I believe this bread was invented as an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. My kids request I make this as their birthday cakes each year and sells out at the school holiday bake sale. It’s from King Arthur Flour and needs no adapting. If you ever have bananas on the verge of going too ripe, peel them and pop them in a freezer bag to use the next time you want to make this bread. Let them thaw and come to room temperature before mashing up. They will have browned in the process but it doesn’t matter for this since they disappear into the cake anyway. There’s no point in only making one so I suggest you double the recipe. You can freeze a loaf for up to a month. The cake is dense and moist sort of like a pound cake but even more so.
Double Chocolate Banana Bread (from King Arthur)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. (You can also make mini muffins with these. Reduce the baking time to 20-30 minutes)
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla, banana, and sour cream. Gently mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It’s a little tough to tell when this is done as there is melted chocolate throughout but it’s okay if it’s slightly underbaked. It’s delicious that way too and becomes slightly brownie like in places.
Remove the bread from the oven, and allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the bread(s) out onto a rack to cool completely.