Plant-Based Chocolate Banana Bread

Plant-Based Chocolate Banana Bread - A bunch of ugly overripe bananas on the counter is the perfect excuse to make a loaf of banana bread. And after trying this recipe, I promise you will always buy way more bananas than usual!

This chocolate version is super yummy and you won’t believe it’s packed with healthy ingredients. I used unrefined brown sugar to make it completely plant-based, so no refined ingredients, no eggs and no dairies. Sounds perfect, right?



To make it even more delicious, I topped it with a crunchy chocolate and hazelnut frosting. So good.

The best part of this recipe is that it’s super easy to make and it requires only a few staple pantry ingredients. No need to rush to the grocery store!

If you don’t have overripe bananas, please don’t use unripe Bananas. It’s not going to work. But no worries! You can still enjoy a last minute Banana bread just by baking the unripe bananas in the oven. Preheat your oven to 150 Celsius degrees, place your unripe bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet (leave the skin on) and bake them for 30 miunutes or until blackened and soft. Please let cool down the bananas completely before using.

Equipment

22×10 cm loaf pan, food processor (optional)

Ingredients

Ingredients For The Batter

Wet Ingredients

• 200 g (about 2 large) very ripe bananas
• 150 ml soy or almond milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
• 70 g neutral oil (I used grape seed)
• 160 g unrefined brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp instant espresso, dissolved into 1 tbs water

Dry Ingredients

• 210 g all purpose flour can be replaced with spelt or cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 40 g cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Optional Add-Ins

• 50 g( 1/3 cup) non-dairy chocolate chips
• Crunchy chocolate and hazelnut ganache
• 150 g full fat coconut milk
• 300 g chopped dark chocolate
• 4 tbsp toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp rose petals to decorate, optional

Instructions

Instructions For The Banana Bread

1. In a small bowl, combine milk and lemon juice/vinegar and set aside to curdle for 5 minutes. This will create a buttermilk.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
4. Blend the bananas in a food processor until completely smooth. (Or mash them with a fork). Add sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, oil , espresso and blend to combine.
5. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and whisk until just combined.
6. Drop the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes.Let cool down completely before slicing.

Instructions For The Ganache

1. Heat the coconut milk over medium high until the simmer point.
2. Pour over the chocolate chips and set aside for 5 minutes, then gently stir and let cool down completely.
3. Fold in the hazelnuts. Pour over the cake and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.