Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread (Printable)

Rich, moist loaf combining ripe bananas, dark chocolate chips, and brewed espresso for coffee lovers seeking an indulgent treat.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
09 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
10 - 2 tbsp brewed espresso or strong coffee, cooled

→ Mix-ins

11 - 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and espresso. Whisk until smooth.
04 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined—do not overmix.
05 - Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
07 - Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
08 - Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The chocolate espresso combo creates these deep mocha notes that make you feel like you are eating something from a fancy bakery
  • It stays incredibly moist for days and actually tastes better on day two when the flavors have had time to become best friends
  • The whole process comes together in one bowl without needing any special equipment or techniques
02 -
  • Overmixing is the enemy of moist banana bread so stop folding as soon as the flour disappears
  • The toothpick test is tricky here because the melted chocolate chips can look like undercooked batter so check a few spots
  • If your bananas are not super spotted you might need an extra tablespoon of sugar to compensate
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend better so pull your eggs and butter out about an hour before baking
  • Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top right after baking while the bread is still warm for that salted chocolate effect

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