I had some leftover ganache. I spoke of this problem (?) when I shared these lovely Ganache Topped Chocolate Cookie Cups with Peanut Butter Filling. A long name for a luscious little bite. I determined that I had better come up with a use for said ganache before it disappeared entirely at the rate of a spoonful here….and a spoonful there…if you catch my drift. I decided on Fudge Chunk Banana Bread. Oh yes. I did. Banana bread is already so good…why not throw a little ganache into the mix and make it even better?!
You know I’m still on a healthy kick too right. Uh…with a little ganache on the side:-)
So, there are no refined sugars or flour in this bread. Feel free to sub your usual ingredients if you’d like, but I would highly recommend subbing at least some whole-wheat flour in for the white flour. Much healthier and I actually love the taste. I used white whole-wheat flour which has a finer texture than traditional whole-wheat. This bread is heartier than its white flour counterparts but it is also still nicely moist. And the ganache, of course, is delightful!
| Fudge Chunk Banana Bread |
|
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup raw sugar (or brown)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup agave (or honey)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (ish) ganache*
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour (or white whole-wheat)
- Make ganache – see note below.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
- Add the banana, agave, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
- Add the flour, stirring until just combined.
- Spoon 1/2 the banana mixture into the pan, spreading evenly.
- Dot with 1/2 the ganache.
- Spread on the rest of the banana mixture and then dot with the remaining ganache.
- Bake bread for 45 minutes. Lay some foil loosely over the pan and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before turning bread carefully out of the pan to finish cooling.
Ganache is very simple to make. It’s just cream and chocolate. Hmmm. No wonder its so good. Here’s a quick way to spiff up your banana bread:)
In a microwave safe container bring 1/4 cup cream to a boil. Dump in 1/3 cup chocolate. (I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use the good stuff if you want!) Let stand for 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Done.
Let cool until spoonable.
Adapted from Whole-Grain Baking
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Look delicious! Just one question… What kind of cream did you use fro the ganache? Thanks!
Thanks Kari! I used heavy whipping cream….wait…is there any other kind;-)
Banana bread AND fudge? Oh WOW… this is like banoffee pie, but in a bread!!
I am converting the measurements into grams as we speak to whip this up, I just LOVE banana bread!
This is also great because its such a simple recipe, no dillydallying around.
Thanks so much!
Leah x