Chocolate chip banana bread

How do you take something great - and make it better? Add chocolate, of course. A sweet, nutty and caramelised flavour from the natural richness of ripe bananas with hints of vanilla and cinnamon, studded with chocolate chips.

Time to prep : 15 minutes

Time to bake : 60 minutes

Servings : 10 slices

Ingredients

250g (about 3 medium) ripe or over-ripe bananas, mashed*

1 banana, to top

220g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon*

240g soft brown sugar

125g butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

200g milk chocolate chips, buttons or a bar roughly chopped

Method

1. Pre-heat a fan oven to 170ºC and grease and line a loaf tin*.

2. In a small bowl, mash the 3 bananas with a fork and set to one side.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together and stir to combine.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, use a spatula or wooden spoon to beat the butter until it's nice and smooth, ensuring there are no lumps. Add the sugar and mix well until combined. Add in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, until you have a smooth and even wet batter.

5. Add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients bowl and fold together until just combined, it's okay if a few flour streaks remain.

6. Add in the mashed bananas and chocolate chips and fold through the batter a few times, being careful not to over-mix it.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Slice the extra banana for the top in half lengthways (as pictured) or into coins and lightly press it on top.

8. Bake for about 60 minutes, the loaf should have risen and be a beautiful golden brown colour. It's ready when there's no 'wobble' in the middle and clean skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean (with no wet batter streaks, crumbs are fine). If your banana bread is still not ready in the middle but is golden on the outside, cover the loaf tin loosely with a tin foil 'lid' and bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes until ready. This will stop the banana bread from catching any more colour but allow it to keep baking in the middle.

9. Let the loaf cool down in the tin for at least an hour before slicing - it should still be warm at this stage but see notes below on my favourite ways to store and serve it.

Nutritional Information

(per slice)

435 calories

5g protein, 61g carbs, 19g fat

Good to know:

• The riper the bananas (think freckly and brown) the sweeter they become, adding a deeper, richer flavour to your banana bread. If yours aren't quite ready you can try my quick tips here to speed up the ripening process.

• Cinnamon is completely optional, you can just skip it out but I think it adds a warm, sweet and subtle spice that complements the banana bread so well.

• Demerara sugar sprinkled on top gives an added 'crunch' and texture that I love, but you can just skip this out if you don't have any to hand.

• I use a 2lb/900g loaf tin. Other loaf tin sizes will work but might require different baking times - and only ever fill the tin to 3/4 full before baking to prevent it from overflowing.

• You can also bake these into 12 muffins rather than a loaf.

• The most common factor in a 'sunken' banana bread is the baking powder. Check yours is in date before using and if it's been open for more than 6 months (even if it's in date), I'd use a new one.

  • Check if yours is still active by mixing 1/2 tsp baking powder with 1 - 2 tbsp boiling water, it should bubble vigorously if it's still active.

• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days, refrigerated for up to 1 week.

• Banana bread freezes really well. Once sliced and totally cooled, individually wrap each slice in cling film and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.