Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread

Chocolate pecan banana bread is, by far, the best type of banana bread that I ever ate. Surprisingly, it is lighter and less sticky than typical banana bread and is, in my opinion, more flavorful and elegant-looking as well.  This recipe has a really good balance of chocolate and nuts. Neither overpowers the other, which benefits the overall palette of this cake. Pecans can be substituted with walnuts, but the taste will be slightly less mild. Additionally, rum can be added to spice it up a little. In general, banana bread is one of the simplest cakes to make. This one is no different. Preparing it does not require much skill or experience. The addition of a few extra ingredients will make this bread stand out among traditional versions.
Servings: 12 yield(s)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins
Total Time: 75 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup/113g unsalted butter (Softened. Have an additional 1 tbsp. of softened butter for greasing the pan.)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs (Room temperature.)
  • 3-4 ripe bananas (Mashed.)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (Walnuts can be used instead.)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp rum (Optional.)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, add butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or a regular mixer, beat the butter until creamy and pale in color (about 5 min.) Add eggs one at a time, incorporating them well into the batter before each addition. Stir in the bananas (mashed), lemon juice, and rum (if using). Add the flour mixture (gradually) and, using a spatula, mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans. Mix with spatula until combined.
  2. Using extra butter, grease a 9x5" loaf pan and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Pour batter inside, even it out and bake for 50-60 min or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.