Banana chocolate loaf cake
Here’s an easy cake recipe that combine two of my favorite flavors everrrrr: banana and chocolate. Seriously, any combination of these two turns out delicious. Also, by adding banana to the batter, it means that you need tu use less sugar and butter than for most other cake recipes I’ve tried so that’s a nice plus. You can also easily make it into a dairy-free or gluten-free version if you’d like (see below) and it will be great for any afternoon snacks or even breakfasts! At home we make it with banana flour because we happened to find some at the store and we like to try many different flours, but you can totally make it with all-purpose flour or your favorite gluten-free flour mix.
NB: Banana flour is made out of green bananas and is a good option for baking gluten-free treats. Plus, it has a high nutrient content and a rather low glycemic index.
Makes one loaf:
- 2 cups (240gr) all purpose flour or a gluten-free mix, or 1 ½ cup (180gr) banana flour (it absorbs more moisture than all purpose flour so you need less of it otherwise your cake would be too dry)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (100gr) sugar (I used coconut sugar which to me is a little less sweet than regular sugar or brown sugar)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk of your choice (I used whole milk)
- ¼ cup (60gr) melted butter (or coconut oil if you wanna go dairy-free)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas, finely crushed
- <optional> ½ cup (90gr) mini dark chocolate chips (I didn’t use any but opted for the frosting; Although you can totally do both)
- <optional> Frosting: ½ cup (90gr) dark chocolate chips + about 1/6 cup (40 to 50ml) coconut milk (or heavy cream). Adjust quantity depending on the consistancy you’d like for your frosting
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar, pinch of salt). Slowly pour in milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, while mixing well. Add in the crushed bananas, then the mini chocolate chips if using any. Pour into a greased loaf pan, and bake in the preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for about 50′ to 1h or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a little bit then take it off the pan and place on a grid until completely cold. Make the frosting: melt dark chocolate chips in coconut milk or heavy cream by heating them really slowly in a small pan or in a bowl in the microwave, mixing well until completely combined. Allow to cool until it gets thicker but still soft enough that you can spread it, and spread on top of the cake with a knife or spatula. Wait until frosting is set before serving.
