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Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread

Chocolate espresso banana bread with a fudgy interior, cocoa-dark crumb, and melted chocolate chips pooling on top. Made with espresso-powder dissolved in hot water and a sweet loaf that slices clean once fully cooled.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth for a moist loaf.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Melt and cool slightly before mixing.
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar Use packed brown sugar for deeper flavor.
  • 2 large eggs Bring to room temperature if possible.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp instant espresso powder Dissolve in hot water to evenly flavor the crumb.
  • 1 tbsp hot water For dissolving espresso powder.
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.33 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Sift to prevent lumps.
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips Divide: fold 3/4 cup in, reserve 1/4 cup for topping.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Mash the ripe bananas, then whisk in melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and the dissolved espresso until smooth.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
  2. Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Bake
  1. Fold in 3/4 cup of the dark chocolate chips, pour the batter into the loaf pan, and scatter the remaining chocolate chips on top.
  2. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
  3. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out; slice only once fully cooled so the center stays fudgy.

Notes

Pro tip: use very ripe bananas for the best moist banana bread crumb and fold gently to keep it tender. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze slices up to 2 months for easy thaw-and-eat. For a lightly reduced-sugar option, replace 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with an equal amount of light brown sugar or use a sugar substitute designed for baking if available.