Chocolate Banana Loaf

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve posted a recipe with chocolate and bananas (like Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Banana Ice Cream, and Banana Maple Brownies) but I just can’t help myself! It’s one of my favourite flavour combinations. Bananas make this loaf nice and moist, while the cocoa powder makes it a little more decadent. Add a sprinkle of chocolate chips on top, and you have a beautiful loaf to enjoy. The kids go crazy for this stuff!

Loaves like these are great because they’re easy to transport, so you can take them with you to playdates, potlucks, picnics, or as gifts to teachers, friends and neighbours. I made this particular loaf for my neighbour who just had her third baby girl! It freezes well, so I brought it to her already frozen (along with some other frozen items) because I knew she probably had a lot of food from friends already, so it’s nice to keep extra food in the freezer for later.

I made a double batch, so that our family could enjoy some, too. It looked too good not to keep some for ourselves. I’m glad we did, because it was as yummy as it looked.

The kids (and grown-ups) gobbled it all up! That loaf didn’t stand a chance in our house. The Whine Critics definitely approved of this recipe, so I’m sharing it here so you can enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 2 tbsp. chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F, and grease a 9x5 bread pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder.
3. In another bowl, combine eggs, bananas, yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, and butter.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until combined (do not over-mix).
5. Pour batter into the bread pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
6. Bake for about 35-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Cool on a rack in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool on the rack.

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