I have a compulsion when it comes to cookbooks. Like a Bowerbird who is drawn to bring shiny things into their nest I have the same need to add to my ever growing cookbook collection.
I love browsing the recipes inside for inspiration, I love looking at the beautifully styled photos, and I love reading about what inspired the author.
One of my recent cookbook purchases was Wild Sugar Desserts by Skye Craig.
Unbeknownst to me Skye appeared on the Australian TV show, Masterchef. As a foodie and a food blogger how did I not know this?
So, on the weekend I was wanting to do some baking and some overripe bananas were staring back at me from the counter begging to be used. When I have overripe bananas I usually make banana bread.
So with my latest cookbook acquisition waiting to be put to use, I flicked through and came across Skye’s Killer Banana and Chocolate Bread. The decision was made as the combination of banana and chocolate is too good to refuse.
(If you need more evidence – check out these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.)
I did make a few changes to Skye’s Banana Bread recipe though. I replaced the walnuts with chopped hazelnuts, and swapped the sour cream for some delicious honey Greek yogurt.
The resulting bread is deliciously moist and full of banana goodness.
Let’s bake!
Banana, Hazelnut and Chocolate Bread
Ingredients
- 6 ripe bananas – 3 mashed and 3 sliced
- 225 g of self raising flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 100 g of butter
- 90 g of caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 90 g of Greek yoghurt
- 110 g of 70% cocoa chopped into chunks
- 1/3 cup of hazelnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 celsius (350 fahrenheit) and grease 1 large loaf tin.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and caster sugar until pale. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well before adding the banana and vanilla.
- Switch off the mixer and sift in the flour and baking powder and fold through using a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the banana slices, chocolate, hazelnuts and yoghurt and fold through until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and then trim a piece of baking paper to size and place of the top of the loaf. Bake for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 160 celsius (320 fahrenheit) and baking for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out cleanly.
- Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
