Banana bread and me have a love hate relationship. This however has nothing to do with banana bread that is baked to perfection, it’s the many loaves that I usually have to bake in order to achieve that perfect loaf that I have an issue with.
I can’t help myself when it comes to trying new variations, which of course inevitably leads to quite a few disasters. Unlike a muffin recipe which I test in single or double portion sizes, with banana bread in order to truly test it you need to bake a loaf.
I hate nothing more than a banana bread that is far too squidgy in the middle and most definitely not cooked through. Granted with a vegan loaf it isn’t technically an issue, but in mind it’s a flop. I like a loaf that looks and tastes like it actually has eggs in it, light, airy, yet super soft and dare I say fluffy?! It’s like a chocolate cake with a little fudginess but not enough that it’s composition or baking time is questionable.
This banana bread was an exception to my third time lucky rule because the first loaf was superb…if I do say so myself. Hopefully the pictures do it justice.
Toasted and topped with some Meridian Foods chocolate hazelnut butter… DIVINE!
Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread
Print RecipeIngredients
- 80g coconut or raw cane sugar
- 30ml maple syrup
- 250g ripe bananas
- 180ml unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 130g gluten free flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill
- 100g oat flour
- 40g cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp (7g) milled Linwoods Health Foods chia seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 60g dark dairy free chocolate chips or chunks (optional)
- 1 small banana sliced for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Blend together bananas, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut sugar in your food processor.
Remove mixture, place in a bowl, add in flours, cocoa powder, chia seeds, baking powder and soda. Combine using a whisk to ensure your have a smooth batter.
Pour batter into a baking paper lined 2lb loaf tin. Press banana slices on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 - 55 minutes; until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before placing onto a wire rack to cool fully.
Store in a seal tight container in the fridge for up 5 days or freeze for up to one month.
Best served at room temperature, lightly heated or toasted.
