This banana bread can be made (very) low sugar or sugar free, but it's always delicious! :)
- 250 g (1 and 3/4 cups) wholemeal flour (or use half wholemeal and plain, or even half gluten free plain and buckwheat for gluten free)
- 25 g (1/4 cup) cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder (use gluten free if you need it)
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 medium eggs
- 110 g (1 stick) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp sugar free vanilla extract
- a few drops liquid stevia**, optional (only if you want a slightly sweeter loaf)
- 50 g (1/4 cup) 85%-90% dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (leave out or use cacao nibs or chopped nuts for sugar free
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Preheat the oven to 190C/350F/gas 5. Grease and line a 2lb (1kg) loaf tin.
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Mix the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whizz the peeled ripe bananas in a food processor until mashed and add the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate, before blitzing again until smooth(ish). If you prefer, you can mash the bananas and mix with the other ingredients by hand in a second mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold in gently until just combined (don't overmix). Add about 2/3 of the chocolate chunks and stir them through the batter gently, then pour into the prepare loaf tin and dot with the remaining chocolate.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 45 mins - 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. If the chocolate starts to burn or the top of the loaf is getting dark, cover the loaf with some tin foil for the remaining baking time.
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Allow to cool slightly or completely before serving. Best served warm (shortly after baking or reheated for a few seconds in the microwave, in thick slices, ideally with a spread of butter or sugar free nut butter.
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Keeps for up to 3/4 days in the fridge. This loaf also freezes really well, just slice and freeze in a zip-lock bag or freezer safe container. You can easily double the batter and have one to eat for the week and one to freeze for another time.
*are your bananas not particularly ripe but you really want to make this loaf today? Check out these speedy tips for ripening bananas quickly (the microwave one works really well!).
**not sure where to get hold of liquid stevia? We buy this one - you need such tiny amounts (literally a couple of drops) in anything that this has lasted us over a year and we still have most of it!