Banana Date Chocolate Loaf

There was a bunch of bananas in the house. Though we tried our best to finish them up as quickly as possible, bananas ripen really quick. And soon, the skin turned really really black (okays, yellow base still but with LARGE patches of black covering the yellow everywhere...). I decided to use the remaining sad looking trio all at one go by making a banana loaf. Googling recipes for banana loaf, I found a recipe that sounds promising. Dates (I bought some Medjool dates a while back!), chocolate (licks mouth in anticipation), and holey moley, it requires three ripe bananas! Now. If that isn't fate calling, what is?

Banana date chocolate loaf

Since the first attempt, I've made this banana loaf another two more times. And all within a month. My family seemed to like it and we managed to polish the loaf off over the next few days for breakfast every time I make it. Even my dad, who doesn't have a sweet tooth, gave me a thumbs up and said that it was good as it wasn't very sweet. Now. Whenever my dad approves something, I know that I've got a winner recipe in my hand.

I notice that the size of the bananas do matter. The first time I made the loaf, my bunch of bananas were a a bunch of sizeable bananas, so the loaf was very moist. The second time I made it, I used medium sized bananas and the loaf was not as moist as I would have liked. The third time I made it, I used large sized bananas again and the moistness texture was great. So point to note, use three large ripe bananas!

A crumbs-y slice

Banana Date Chocolate Loaf (adapted from Zo at Twospoons)

Wet ingredients

3 very ripe large bananas, mashed

2 large eggs
100g dark brown sugar
2-3 dates, finely chopped
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
115ml oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the above well, until the mixture has lots of tiny bubbles all through it. Preheat oven to 175°C.
Then, fold in Dry ingredients:

100g plain flour
70g whole wheat or graham flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Mix until just incorporated. Add as many chocolate chips as you feel is necessary :D Pour into a well greased loaf tin and bake for about 45-50 minutes. It may need a bit longer – stick a skewer or small sharp knife into the center to check if it is done (the knife blade should come out clean). Once cooked, let cool in the tin until warm, then turn out (you may need to loosen it from the sides of the tin with that small sharp knife, by running the blade around the cake) and let cool completely on a rack before slicing.