Description
This Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread combines rich cocoa and espresso flavors with ripe bananas and chocolate chips to create a moist, flavorful loaf perfect for breakfast or dessert. Topped with optional caramelized banana slices for an elegant touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ripe bananas mashed
Add Ins
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips plus a few extra for the top
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips plus a few extra for the top
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour for dusting chocolate chips
Optional Topping
- ¼ banana, 2 long thin slices off of a banana
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Mixing the dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a loaf pan, and gather all ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Mixing the wet ingredients: In a medium sized bowl with an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the olive oil and both sugars just until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and mixing each one just until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream, then mix until incorporated. Mash the bananas and fold them into the wet mixture.
- Combining dry into wet: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until almost fully incorporated; it’s okay if a few flour streaks remain. Set aside a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling over the top of the batter. Dredge the remaining chocolate chips in the tablespoon of flour, shake off excess, and fold them into the batter.
- Prepare for baking: Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips on top. Optionally, place the two thin banana slices lengthwise over the batter and press down slightly.
- Baking: Bake at 350°F for 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Remove from the oven.
- Optional topping: Sprinkle the teaspoon of granulated sugar over the banana slices and use a kitchen torch to brulee the sugar until it’s melted and slightly crisp, darkening to almost black.
- Cooling and serving: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slice and serve.
Notes
- Adding banana slices on top before baking is optional.
- Check doneness with a toothpick to avoid overbaking; remove when it comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool fully before slicing for best texture.
- Using room temperature eggs helps with better mixing.
- If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can skip the brulee step or briefly broil the banana topping watching closely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/12 loaf)
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
