Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

Soft, moist, chocolatey and exactly what overripe bananas have been waiting for.

Banana bread is already one of those recipes that somehow makes the whole kitchen feel warmer.

Add Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate to it and things get considerably more interesting.

This version combines ripe bananas with Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate powder to create a rich, soft loaf that works beautifully for breakfast, teatime, lunchboxes or a late-night snack.

And yes, adding chocolate chips is strongly encouraged.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1½ cups cake flour
• ½ cup Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 100 g butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, optional

For the Top

• 1 banana, sliced lengthways, optional
• Chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts
• A light dusting of Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate powder

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Grease and line a standard loaf tin with baking paper.

3. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth.

4. Add the brown sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla essence.

5. Mix until well combined.

6. In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

7. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir gently until just combined.

Do not overmix the batter. Mixing only until the flour disappears helps keep the banana bread soft and tender.

8. Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate if using.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top.

10. If you would like a decorative finish, place a banana sliced lengthways over the top and sprinkle over a few extra chocolate chips.

11. Bake for approximately 50–60 minutes.

Insert a skewer into the centre of the loaf. It should come out mostly clean, although a little melted chocolate is absolutely acceptable.

12. Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for around 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.

The Secret Is Very Ripe Bananas

The darker and spottier the bananas, the better.

Very ripe bananas are naturally sweeter, softer and more intensely flavoured, which makes them perfect for baking.

Those bananas sitting on the counter that nobody wants to eat anymore?

This is their moment.

Make It Extra Chocolatey

There are several ways to take this loaf even further.

• Add milk chocolate chips
• Add dark chocolate chunks
• Swirl chocolate spread through the batter
• Add chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
• Drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled loaf
• Serve warm slices with chocolate sauce

Or, if restraint has completely left the building, do several of those at once.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Banana, chocolate and peanut butter are a particularly dangerous combination.

Add approximately ⅓ cup of peanut butter to the wet ingredients before adding the flour mixture.

You can also swirl a little extra peanut butter over the top of the loaf before baking.

Rescue Roast® Mocha Banana Bread

There was always going to be a coffee version.

Add approximately 1 tablespoon of strong brewed Rescue Roast® coffee or espresso to the wet mixture.

The coffee deepens the chocolate flavour and gives the loaf a subtle mocha character.

A warm slice alongside a fresh cup of Rescue Roast® coffee makes a very convincing argument for taking a proper coffee break.

How to Serve It

This banana bread is delicious completely on its own, but you can also serve it:

• Warm with butter
• With peanut butter
• With fresh banana slices
• With whipped cream
• With vanilla ice cream
• With warm chocolate sauce

For dessert, warm a thick slice slightly and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

At that point it stops behaving like banana bread and starts becoming something much more serious.

Can You Freeze It?

Absolutely.

Once the loaf has cooled completely, slice it and freeze the individual portions in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag.

You can then take out a slice whenever you need one.

A few seconds in the microwave and it is soft and chocolatey again.

250 g or 500 g?

Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate is available in both 250 g and 500 g bags.

If you mainly enjoy it as a drink and occasionally experiment with one of our Academy recipes, the 250 g bag is a great option.

But if Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate is regularly finding its way into your cakes, puddings, cookies, pancakes and breakfast recipes...

The 500 g bag may be starting to make a lot more sense.

Never Waste an Overripe Banana Again

We have now found yet another job for Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate.

And another reason not to throw away those forgotten bananas.

Three ripe bananas + Rescue Roast® Hot Chocolate = a very good afternoon.