Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Chocolate Frosting
It’s been a while since I baked a Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Chocolate Frosting so I am making one for this Valentine’s Day and for the love month.
Baking a banana bread loaf is one of the easiest treats to bake. Filipinos love dessert or merienda (snack time) and having a slice of this banana bread with a cup of coffee or tea is a favorite thing. The Philippines has an abundance of bananas, so I learned early on how to make use of over ripened ones by baking this loaf.
This recipe is my standard version of banana bread with the usual baking ingredients you might already have in your pantry. I admit I am unsure of this recipe’s origin. It’s one that was passed around the family so often over the years, that we lost track of who made it first.
To make this banana bread loaf special, I added chocolate chips into the batter. And after baking, I slathered on the rich, fudge-like, creamy Chocolate Frosting on top and on the sides.
A banana bead loaf is made from extremely fully ripe bananas, flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder and soda, and vanilla. One can mix the ingredients by hand easily. Pour it in a standard loaf pan and in a little less than an hour, the fragrant baked loaf is ready to come out of the oven. You can stop there and enjoy the moist, scrumptious loaf all by itself. But if you want it more decadent, you can whip up a few cups of chocolate frosting and spread it lavishly on top of the banana bread.
What Ingredients and Equipment You Need
- Bananas, about 3 to 4 to make at least one cup – must be very ripe. You do not need the perfect bananas for this recipe. Overripe bananas that are very squishy, too soft, and have a blackened outer skin are the best for this recipe. If you don’t have over ripe bananas, put the regular bananas you bought at the supermarket, which are still yellow-green in a brown paper bag, at room temperature. Wait for about 1 week and they will get over ripe on their own.
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
- Butter – softened at room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Semi sweet Chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar
- For the Chocolate Frosting : butter, chocolate powder, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla.
- Equipment : Loaf Pan, Mixing bowls, Wooden spoon, Cake mixer, measuring cups and spoons, angled cake spatula
How to Bake
Preheating the oven is important. Do not skip this step. Preheat the oven at least 8 to 10 minutes before you pop in the loaf pan. You can press the oven button right before you start assembling the ingredients.
My recipe does not need using the standard cake mixer for the batter. You can mix all the ingredients by hand, using a large wooden spoon, in a mixing bowl. That’s all there is to it. However, for the Chocolate Frosting, I suggest a hand mixer at the very least. You need the mixer for the frosting to get all creamy, yet with a texture that’s stiff enough to stay on the baked loaf, without dripping on the sides.
What does the Banana Bread Loaf with Chocolate Frosting taste like?
Like I always suggest, make sure all your ingredients are new or newly-purchased, at least within the last six months. If you don’t remember how long ago you’ve had that baking powder on the shelf, it’s time to get a new can.
The outcome of the banana bread loaf, in taste, texture, aroma and overall goodness depends not just on following the instructions closely, but on the freshness of the ingredients.
As soon as you take out the banana bread from the oven, the heavenly combination of the banana-chocolatey aroma will captivate you. You will need to restrain yourself from taking a slice. Let the loaf sit on the baking rack to cool first before you attempt to frost the cake.
After about 50 minutes, the baked banana bread would have cooled to room temperature. It should not be warm or else the frosting will melt and seep right through it.
Using an angled cake spatula, spread the chocolate frosting generously all over the top, and the sides. Level off the frosting with the spatula so it looks smooth. Slice away and get lost in the chocolate chips within the moist cake. And you don’t have to wait for the love month to bake this easy treat. You can indulge in this Banana Bread with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting again and again, any time.
Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Chocolate Frosting
This is a classic Banana Bread recipe made special with the addition of semi sweet chocolate chips in the batter. This is also one of the easiest desserts to make with over ripened bananas and baking ingredients you probably have in your pantry. The combined chocolate-banana flavors and aromas within the moist loaf are hard to resist. And the creamy, luscious Chocolate Frosting slathered on top and the sides make it even more decadent. Who knew something so sublime could be so easy to bake? This is a recipe by Elizabeth Ann Quirino for The Quirino Kitchen.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 689kcal
For the Banana Bread
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 whole large over ripe mashed bananas; to make 1 cup
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ⅛ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
To make the Chocolate Frosting:
To frost the Banana Bread:
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After at least 1 hour, the banana bread would have cooled down. TIP: If it is still warm to the touch, wait a few minutes longer to let it cool. It is not wise to frost a newly-baked cake if it is still warm – the frosting will melt.
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Place the banana bread on a cake platter.Using an angled spatula, spread the Chocolate Frosting all over the cake, starting with the top, and moving to the sides. Cover the entire banana bread evenly on top and all sides.TIP: For a fancy, decorative effect, use the back of a spoon to make indentations on the cake frosting, so it looks like little waves.Slice and serve the cake in individual dessert plates.
Cook’s comments:
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To store leftovers of the banana bread with frosting (if there are any left), keep covered and refrigerated. This keeps in the ref for about 5 to 7 days.To store in the freezer, with or without the frosting: keep in a freezer-safe plastic container. This keeps in the freezer for about 1 month.
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Freeze over ripe bananas: If you have a batch of over ripe bananas and don’t have time to bake at the moment, do not fret. You can freeze over ripened bananas. Mash the bananas and keep in a plastic container and freeze. This can keep frozen for 1 to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the frozen bananas till slightly soft and add to the batter to mix. I do freeze over ripe bananas all the time, and the baking outcome has been superb.
Serving: 100grams | Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 131g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 92g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg
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