes, it is very delicate, but so worth it! I hope this helps.
I loved this! Made it tonight as a nice activity to brighten up my social distancing night in and it came out beautifully. I put it in a smaller loaf pan and it was still pretty and cooked through at 350˚F, 50min (8×4 instead of 9×4 and it just came out a little bit taller)!
Would post my photo if the site would allow. Might bail on my usual banana bread recipe (the simplyrecipes one) forever after this!!
Made this about a month ago when quarantine started and my kids won’t stop talking about it. I’m waiting for a third banana to ripen! Any chance this could work with 2? I cut the sugar to around 100g and replace the egg with 1/4 cup applesauce (egg allergy) and it was still heavenly.
You can replace bananas with sour cream or yogurt
Whoa! Is there a ratio for yogurt? Thank you!
Never going back. This is the best chocolatey banana bread I’ve made. Worth seeking out the dutch process cocoa, but I’ve made it without and it is good every time. Now if only I can remember to save 3 bananas every time… I always only save 2!
I freeze extra bananas. I defrost on a plate in the sun, snip off the ends and push out the soft banana. I never throw out bananas any longer! Be careful to sop up the watery part with a paper towel before adding.
I made the marbled banana bread but didn’t have cocoa powder so I sub it with Godiva dark hot cocoa powder instead. Came out devine. I’ve tried a bunch of banana bread recipes and this was by far so easy to put together and bake. Thanks for the recipe! So bombtastic!!!!
Is there a reason you added the baking soda to the wet ingredients?
All I can say is wow! This is sooooooooo good!
This is now my go to recipe for banana bread. I increase the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon, add 3/4 teaspoon of cardamom, reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup since I’m burning less calories during the lock down.
However, my bread doesn’t rise. I’s about 2 inches tall. Am I missing something?
YUM! I just made this with gluten-free flour (King Arthur measure for measure) and it’s perfection.
Can you use Greek yogurt in this?
I’m not sure where you’d need it but if you come up short on banana, you can swap it in for some.
Hmm I just made this and it’s pretty delicious but…very flat. It’s maybe 2 inches tall. Am I missing something… what would make it rise more?
I just realized i used baking powder vs baking soda. The loaf came out a little dense, but tasty. Next time I’ll add nuts to the non- chocolate side.
I just pulled this out of the oven after 30 minutes. It’s browned on top and the edges, and the toothpick came out clean. Am I the only one who pulled it out so early? I wonder if I did something wrong.
My 10 year old son now makes this by himself-it is a family favorite! And he said this time he added an extra 1/4c of choc chips. Heaven.
I’ve been thinking of trying this awesome marbled banana bread as muffins. Have you tried it out/is it possible? How would the temperature/time be adjusted? Thank you! 😊
I have not made these as muffins but here are comments from people who have that have made suggestions. I would bake them at the same temparature:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/marbled-banana-bread/#comment-966570
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/marbled-banana-bread/#comment-1396087
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/marbled-banana-bread/#comment-1441189
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/marbled-banana-bread/#comment-1467716
can i steam this?
Made these as muffins (yum) and wanted to offer that I marbled the batter in the big bowl, roughly, before portioning it into the muffin cups. This seemed to result in a really nice marbling inside each muffin, whereas in the past when I’ve tried to marble in the pan the way you would for a big loaf that didn’t work so well. So, just an idea for fellow muffin-inclined folks!
Oh my gosh the banana bread! I can’t wait to make it! My aunt used to make banana bread with chocolate chips and maraschino cherries. Maybe I’ll throw in a few cherries in her honor!
Can I substitute olive oil for the butter?
Yes
I made this and it’s fantastic! I love it so much that I’m making it for a friend. Could I substitute avocado oil for butter ? My friend is kosher.
Yes
This was SO delicious! A nice mix of flavors and the chocolate part was like a soft brownie. I shared with friends who also loved it. I will keep the recipe and make it again.
So good! Used 4 medium bananas and white whole wheat flour. Really delicious; quick and easy to put together.
Delicious! Moist and flavorful. Definitely eyeballed the halves and it was totally fine. Made just a few changes – I used four small bananas instead of three large ones, baked in an 8×4 pan for 55 minutes (no overflow issues at all, the loaf was still quite short), and used a little more than 1/3 cup sugar. Perhaps my bananas were quite sweet (they were very very ripe) but even after reducing the sugar I still found the result a tad sweet. Thank you for another great recipe, will make this again!
I’ve made this twice now and it hasn’t risen much. Tasty though! I did omit half of the butter and replaced with groundflaxseed + water. I’ve baked with that replacement before and not had rising issues. Maybe add a little baking powder?
I made this last night and have eaten 3 slices already! I made two changes:
(1) replaced the flour 1:1 with oat flour (ground up rolled oats at home) – resultant bread didn’t rise as much but the oats added great texture
(2) used 1/2 cup light brown sugar instead of 3/4 cup – bread was definitely sweet enough!
Highly recommend this one!
How about nutritional information?
Just made this and it is delicious. I halved it and baked in a 8″x4″, took it out at 35 minutes (could have taken it out 5 min earlier). Also added a handful of walnuts and, inspired by your ‘jacked up’ recipe, a big splash of bourbon.
this turned out GREAT! My husband did say it tasted more like a chocolate bread with some bananas but it is so moist and delicious! Thank you!
The Double Chocolate Banana Bread is amazing but I can’t wait to try this – sometimes you don’t want it ALL to be chocolate (although my husband would strongly disagree – once I made the Double Chocolate he didn’t see the need for anything else, ever). I think this will be the best of both worlds!
I had a bunch of bananas waiting to be turned into banana bread when I saw this posted on Instagram. I knew it was meant to be.
I was a little skeptical that the swirl wouldn’t be very visible because my regular banana bread usually turns out really dark. It’s beautiful! I doubled the recipe and made little marbled muffins also.
I have made the marbled cake from sked several times now and it sinks in the middle without fail. My soda isn’t old and I didn’t underbake. I also rarely have the problem otherwise and its usually a recipe fault, as in its not sk so duh it’s not fool proof. I checked on this recipe to see if I could find any hints as to what I’m doing wrong but I’m stumped. It’s a small bummer because it is a delicious cake, just not as pretty as the picture. Side note, what is the best way to ask questions about book recipes that don’t show up on the blog?
It’s ours third lockdown in London so it is back to banana bread. I had some bananas that were turning and was about to make one of the others (double chocolate or ultimate) that I have made several times. Marbled recipe caught my eye as best of both? I think so.. I used a 9×5 pan and it took only 40min, but that may be because of the combo fan oven we have here, which bakes a bit quicker. Agree with others that it is flatter than Deb’s other quick breads and I would double the recipe next time (maybe 5 bananas like the ultimate recipe) but I like the marble effect and breaking up the full on chocolate.
So I have made this recipe twice now, the first time I mistook baking soda for baking powder. The bread still tasted amazing but the final texture seemed like it was underbaked (because I didn’t realize I messed up). The second time I actually followed the recipe and used baking soda and it was still good and the texture was correct!
I walked into my parents’ yesterday and saw six overripe bananas on their counter… three became this bread. I added some chopped walnuts to the non-chocolate half of the batter b/c we like our banana bread w/ walnuts. This recipe is the easiest and tastiest banana bread I’ve made in a long time, and I’ve made a lot of banana bread since March 2020. I *LOVE* Deb’s method of mixing the salt and soda into the wet ingredients to save the bother of mixing the dry ingredients together. Thanks for the great recipe!
I make your recipes all the time. I don’t usually comment, because it’s all been said. You are a rockstar. I’ve made this banana bread many times. Once you try this one, your kids won’t let you do it any other way. I just wanted to share that I made this as mini muffins for my daughter’s covid-birthday tea party. I used the smallest ice cream scoop to layer the batter (not that you would ever use that thing for ice cream but it came with the set). I baked for 12 minutes. They were perfect. Everyone loved them. I used the remaining from the party for their lunch boxes. Major parenting points. Thanks Deb!
I only had two bananas so used a little bit of milk to get the dough to the right consistency. Also added walnuts and its in fact the best banana bread i’ve had so far! Thanks!!
This is my all-time favorite banana bread recipe and my go-to when I have overripe bananas. I was happy with the chocolate:not chocolate ratio! It was hard to resist overswirling, but I think limiting the swirling helped each component to stand out.
Loved it! Thank you. After making this many times I tried a few adjustments and it comes out equally great. I used half the amount of butter and replaced the rest with 1/4 c applesauce. I replaced the flour with bread flour ( ran out). I used 1/2 c brown sugar.
24 muffins take 20 minutes! So delicious.
love my anything that has banana in it. thanks for sharing!
This is an excellent recipe. I wasn’t expecting the cake to be so light. Definitely a keeper.
I made this swirled banana bread and my whole family loved it. It’s a very easy recipe and if you follow the instructions you get these pretty swirls of chocolate! Yum!
Loved this yummy and pretty variation of banana bread!
Hi Deb,
Why do so few recipes give a measured amount for the bananas? They vary so much in size – and I’ve found the difference in moisture in the bread really does vary with the amount of the banana. I’ve got my own recipe down with measurements finally after many many repeats. But how about this one? I’m dying to try it – how much measured banana?
Thanks!!!!
This banana bread is loaded with good chocolate flavor and bits of molten chocolate. I used Guittard 60% cacao chips for richness. It isn’t too sweet, which I like. The clear instructions and ease of preparation are a plus. I love melting the butter and mixing the bananas right in! I will say mine came out just a bit dry, which was unexpected given the ingredients. If I make it again I will cut the baking time by 10 minutes or so (I checked at 55 minutes and it was fully done.) Given the deep chocolate flavor, it is likely I WILL make it again.
This was outstanding and fun to make! Next time I might try just the checkerboard pattern and not swirl it for a different effect. The cake/bread was very moist and done at 60 minutes. Five stars from husband and son!
Made this today as written and it was delicious. I might add some pecans or walnuts next time since I like them in banana bread. Appreciate that this was chocolatey but not too sweet. Definitely a keeper!
Any chance you have weights for the banana in this? I find it infinitely helpful with your other banana bread recipe!
This was grade-A ridiculously good. Followed the recipe as written, got a good rise, and it tasted absolutely delicious. The two sections do split a bit while cutting but next time I make, I will smoosh them down a bit before marbling – I think that will do it. Thanks for a keeper, Deb!
Has anyone tried gluten free flour in this recipe?
Oops— should have done a search for “gluten” in the comments. I see lots of recommendations there.
Has anyone added peanut butter to the chocolate part? Not sure how to adjust the other ingredients.
can you make this with flax egg for a vegan alternative (baking for a coworker possibly)
So very good! You never fail me! Made this quick after dinner for lunches for tomorrow, Had to have a taste while it was still hot! Thank you!
It has been a Smitten Kitchen day, made your (truly) perfect blueberry muffins this morning, followed by the carrot cake with maple cream cheese frosting (made as cupcakes), and now this. In the oven now, made as written using black cocoa powder from King Arthur – if everything else I’ve made today is any indication this is going to be yet another winner. Thank you!!!!
Love this recipe! This was my second time making it and I doubled it to put half in the freezer for postpartum meal prep. I cut the sugar by a smidge less than half and it was still so good – didn’t even taste suspicious! I honestly think I could even reduce it more because the chocolate chips are plenty sweet. I’d love to try it with 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 butter or oil but I was out of apple sauce. Seriously so decadent and fabulous!
Deb, I made this as soon as you posted it yesterday. I had the overripe bananas and the dutched cocoa. I forgot to marble it, I was so excited! We didn’t have vanilla either. It turned out scrumptious! We barely have two pieces left!
Made this tonight and it turned out delicious! I didn’t have baking soda so I substituted baking powder 1:3 ratio – it was perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Made this with gluten free flour. Delicious and beautiful. Froze 3/4 of it sliced for the postpartum days ahead.
Another vote for a wonderful recipe. THANK YOU DEB for all your hard work on this blog and your cookbooks. I’ve been making things for life and anytime I need something to make for guests or to take to friends I turn to you first.
After seeing some reports of a short loaf, I made this in a mini loaf pan and some mini muffins. Both worked well (though obviously the swirl wasn’t pronounced in the mini muffins).
It’s a little over-the-chocolatey-top for me, yet somehow I seem to keep eating them.
This is a perfect 10. Love everything about it. My cinnamon is pretty potent, ground locally, so maybe next time, I’ll use a tiny bit less to let the chocolate and banana flavors come forward more. It’s beautiful to look at, too. Don’t need parchment paper (as in the TikTok) if you spray with non-stick spray.
What about the calories in this recipe. Any idea. It looks so good
I made this and it was fantastic! I used dark Hershey’s cocoa and semisweet chocolate chips. Feels fancy with not much effort needed to make it.
Forgot to mention that I used Land of Lakes salted butter because that was what I had (so I didn’t add the salt in the recipe because of that) and it turned out great. Feel free to use salted butter.
I baked this bread using three mini loaf pans, 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Substituted 80 gr. toasted walnuts, chopped medium, for the chocolate chips (divided evenly between both batters). Substituted spelt for the AP flour because I love to bake with it. Can’t yet comment on taste as they’re still cooling, but the fragrance is heavenly. Short but adorable loaves. At least one will be a gift to the fruit stand owner who gave me the over-ripe bananas she couldn’t sell. They became the star ingredient.
I made this last night because I had exactly 3 verrrry overripe bananas on the counter. They only change I made was I browned the butter! Excellent recipe!
What kind of flour do you use that weighs 130 g/per cup? Every bag I buy of Unbleached flour says 1 cup = 120 grams. I always prefer to weigh vs, measure. Thnx! Getting ready to make it now
Yes, the label usually says 120 grams per cup but I have never in my life measured a cup of flour that light, which I understand to be a common refrain from recipe writers. 130 grams is accurate to what my cups of flour actually weigh, and sometimes up to 135 grams.
Mine didn’t rise as much and I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe I should have used baking power and not baking soda? I’m sure it’ll be delish but bummed it won’t be a taller slice… PS: the house smells amazing!!!
Hi!
Love this recipe and have made it a few times already. But my banana bread isn’t as ‘high/tall’ as yours. Im using the correct baking pan size. My baking soda isn’t old and I try not to overmix. Any idea of why this could be?
Thanks!
My second time making this and I love it SO much, but don’t make the mistake I made this time. I didn’t dig deep enough on the marbling. Only my top layer is really marbled. Bottom layer is three distinct batters on the bottom. Not marbled. Still delicious, but very intense chocolate on those parts.
I made this with frozen bananas that were thawed in the fridge but the butter froze up IMMEDIATELY after i combined the two together… whoops! Aside from my batter not rising that much (this was a very flat loaf for me), it tastes pretty dang good and not too sweet. I omitted the chocolate chips (didn’t have any in hand) and used maybe two tablespoons of yogurt in the batter to keep it a little moist.
This recipe is amazing. I never comment on online recipes but I have made this banana bread at least 6 times. It is always great. I highly recommend you try this recipe.
Whenever I have ripe bananas around I end up googling smitten kitchen marble banana bread and reference this page. So good….
This is outstanding! I just made my third one and I do have a suggestion. No matter how carefully I try to “dig in” and marble both layers, I still get big blocks of batter of one type in the bottom layer. To avoid that, I would marble the bottom layer a little first and then add the three dollops on top. Superb, Deb. Thank you!
This is my go-to banana bread recipe! DELICIOUS! Whenever there are close to three bananas on the countertop, I hide them from the family banana-lovers until they become prime for making this bread. Up until this week, I have always followed the recipe to a tee. And I intended to again. Preheated the oven, buttered the pan, mashed the bananas, mixed everything up in two bowls, created a checkerboard, put in the oven, began cleaning up. Uh-oh! On the counter, I spotted the 1 cup pyrex measuring cup containing all of the melted butter intended for this bread. OH NO! It was too late to do anything about it so I just let the bread ride in the oven, expecting a hard, dry, solid chunk of nothing edible. Guess what? It was once again DELICIOUS!!! I did not miss the butter AT ALL! I eliminated ALL of butter from this bread and ended up with incredibly delicious marbled banana bread! 810 calories I did not miss!
This must be the very best recipe because I did it all wrong and it’s still edible.
There was only one small egg. Small bananas, so I took 4. So I took more baking powder. But since today everything went wrong I had not measured the rest of the ingedients and not buttered the pan. Which of course meant that my baking powder sat way to long in the wet batter. And at last I had no idea if the temperature of the oven was correct because I didn’t know if to put it on ventilating heat, which is common in my country, or just let it bake with upper and underside heating.
All is well that ends well. My cake is still quite nice and so your recipe must be perfection. Next time I’ll try better. Thank you.
Not that there’s a single bad recipe on this site but I think this one deserves more love!! This has been my go-to recipe since 2017 and it never fails to impress. I love the marbled effect for being less rich than a fully chocolate loaf & more decadent than the jacked up banana bread. Passes for both breakfast and dessert ;) Sure it’s maybe a little shorter than other loaves but it’s so moist & delicious that it doesn’t matter much at all. I also love to double it and keep one in the freezer for ‘emergencies’
One of the best banana breads I’ve ever made. Just made it for the second time in a week. I used about a third of the chocolate chip quantity – just the way i roll. Fantastic! Thanks Deb!
We have many Smitten Kitchen recipe favorites but THIS TAKES THE CAKE. Indeed, everyone in our family would rather have this than cake! My oldest literally just drove to the store for a third banana so we could make again tonight.
This banana bread is dense and chocolatey in the best way—and not too sweet. Not a crumb is ever left. Thank you for this loaf of delicious!