Definitely this title defines me. Even tough banana bread is not my favorite cake of all time I think it’s the most versatile recipe in the baking area. It’s super simples: you basically need overripe bananas and it seems my family can never get through the whole bunch so we always have “sad bananas” around, just waiting to be baked with whatever I’m in the mood of: chocolate chips, walnuts, hazelnut, almond flour, yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc.
After seeing Raiza Costa’s Stories on Instagram this week it got me craving for banana bread. Unfortunately her recipe takes butter and I was feeling lazy for that - to wait it reach room temperature and just pull my stand mixer seemed a lot of work for an easy cake. But there’s one thing she adds to a few of her cake recipes that makes all the difference: yogurt. It makes the cake SUPER moist. It’s pure chemistry: the baking soda reacts with the yogurt acidity and as a result produce the gas that enlarges a batter's bubbles. I had to look for it because chemistry definitely is not a strength of mine. All I know is that works!
After a little research I decided to try a recipe of my own and now I have the perfect Chocolate Chip and Walnuts Banana Bread recipe to share. Of course you can either omit the chocolate chip and walnuts part or just swap for something that you like better. My suggestions includes chopped dates, peanuts, hazelnuts and even blueberries or raisins (if you are into it).
CHOCOLATE CHIP AND WALNUTS BANANA BREAD
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup oat milk (or any other kind of milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 mashed ripe bananas (do not over mash it)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by pre-heating the oven to 325F and grease loaf pan (butter, ghee, canola oil - whatever you want) and set aside. Start by mixing the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a larger bowl beat the eggs, then add the oil, followed by the maple syrup, yogurt, milk and vanilla. Add the mashed bananas. Beat all the ingredients until all mixed, about 2 minutes. Slowly start to incorporate the dry mixture through a mesh strainer. Always with delicate movements. Lastly incorporate the toppings such as the chocolate and walnuts. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.
