Sweet Strawberry-Chocolate Banana Bread

Sweet and free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes. This Strawberry-Chocolate Banana Bread makes it totally okay to eat dessert for breakfast!

I used to believe grandma-style banana bread required special powers or skills to bake.

But as it turns out, there are no big hidden secrets about how to crack the code on baking.

Baking muffins or a quick bread is just like doing a chemistry experiment. Follow the directions for when to add each ingredient and everything will go as planned – well almost everything.

The Oven is the Wild Card

Each oven has its own unique temperaments. My oven baked this Strawberry-Chocolate Banana Bread in 47 minutes. Your oven may, or may not, bake it in the same amount of time.

The good news is that a simple toothpick will take the guesswork out of how long this banana bread will take to bake in your oven. Here’s the simple guide I use:

5 Minutes Before the Suggested Baking Time, remove the loaf pan from the oven and insert a toothpick in the center of the banana bread. At this point, there are 3 possible routes to follow.

If the toothpick is FULLY coated in batter, place the banana bread back in the oven for five minutes. After 5 minutes do the toothpick check again.

If the toothpick is LIGHTLY coated in batter, the banana bread goes back in the oven for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes do the toothpick check again.

If the toothpick comes out CLEAN, your banana bread is ready to come out of the oven!

Easy, right? That’s all it takes for an infamous Strawberry Chocolate Banana Bread to emerge from your oven and fill your place with delectable oven-baked aromas!!!

Share with a friend, share with your significant other, or share a slice with Mom over a tea or coffee and on her special day! Cheers!

SAVE THIS STRAWBERRY-CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD TO YOUR “BAKING” PINTEREST BOARD

And let’s connect on Pinterest. I’m always pinning tasty eats!

SWEET STRAWBERRY-CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

Makes: 1 Banana Bread Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes Bake Time: 45 to 50 minutes
Open Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (see recipe notes)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (see recipe notes)
2 eggs
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream (or use milk)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced into small pieces
powdered sugar (optional)

Steps

Spray or coat a 9 x 5 x 3-inch (23 x 13 x 6-cm) loaf pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the mini chocolate chips and half the diced strawberries. Stir to coat chocolate chips and strawberries with flour mixture (this helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the banana bread when it bakes).

Bake in a pre-heated 350 F (176 C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Remove banana bread from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Lightly dust with powdered sugar (if using) through a mess strainer.

RECIPE NOTES:

For a lighter density banana bread I substitute a 1/4 cup of wheat bran for a 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour. It’s healthier and I find it adds another element of flavor.

Ripe bananas work best. I place my ripe bananas in the freezer to save them for recipes like this one. The banana skin goes black in the freezer but the banana inside will still be good for baking (defrost before using).

Brent Garell – is the guy behind College Recipe Cafe. He visits local colleges to teach cooking 101 skills, and is the author of the digital cookbook 15-Minute Money Saving Meals for Students: Cup of Recipes for When You Need Food NOW! Available now on Amazon.