A good banana bread is packed with flavors and moisture – best case scenario. This Banana Bread with Chocolate & Cashews here is no exception. Incredibly delicious, super moist with a generous amount of chocolate. Plus a few crunchy nuts that make the whole experience even better. Banana bread is the perfect alternative to a bread roll with jam in the morning or as a sweet snack in the afternoon with a cup of coffee. We love all types of banana bread and bake them almost all the time…
For an excellent banana bread, you need overripe bananas. Without them, banana bread would be only half as good. The bananas should be almost black before using them in a recipe – that’s when they’re perfect. However, when they start attracting fruit flies, you need to be careful. If the peel is damaged anywhere, it’s probably better not to use them anymore. In that case, the bananas may have already passed their prime…
We love banana bread in pretty much every imaginable version. Banana breads that also include nuts and chocolate, however, are our absolute favorites. Chocolate simply adds more depth of flavor, and nuts provide a nice bit of crunch. It never hurts to have something crunchy to bite here and there instead of everything having the same soft texture. ;P
Tips & Tricks for Banana Bread
A superb banana bread depends on proper preparation and a few simple tricks. First things first: Always use very ripe bananas. I mentioned that already. The darker the banana, the sweeter and more aromatic the flesh will be. Riper bananas not only give your banana bread more flavor but also keep it moist. If you like, you can briefly pan-fry the bananas with a little sugar before using them and thus caramelize them. This intensifies the flavor many times over.
It’s also worth taking a closer look at the other ingredients, of course. Buttermilk, yogurt, or even crème fraîche add extra moisture to the batter and make the banana bread wonderfully tender. Another important thing to know – mix the batter until the ingredients are just combined. No more. Overmixing can make banana bread too dense and, in the worst case, even a bit greasy after baking. For even more flavor and texture, some chopped nuts, chocolate, or a swirl of nut butter or chocolate spread work beautifully and give the banana bread a special touch.
One final tip for perfect results: Recipes where the banana bread is baked more slowly and for a longer time at a moderate temperature often deliver better results compared to those baked quickly at a higher temperature. Banana breads that have a bit more time and do not get too much heat usually turn out moister. You should also never forget to let banana bread cool completely before slicing it – even though some people find that difficult to resist. A fully cooled banana bread has a better texture and simply tastes better. If you really want to snack on warm banana bread, you can always pop a slice into the microwave or toaster for a moment to warm it up.
There’s not much more to say about the preparation of this banana bread here. The batter comes together quickly and is quite straightforward. As you can see in the photos, some of the chocolate sank to the bottom during baking. That happened because some of the chocolate pieces were a bit too large. This can be avoided by chopping the chocolate finer so it distributes better. That said, it doesn’t really bother us where the chocolate ends up – as long as there’s enough chocolate in every slice… Whether at the bottom or evenly spread throughout the batter.
The bananas on top of the banana bread are optional, by the way. We think the finished banana bread looks nicer when you place two halved banana slices on the batter before baking. Sprinkle them with a little sugar and they will caramelize slightly and add even more flavor. Depending on the batter, the banana slices may sink into the banana bread, though. If that happens with this banana bread (which is rather unlikely), they’ll have good company at the bottom meeting the chopped chocolate.
Over the years, we’ve tried and shared quite a few delicious banana bread recipes here on the blog. There’s been a small Top 10 list with our best banana bread recipes up for a while now, and it’s definitely worth taking a look! Two of the recipes that are especially close to our hearts, although, I can already show you here…
Our Banana Bread with Chocolate & Walnuts has been very popular on the blog for many years now. It’s often been baked and praised a lot by readers. Completely voluntarily, without any coercion, I might add. It’s simply a delicious bake that’s absolutely worth turning on the oven for!
Even better – in our opinion – is our Banana Bread with Caramelized Bananas. I already mentioned that you can pan-fry bananas with a bit of sugar before using them. The added sugar caramelizes, as does the natural sugar in the bananas themselves, making everything about 1,000 times more delicious! You should do that one for sure!
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80g) Greek yogurt
2.1 oz. (60g) butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12.7 oz. (360g) very ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)
2.8 oz. (80g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2.8 oz. (80g) cashews, chopped
1 banana for decorations (optional)
150g brown sugar
80g Greek yogurt
60g soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs (M)
200g flour (Type 405)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
360g overripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)
80g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
80g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
1 banana for decoration (optional)
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a loaf tin* (23x12cm) with baking parchment and grease lightly. Mash the bananas and chop the chocolate and cashews roughly. Set aside.
2. Add the brown sugar, Greek yogurt, butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Next, add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the mashed bananas and fold in. Finally, add all the chopped chocolate and about 2/3 of the chopped cashews and fold in.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin and smooth out the top. If you want to add an additional banana for decorations, cut it in half lengthwise and place it (cut sides up) on the batter (optional). Sprinkle everything with the remaining chopped cashews and bake the banana bread for about 60-70 minutesor until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down for some time inside the loaf tin, then remove and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Line a 23x12cm loaf pan* with baking paper and lightly grease it. Mash the bananas and roughly chop the chocolate and cashews. Put everything aside.
2. Place brown sugar, yogurt, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in well. Mix the flour with baking powder and salt, then add to the large bowl and stir in just briefly. Add the mashed bananas and fold in. Finally, add the chopped chocolate and about 2/3 of the chopped cashew nuts and fold in.
3. Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out. If you would like to decorate the banana bread with an additional banana, you can cut it in half lengthwise and then place it on the dough with the cut edges facing up (optional). Scatter the remaining cashews onto the dough and Then bake the banana bread in the preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes. Use a wooden skewer to test whether the dough still sticks and only remove the banana bread when it comes out clean. Take the banana bread out of the oven and let it cool in the tin for a while, then lift it out with the baking paper and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
When you got some bananas lying around getting brown – it’s time to bake this delicious Banana Bread with Chocolate & Cashews. It’s so good!
3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80g) Greek yogurt
2.1 oz. (60g) butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12.7 oz. (360g) very ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)
2.8 oz. (80g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2.8 oz. (80g) cashews, chopped
1 banana for decorations (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a loaf tin* (23x12cm) with baking parchment and grease lightly. Mash the bananas and chop the chocolate and cashews roughly. Set aside.
2. Add the brown sugar, Greek yogurt, butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Next, add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the mashed bananas and fold in. Finally, add all the chopped chocolate and about 2/3 of the chopped cashews and fold in.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin and smooth out the top. If you want to add an additional banana for decorations, cut it in half lengthwise and place it (cut sides up) on the batter (optional). Sprinkle everything with the remaining chopped cashews and bake the banana bread for about 60-70 minutesor until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down for some time inside the loaf tin, then remove and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
Notes
The kitchen is calling, time to bake!
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