Chocolate Banana Bread

As much as I'd like for this to be justified as breakfast, a giant slice with a huge cup of coffee, Tyler Florence plants this firmly in the dessert category in his book, Tyler's Ultimate. It's true. The ingredients are mixed together like a cake, it comes together like a cake, it's scrumptious like a cake.

Breakfast? Dessert?

I'm not one to care too much about labels. Unless that label is totally delicious.

Chocolate Banana Bread

from Tyler's Ultimate

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted (I use chocolate chips, and I don't melt them all the way, leaving some chips whole.)
2 eggs at room temperature
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until lightened. Beat in chocolate, eggs, bananas and vanilla at low speed. Stir in flour mixture, just until combined. Pour into pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.