Description
A moist, chocolate-forward banana loaf with a subtle espresso kick and pockets of melty chocolate in every slice. Think rich, fudgy, and totally snackable — breakfast, coffee break, or dessert, no judgment.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp instant espresso powder
Wet mix
- ½ cup olive oil (light-tasting)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2–3 medium)
Chocolate add-ins
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp flour (to toss with the chips so they don’t sink)
Optional top
- 2 very thin, long banana slices (about ¼ of a banana)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar (for sprinkling / torching)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment if you like easy removal.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set the dry mix aside.
- In a second (larger) bowl or the bowl of a mixer, combine the olive oil with the brown and granulated sugars until smooth and glossy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each addition and scraping down the bowl so everything blends evenly.
- Stir in the vanilla and sour cream, then fold in the mashed bananas until the wet mixture looks uniform.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until nearly combined — a few streaks of flour are okay. Don’t overmix or the loaf will become tough.
- Toss the chocolate chips in the tablespoon of flour, shake off any excess, and fold them into the batter. Reserve a handful to scatter on top.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Arrange the reserved chocolate chips on top. If you’re using the banana slices, lay them lengthwise across the batter and press down lightly.
- Bake 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Ovens vary — start checking at 50 minutes.
- Optional finish: sprinkle the banana slices with the 1 tsp sugar and melt the sugar with a kitchen torch to create a quick brûlée effect (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn).
- Cool the loaf in the pan for about 20 minutes, then lift it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Bold tip: waiting for full cool-down gives cleaner slices and better texture.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas — the browner, the sweeter and more flavorful.
- Oil keeps the loaf extra moist, especially with cocoa in the batter — don’t swap in butter here unless you change other ratios.
- Flouring the chips helps keep chocolate evenly distributed rather than sinking to the bottom.
- Avoid overbaking. Pull the loaf when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs — it’ll firm up as it cools.
- If you don’t have espresso powder, the loaf still works — you’ll lose a touch of chocolate depth but not the whole vibe.
FYI — refrigeration will extend freshness (wrap tightly), but I usually keep mine at room temp for the first 48 hours. IMO, a warm slice with a slab of butter is perfection.
Nutrition
- Calories: 316kcal
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 219mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 33mg