Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook dinner Time : 55 minutes

This easy, wealthy recipe for gluten free chocolate banana bread with chocolate chips will get its most light sweetness from bananas, and its wealthy chocolate taste from melted chocolate and cocoa powder.

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Gluten free chocolate chip banana bread, with loads of melted chocolate and cocoa, plus bitter cream and naturally loads of bananas.

Fingers picking up slice of brown quick bread with chocolate chips from rest of loaf on white paper

Table of Contents

Why you may love this recipe for gluten free chocolate banana bread

This bread tastes richly of each chocolate and bananas, with neither style overpowering the opposite. The crumb is moist and tender, and simply candy sufficient.

Should you love chocolate and bananas, do not simply throw some chocolate chips in ‘common’ banana bread. Go all the way in which with this recipe. Go huge or go house!

The wedding of chocolate and bananas is simply such a blessed union. To develop this recipe, I started with my recipe for one-bowl gluten free banana bread. Usually, I can develop a chocolate model of one thing by changing a few of the butter with melted chocolate and discovering a technique to sneak in some cocoa powder.

Not this time! I attempted a easy swap of elements like that, and it was a catastrophe. The recipe failed so badly that it merely would not bake during with out positively burning on the surface.

Recipe ingredient notes:

Unsweetened chocolate: We use any such chocolate as a result of it provides a ton of wealthy, chocolate taste with out including any sugar. That enables us to manage the quantity of sugar exactly.
Butter: Butter provides richness, some moisture, and plenty of taste and tenderness. Unsalted butter permits us to manage the exact quantity of salt on this recipe.
Bananas: Use the ripest bananas yow will discover, and measure them by weight so that you’re sure that you simply’re utilizing precisely the correct quantity, mashed. You possibly can add some chopped, ripe bananas such as you do chocolate chips, nevertheless it’s really elective.
Sugar: Common white granulated sugar is a sweetener and a tenderizer.
Bitter cream: Bitter cream provides lots much less moisture than buttermilk would, and provides richness and makes this chocolate banana bread very tender.
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract provides depth of taste to this fast bread, and since we affiliate the aroma with sweetness, it makes the bread style a contact sweeter with out including extra sugar.
Egg: This recipe requires just one egg, which acts a binder and helps the bread rise.
Cocoa powder: You should utilize Dutch-processed cocoa powder (richer, deeper taste) or pure cocoa powder (some acidity, nonetheless pretty chocolate taste), so long as it is unsweetened cocoa powder.
Gluten free flour mix: I used Higher Batter’s basic all goal gluten free flour mix right here, because it has simply the appropriate steadiness of elements to make the proper chocolate banana cake.
Baking powder: Double-acting baking powder is activated as soon as when it is hydrated within the batter, and once more when the bread is put within the oven. Be certain yours is recent!
Baking soda: Baking soda helps with caramelization and neutralizes any acidity from the bitter cream and any pure cocoa powder when you’re utilizing that.
Salt: You do not want lots, however you can not bake with out salt to steadiness and improve different flavors. I at all times use kosher salt, which is quite common in baking, as a result of it is simpler to keep away from overmeasuring it.
Chocolate chips: This banana chocolate chip bread has just a few chocolate chips so as to add some texture, and to accentuate the chocolate taste. Should you’d choose to make it with out chocolate chips, strive utilizing a distinct taste of chip and even chopped tender nuts like walnuts or pecans.

Raw dark brown batter with chips and yellow flecks in white paper in metal loaf pan

Learn how to make gf banana chocolate chip bread

First, soften the chopped unsweetened chocolate and butter. You are able to do that in a heat-safe bowl over a double boiler, or in a heat-safe bowl within the microwave, on diminished energy in 30-second intervals. The microwave creates sizzling spots, so you’ll want to stir in between spins within the microwave, so the warmth is evenly distributed all through the combination.

Second, combine the remaining moist elements collectively in a big mixing bowl. That features the mashed bananas, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and bitter cream, and the crushed egg. Combine within the melted chocolate and butter subsequent, till well-combined.

Subsequent, add the dry elements (cocoa powder, gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) to the blending bowl, and blend. Then the chocolate chips. The batter will likely be thick.

Lastly, switch the batter to a ready loaf pan, and bake till executed. Cool, slice, and serve!

Dark brown cake in a white paper lined metal loaf pan

Suggestions, tips & FAQs

Do not overmix your chocolate banana bread batter

Gluten free chocolate banana bread would not have any gluten to overwork, in fact, however that does not imply that overmixing will not trigger it to turn into dense. Gluten free breads and desserts which can be overworked are inclined to turn into a bit rubbery, so cease mixing as soon as your batter is correctly mixed.

Why is my gluten free chocolate chip banana bread dense?

Fast breads are extra like muffins than they’re desserts, and they’re meant to have a extra dense crumb. It ought to nonetheless be moist and tender, although, despite the fact that it will likely be considerably tighter. In case your banana bread appears powerful, not tender, listed below are some inquiries to ask your self:

Did you measure your elements correctly? Should you overmeasured your gf flour and undermeasured the moist elements, your fast bread will likely be dense.
Did you bake in an oven that was too sizzling? Most ovens run sizzling (mine included) so I at all times use a standalone oven thermometer as my information, and change it typically.
Did you overbake your banana bread? Any baked items that hold baking after they’re executed will dry out.

Make sure that your baking powder and baking soda have not expired

In case your chemical leaveners are outdated, they will not activate after they’re hydrated the way in which they’re meant to be. Should you solely have baking soda however not baking powder that is recent, strive making your own baking powder from baking soda by including one half baking soda to 2 elements cream of tartar.

Ought to I take advantage of pure or Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder?

You should utilize both Dutch-processed cocoa powder or pure cocoa powder on this chocolate banana bread recipe. The pure cocoa powder is extra acidic, however the acidity will likely be neutralized sufficiently by the baking soda within the recipe.

Use a correctly balanced, high-quality all goal gluten free flour mix

I used Higher Batter’s basic gluten free flour mix on this recipe, measured by weight, as a result of I discover that it provides essentially the most constant outcomes of something in the marketplace. You may make your personal “mock” Higher Batter mix utilizing my recipe, or use one thing else, however I am afraid I can not promise outcomes!

Use a light-colored loaf pan constituted of forged aluminum

My favourite loaf pans are nonstick pans manufactured from forged aluminum, which can be mild in coloration. Darker coloured pans entice an excessive amount of warmth, so the surface tends to burn earlier than the banana cake is baked during. Keep away from baking in glass loaf pans, as they preserve an excessive amount of warmth and tend to burn baked items.

Use naturally-ripened bananas

You possibly can assist bananas ripen considerably extra shortly by putting them in a paper bag with an apple. You can not efficiently ripen bananas by baking them within the oven, which can blacken the peel however not truly develop the sugars within the bananas.

So you aren’t getting caught with out ripe bananas, when you may have some you are not prepared to make use of, peel, chop, and freeze them. Retailer them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag till prepared to make use of. Then defrost gently within the microwave at low energy or at room temperature earlier than baking with them.

Brown loaf of cake with chocolate chips on slip of white paper on gray surface

Gluten free banana chocolate chip bread: elements and substitutions

Gluten free egg free banana chocolate chip bread

Since there is just one egg in the entire loaf, you may strive a “chia egg,” and tell us the way it goes.

Gluten free dairy free banana chocolate chip bread

For dairy free, nondairy bitter cream and vegan butter (Soften or Miyoko’s Kitchen are my favourite manufacturers) ought to work.

Brown quick bread loaf sliced 3 times on white paper

Storing and reheating gluten free chocolate banana bread

This banana bread might be saved, wrapped tightly, at room temperature for two or 3 days. For longer storage, keep away from refrigerating the bread since that tends to be drying. As a substitute, place every individually wrapped slice within the freezer for no less than 3 months.

To reheat this banana bread, defrost every slice gently in a low energy microwave oven or at room temperature. To refresh to like-new texture, sprinkle the defrosted bread frivolously with water and place in a 300°F toaster oven till heat.