Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Apparently today is National Banana Lover's Day, so I decided it's the perfect time to share our Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread recipe (or you could call it a loaf cake). This is better than banana bread, in my opinion, because there's also chocolate and peanut butter. I would say this recipe fits somewhere in between breakfast, a snack, and dessert and those are the best kinds of foods in my opinion. Make it this weekend and eat it anytime you want!
Tips for making the best Banana Bread
• Use overly ripe bananas. This is perfect for when bananas start to go bad, save them for banana bread!
• Make sure your butter is soft! The butter should be so soft that if you used it to spread onto a piece of bread, it wouldn't break or damage the bread at all. You should be able to squish it with your hand easily. When you use soft butter, it allows you to cream the butter and sugar easily so you don't have butter chunks.
• Use room temperature eggs and cream. These ingredients are refrigerator ingredients, and when you add cold ingredients into warm ones (such as adding eggs into creamed butter and sugar that is room temperature, it can clump easily). Using dairy items at room temperature allow them to combine into the batter more easily and will make for a smoother batter.
• Use a USA Pan that has ridges on it so your banana bread comes out easily! You can find my favorite 1 pound loaf pan here. The ridges in these pans help baked goods bake better and also remove from the pan easier!
• Store banana bread in an airtight container the day it's baked. This helps keep banana bread moist, don't leave uncovered as it can dry out easily.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Makes 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch Loaf
Batter
1 stick (113 grams) organic salted butter, softened
85 grams (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) organic cane sugar
85 grams (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) organic packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
2 organic large bananas
2 organic large eggs, room temperature
85 grams (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons) organic peanut butter
1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream, room temperature
142 grams (1 cup) all natural cake flour
43 grams (1/2 cup) organic Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze
142 grams (1 cup) organic powdered sugar, sifted
21 grams (heaping 1 tablespoon) organic peanut butter
3 tablespoons organic milk
Method Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (1 pound loaf pan) with parchment paper.
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, bananas, cinnamon and vanilla bean.
Add the eggs and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix again until combined. Add the peanut butter, and mix just slightly.
In a separate bowl, sift the cocoa and cake flour, then whisk in baking powder and sea salt.
Add in the cake flour mixture and cream, alternating each and beginning and ending with the cake flour. Mix on low until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again on low until combined.
Grease the bottom and sides of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Once the loaf has cooled, remove it from the pan.
To make the glaze: In a clean mixing bowl with paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and milk and mix on medium until combined into a smooth frosting.
Drizzle the frosting over the top of the loaf.
Store loaf in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Gluten Free - Replace the all natural cake flour with 142 grams (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) organic gluten free flour blend.
High Altitude - Bake at 350°F for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.