Monday 4 March 2013

Chocolate Banana Nut Bread

There are a million banana bread and cakes recipes out there but it isn't always easy to find a good one. My criteria for a good banana bread recipe is that it must be moist, firm, flavourful and crusty all at the same time - quite a tall order! This Banana Nut Bread recipe from William Sonoma had some pretty good reviews all over the web sphere and I had fairly high expectations of how it was going to turn out - I wasn't disappointed. 


It's one of those loaves that is not overly sweet, has a distinctive banana fragrance, lovely crunch from the nuts, a moist yet firm texture and is super easy to make. I think the secret ingredient is really the nutmeg and this is what truly sets it apart from other banana bread recipes I've used. The first bite into the bread, the lovely aroma of nutmeg lingers with each bite.


I added some chocolate chips and that made it even more delicious. It's definitely a great recipe picked by the hosts of the Bake Along. 


Chocolate Banana Nut Bread (One 9x5 inch tin - I made mine in 2 small loaf tins)
Recipe by Williams-Sonama


Ingredients:

  • 6 Tbs. (85 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
  • 2 or 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1⁄2 tsp. salt
  • 3⁄4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (my own addition)

Directions:

  • Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.
  • In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve. Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf.
Storage Tip: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

This is for Made with Love Mondays by Javelin Warrior.

I am submitting this to Bake-Along hosted by Joyce of Kitchen FlavoursLena of Her Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids

29 comments:

  1. Hi Mich,
    Your choc chips looks so moist and chocolaty added in the "banana-ey" cake! I'm glad that you've enjoyed this cake! Thank you for baking along with us!

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  2. Banana bread is one of my favorite quick breads. The nuts and the chocolate chips make it even more perfect.

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  3. Hi Mich,

    I was staring at your bread at first thinking "what are the melting patches?"... Chocolate, of course. I did the same addition too when I baked this recipe into muffins.

    Zoe

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  4. Nice addition of the nuts and chocolate to the banana bread.

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  5. Mich, I love it that you added chocolate chips. Banana and chocolate is always great!

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  6. I have no more bananas left to bake this cake so can only drool...looks delicious, I like the addition of chocolate chips!

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  7. Your banana nut bread are so pretty ! I like everything with walnut.

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  8. Hey Mich, jus popped by to the gals' blog with this nanas nut bread and now to urs... All the bread are really looking great... oh choc chips in any cake/bread r always a excellent choice...:)

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  9. Bake Along - Bananas Nut Bread, this certainly sounds like my favourite bread. Too bad, I need to pause baking until I see my weight going down a little bit.

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  10. We love banana bread but my kids are not into nuts so much that I haven't had a chance to add some (I put chocolate chips or raisins). It does look great and I can imagine the nutty flavor in the bread. One day I want to make this for myself!

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  11. You must be pleased with this banana nut bread because it sure looks very delicious. The next timeI really must hide a few bananas away else I wont be able to bake this yummy dessert

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  12. You are right it is not easy to make a good banana bread. The ones I have been making so far have been quite boring. Your version here looks moist and very yummy. I love the addition of walnuts. I will try this next time!

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  13. Love WS's recipes! The banana bread looks super duper delish, Mich.

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  14. YUM! Looks delicious & the addition of chocolate chips was a fantastic idea! My boys will certainly love this cake! ;)

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  15. Hi. I joined also this bake-along. It was a lot of fun. Never done banana bread earlier. I think you have a good idea to add chocolate to the cake. Will do it next time. What I found positive with the cake was how easy it was to bake it. The smell was lovely and the taste good. Negative: too much sugar for my taste.

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  16. This looks so good. I am way overdue to make some banana bread I should probably give this one a try!

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  17. hi mich, very glad to hear that you liked this cake. I think it's my first time too putting nutmeg in banana cakes/bread but i've reduced it to half, the taste is great too i cant agree more than that. So nice to hv you joining us ! i'm still hvnt picked a recipe for delia smith's theme yet :)

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  18. Looks very good! Interesting to have nutmeg in this recipe. But you can't go wrong with nuts and chocolate chips in banana cake. :)) thumbs up!!

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  19. Hi Mich, your banana bread look very moist and superb. Great to go with coffee.

    Have a nice week ahead.

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  20. Oh, this is the 4th banana cut cake that I've seen but the 1st with chocolate, very clever Mich! I haven't had banana cake for a long time & love yours which is full of nuts & chocolate!

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  21. This is my second banana cake er bread of the day :D It looks really yummy ! I love the addition of chocolate chips .

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  22. Sure taste good with over a cup of English tea.

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  23. Great looking banana bread!
    I've never baked banana bread and....... I give up, I will try it SOON
    It has chocolate in it so I have no excuse :)

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  24. I love banana bread, Mich, and I also love to add chocolate chips! It's so delicious with chocolate and I can only imagine how tasty it would be with nuts... This looks amazing and thanks so much for sharing!

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  25. I love seeing all those nuts in this loaf. I agree with you about banana bread criteria, and you clearly found a good one. Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  26. Mich, it has been a long time didn't visit your site. Adding chocolate chips inside definitely a great idea. Not even that, your banana nut bread look moist... Good job!

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  27. Banana Bread is my kid's favourite, I should change my usual recipe and add nuts and chocolate like you did: it sounds and look very YUMMY!

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