Coco’s Banana Bread

I’ve baked this banana bread more times than I can count and it’s probably still one my favourite things that has ever left my oven. Whether you have it as a sweet side on your brunch table, as an afternoon snack with a coffee or as a Birthday cake with a couple of candles on top – it never fails to impress. The recipe has been modified over the years and I still swap some ingredients depending on what is currently in my cupboard. The secret ingredient are squishy, blackened bananas, which take this bake to the next level.

---

---

Perfect for a 25 x 10 x 7cm loaf tin

• Preheat the oven to 170°C and place your bananas in the middle of the oven on a wire rack. Set your timer to 10mins and leave them to blacken completely. Check them regularly, as your oven might heat up faster.
• Line your loaf tin with baking paper.
• Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a bowl and combine well.
• In another bowl, mix the coconut oil, coconut sugar and the eggs.
• Roughly chop the walnuts and the dark chocolate, leave to the side.
• Your bananas should be ready now. Carefully peel them and mash them with the back of a fork. If they are still steaming hot, leave them to cool for 5mins, otherwise they might scramble your eggs and melt the chocolate.
• Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients, give it a good mix and pour into the dry mixture.
• Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
• Add the vanilla paste, walnuts and chocolate and give it a final mix.
• Pour the batter into the loaf tin, make sure it’s even.
• Bake for 55-60mins.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10mins before turning it out on a wire rack. Share and enjoy!

Optional:
If you’re feeling fancy, top it with crushed almonds, chopped banana, more chocolate chunks or hemp seeds before baking.
Feel free to swap the spelt flour for buckwheat flour or even replace 25g of the flour for cacao powder.
If you want to keep the loaf more suitable for breakfast, replace the chocolate with sultanas.