85 minutes
A rich and moist banana bread with a touch of cocoa, featuring a caramelized Demerara sugar crust.
All Purpose Flour, sifted
cups
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
cups
teaspoons
teaspoons
Unsalted Butter, room temperature
tablespoons
cups
Light brown sugar
cups
teaspoons
each
Ripe Bananas, mashed
each
Mascarpone Or Full-Fat Sour Cream Or Full-Fat Yogurt
cups
cups
1. Prepare the Oven and Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Take a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan and coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle ¼ cup of Demerara sugar inside the pan, covering all surfaces.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
3. Cream Butter and Sugars
In a separate bowl, cream together 6 tablespoons of room-temperature unsalted butter with ⅓ cup of granulated sugar and ¼ cup of light brown sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 large egg, mixing until blended.
4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Mash 4 extremely ripe bananas until smooth. Mix the mashed bananas with the creamed butter mixture. Gently stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
5. Add Mascarpone or Sour Cream or Yogurt
Incorporate ½ cup of mascarpone, full-fat sour cream, or full-fat yogurt into the batter.
6. Bake the Bread
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Slice the remaining banana lengthwise and lay the slices on top of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool and Serve
After baking, let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Ensure your bananas are very ripe—almost overripe. The blacker the peel, the sweeter and more flavorful the bananas will be, enhancing both the sweetness and moisture of your bread.
When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until the batter is combined. Overmixing can result in a dense bread due to gluten development in the flour.
Banana bread can be deceivingly complex to bake perfectly. Start checking for doneness with a toothpick at the center around 10 minutes before the advised bake time ends. It should come out with a few moist crumbs—not totally clean.
Invest in high-quality, Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It provides a deeper, more robust chocolate flavor compared to natural cocoa powder, without adding any acidity.
A light-colored, non-stick loaf pan works best for even baking. Dark pans can cause the edges to overcook while the center remains underbaked. Consider lining the pan with parchment paper for easy release.
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