Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

In this post:

And a few notes:

• overripe bananas - The spottier the better!
• flour - All purpose, spelt, wholewheat or gluten-free all purpose are all fine to use.
• maple syrup - For extra fudginess. You can use sugar instead but it will change the texture of the cake and it won't be as moist or fudgy.
• nut/seed butter or oil - I prefer making this with nut butter as the fat because it adds more flavour but any liquid oil is fine to use instead.
• baking powder and baking soda - When you don’t use eggs you need to make up for the leavening they would otherwise provide by adding both of these. The baking soda reacts with an acid (in this case cocoa) and creates extra lift to make up for the no egg situation.

This healthy chocolate banana bread is really easy to make and is mixed up all in one bowl. Here's how it's done:

• Puree the bananas.
• Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat together. 
• Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently. 
• Add the chocolate chips, spoon into a pan, more choccy chips on top, then bake. 

• Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. Precision is key to excellent results when baking and cup measurements are not accurate enough for optimum and consistent results. This kitchen scale is cheap and works brilliantly. 
• Use really ripe spotty bananas
• Don't over-mix the batter.
• Be sure you don't over-bake this banana bread. It's beauty is the fudginess and we don't want to lose it! It's better to very slightly under-bake it than it is to go over. 
• Add some extra chocolate chips to the top before baking to make it look extra pretty (or as an excuse to eat more chocolate). 

• To store - Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack prior to stashing it away. Then, keep it in an airtight container with a layer of kitchen paper on the bottom and on top to suck up any moisture. Or alternatively, wrap it well in plastic wrap or foil. It should keep well and perfectly moist for up to 5 days.
• To freeze - Cool the banana bread thoroughly on a cooling rack then wrap really well (either in a freezer-safe storage container or a freezer bag) and place in the freezer. You can keep it whole or slice it prior to freezing. Slicing it enables you to pull out a piece or two as needed rather than defrosting the entire loaf.  It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.

I recommend following the basic recipe as closely as possible for best results but it is perfectly ok to make it your own by adding some mix-ins. How about:

• using broken up chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips
• chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans would be great)
• dried fruit (cherries would be great! )
• shredded coconut
• a few chopped dates for extra fudginess
• make it extra decadent by frosting with chocolate or vegan cream cheese frosting

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

This recipe was originally published on February 2nd 2018. I've tweaked the post a bit, added a video and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!