Fudgy Chocolate Banana Loaf (with hidden Zucchini and Avocado!)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a very good baker. Baking really pushes me out of my comfort zone as it doesn’t really allow for room to “wing it”…and I’m definitely a “wing it” kind of person in the kitch.

Most often, if I try to wing it with baking I end up with a massive fail…but once in a while, on a very rare and glorious occasion, winging it turns into a baking success. This chocolate banana loaf recipe is my wing it baking success, and you guys, it’s a pretty delicious success. 

I had been craving banana zucchini bread for a while as I haven’t had it in ages and I finally had some browning bananas on the counter that needed to be used. Bananas go like hotcakes in our house as myself, my hubby, and Hemsley are all big banana fans, so it’s not often that we end up with spotted bananas left on the counter.

Using this tasty gluten free banana muffin recipe I found in the blogosphere for inspiration, I went to work to make a delicious banana zucchini loaf.  I had decided that I didn’t want just plain banana zucchini. I wanted to add in chocolate and see if I could make use of the perfectly ripe avocados I had as well.

This is where the “winging it” came in. I took Amanda’s muffin recipe and swapped out oats for a mix of gluten-free flour and brown rice flour, flaxseeds for chia seeds, added in cocao powder, mashed avocado, and almond milk, adjusted some of the other measurements, then poured the batter into a loaf pan…and crossed my fingers. 

As I waited for it to bake I was dreaming of a dense, rich, chocolaty loaf with hints of banana and hidden zucchini topped with melty dark chocolate chips, and to my delight, it worked!

This delicious loaf is just that. Dense and fudgy, loaded with chocolate flavour and rich in healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. While it does teeter on the side of being like a dessert with the amount of chocolate chips I piled on the top, it really isn’t actually that sweet as I only used 1/2 cup of raw honey for the whole loaf and the rest of the sweetness comes from the bananas.

While you can’t taste the zucchini, I love the little speckles of green here and there and the added dose of vitamin C that this lovely green squash brings in.

I’m currently working on a BIG project that I’ll be sharing very soon over social media (I’ll be jetting off to San Francisco next week for this…eep!) and as part of it I’ve been writing and researching a ton on toddler nutrition.

This chocolate banana loaf creates a great opportunity to teach picky toddlers how vegetables can be added to yummy baked recipes and you don’t even taste them! While parents often sneak veggies into dishes for their unaware toddlers, hoping to get them a little more nutrition, it is actually beneficial to show them that greens are IN a tasty recipe, as this can help encourage those picky toddlers to be more open to the idea of veggies in general!

If you have a chance to get baking this week be sure to add this delicious, nutritious loaf to your list and keep an eye on my Instagram profile and stories to see what I’ll be up to in San Fran (also accepting good vibes and wishes as I’m a little nervous for this trip!).

Fudgy Chocolate Banana Loaf

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

• Dry:
• ¾ cup gluten free flour
• ¾ cup brown rice flour
• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• Wet:
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup mashed avocado
• ¼ cup almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Fold In:
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess liquid using paper-towel*
• To Top:
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
3. In a blender, add in all the wet ingredients and blend until just smooth.
4. Combine the wet with the dry and then fold in the mashed banana and shredded zucchini.
5. Generously grease a loaf pan with coconut oil or cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan.
6. Top with the chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick pulls clean from the centre of the loaf.
8. Let the loaf cool before removing from the pan to slice.

Notes

*Be sure to squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible, you can use a cheesecloth or just paper towel.

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Have a lovely rest of your Sunday!