What started as chocolate banana bread “was blackout cake,” stated former staffer Molly Baz of this recipe, when she “determined to double down and use each cocoa powder and chopped chocolate.” When a touch of complete wheat flour made its manner into the combo, the recipe strayed even farther from BA’s Finest Banana Bread. The addition was not an try at well being, thoughts you. As a substitute, Molly says, “It brings out the nuttiness of the chocolate.” Nicely, okay.
Nonetheless, this double chocolate banana bread recipe may be very scrumptious and really versatile: If you happen to don’t have complete wheat flour, you possibly can substitute with extra all-purpose. You’ll be able to swap in darkish chocolate chips or your favourite baking wafers for the chopped chocolate bars—and throw in an equal quantity of toasted walnuts or pecans when you really feel so moved. If you happen to all the time have Greek yogurt available however by no means bitter cream, that’s superb, says Molly, although you gained’t fairly obtain the moist crumb she was after. You would use pure cocoa, Dutch-process cocoa, or a mix. Whereas the previous provides a extra strong chocolate taste, the latter brings a darker, richer coloration (additionally they react otherwise to leavening brokers, so don’t take into account this carte blanche to make use of them interchangeably). You would additionally sprinkle the highest with flaky sea salt when you’d like. One important: You should use overripe bananas, so make this fast bread when you will have a pile of spotty brown bananas on the counter or wait till they ripen.
The sliced banana garnish isn’t simply “a factor of magnificence,” notes Molly. Your entire prime of the cake (let’s face it, this fudgy chocolate-chocolate chip banana bread is a cake) will get a closing sprinkling of demerara or uncooked sugar earlier than hitting the oven. The sugar “melts and caramelizes and lacquers the banana” because it bakes. Basically, the banana will get brûléed, intensifying that banana taste and creating an intoxicating aroma. May you skip this step too? Certain…however who would need to?
