My mother would bake banana bread quite often growing up. She had a clay, tubular pan that she would bake in, producing a tall, round loaf of banana bread. I would slice rounds off of the loaf and slather them with butter for an after-school snack.
I love that you can transform old, mushy bananas into something that breathes new life into them. Anytime I have bananas that are a bit too ripe, I pop them into the freezer and pull them out when I’m in the mood to bake up some banana bread.
One of my boyfriends’ favorite foods is coffee cake, so I will always have a special place for it in my heart. Combining bananas, chocolate, and cinnamon into one recipe might seem like a lot, but the flavors go perfectly together.
Coffee Cake + Banana Bread
This bread uses Simply Recipes’ original banana bread recipe and adds a cinnamon-cocoa ripple, crunchy streusel topping, and chocolate chips. This turns the banana bread into a coffee cake-banana bread hybrid that’s fit for breakfast or dessert. The subtle chocolate flavor from both the cocoa and chocolate chips pairs perfectly with the banana flavor and adds a decadent touch.
The best part is that the chocolate ripple bakes up pleasantly gooey and adds a fudgy, somewhat chewy texture to the bread. It also helps keep the bread moist, allowing you to bake it on Sunday and slice it all throughout the week for breakfast. Just think of it as a treat to your future self.
Tips for Making Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Coffee Cake
- When checking for doneness, don’t be alarmed if your toothpick or cake tester comes out with some streaks on it. These streaks are from the chocolate chips, not undercooked batter, so there’s no need to fret.
- When assembling the loaf cake, feel free to spray a spoon or offset spatula with nonstick spray to help spread the batter into the pan. The batter is very thick, so it’s not the easiest to work with.
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom and two sides with a piece of parchment.
Make the filling:
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Make the chocolate streusel:
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix using clean hands until small, irregular clumps the size of marbles form. Set aside.
Mash the bananas and add the butter:
To make the banana bread cake, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth in a large mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the remaining ingredients:
Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour and cinnamon until a smooth batter forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Add everything to the loaf pan:
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the filling mixture on top of the batter in an even layer and top with the remaining cake batter. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chocolate streusel, pressing it in slightly so it sticks.
Bake:
Bake until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. A few dry crumbs are okay but wet batter is not. If you hit a melted chocolate chip, test in a different spot.
Cool and serve:
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Wrapped tightly, the banana bread cake will keep at room temperature for 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf up to 5 days or freeze it.
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How to Store and Freeze This Banana Bread
Store the cooled chocolate chip banana bread coffee cake in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. It will keep well for 4 to 5 days. You can also tightly wrap the bread and freeze it for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge or on the counter before enjoying.
More Fun With Banana Bread
- Brownie Banana Bread
- Dark and Stormy Banana Bread
- Whole Banana Bread
- Spiced Dulce de Leche Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread