This is banana bread for chocoholics.
With thick ribbons of chocolate swirled into every bite, you’ll never look at banana bread the same way again!
Chocolate Marble Swirl Banana Bread
- 2 cups over-ripe banana, mashed well (480g)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (8g)
- 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (10g)
- 2 tbsp milk of choice (30g)
- 1/4 cup oil or more milk of choice (oil version will be richer and better-textured; milk version will be lower-calorie… so it depends on what you’re going for and to whom you are serving the bread)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, agave, or honey (honey is not for strict vegans)
- 2 cups spelt, all-purpose, or Bob’s gf flour (240g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pure stevia or 1/4 cup sugar of choice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder (15g)
Bring one cup or so of water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F, grease a 9×5 loaf pan, and set aside. Get out three large bowls and a small bowl. In one of the large bowls, whisk together all liquid ingredients. In a separate large bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients except the cocoa powder. Measure the cocoa powder into the empty small bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup of the boiling water (discard remaining water). Now combine the contents of the two large bowls until just evenly mixed, then divide the batter in half so there’s an equal amount of batter in each of the two large bowls. Pour all of the cocoa mixture into only one of the banana bread batters. So now you should have one chocolate and one non-chocolate batter. Scoop a thin layer of plain batter into the prepared loaf pan, followed by a layer of chocolate. Repeat until all batter is used up, then take a spoon and swirl the batters together—for just a few seconds so there are still two distinct colors present. Bake 50 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the oven 20 more minutes if it still needs to firm up. For best freshness, leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
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I have made this a few times over the years. It’s pretty dense, but it still tastes delicious. It’s quite simple and comes together quickly. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for something pretty healthy. Do keep in mind though, you can kind of tell that it’s missing some fat because it doesn’t have as much depth. But if you have good quality cocoa and ripe bananas, you can look past that.
I really want to share my experience with this. First of all, it’s delicious. Second of all, I totally improvised due to lack of ingredients.
After reading others’ comments, I set out to make muffins. I measured and mixed all the dry ingredients. Then I realized the recipe said 2 CUPS of bananas… but I only had three bananas. Great. So I tried to make the weight by adding peanut butter. But that seemed so heavy, so I think I capped out around 390g. Then I realized my husband had just drunk the last of the milk. Great! So I took some whole milk yogurt, and diluted it with cold water to approximate a milk texture. That seemed sufficient. So I mixed and divided and added the cocoa and it all felt a little… weird. But what the heck. I baked them at 350 for 25 minutes… and they came out great! Fluffy but not wet inside, lovely, even tops.
I’m a very novice baker, and this is my first time “winging it!” I owe it to you, Katie – your recipes are so user-friendly and flexible, so I wasn’t afraid to experiment a little. I hope this comment empowers other beginner bakers to feel like they can take risks and have fun and end up with something delish. <3
Hi, Greetings from Lockdwn UK (3) Thanks for yet another fabulous recipe! I am planning to make this for Easter… do you add the chocolate chips to the half of the batter that has the cocoa powder added or sprinkle the chips on top of the banana bread? It’s probably me…but I can’t find a print button 🙄 I have made lots of your recipes and they always are huge hits with everyone. Please write another cookbook! Stay safe….
I’ve made this banana bread so many times. It is so good any everyone I have made it for has loved it as well.