Mary Berry's banana bread recipe, first revealed during The Great Sport Relief Bake Off in 2012, includes chocolate chips as a simple extra ingredient for added flavour. The recipe has since been republished by BBC Food, which described it as "small, but perfectly formed and loaded with chocolate chips."
A Flavourful Addition
The recipe is ideal for using overripe bananas, and bakers can also add chopped pecans or walnuts if they wish. BBC Food suggests the loaf can even be drizzled with melted chocolate on top for extra indulgence.
Ingredients and Method
For 6-8 servings, the recipe requires one ripe banana (peeled weight 100g), one tablespoon of milk, 50g of soft butter or baking spread, 75g of plain flour, 75g of caster sugar, half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, half a teaspoon of baking powder, one free-range egg, 50g of dark chocolate chips, and 50g of dark chocolate.
The oven should be preheated to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas 3, with a 450g loaf tin greased and lined with baking paper. The peeled banana is mashed with a fork, then the remaining cake ingredients (except the chocolate) are added and beaten with an electric whisk until smooth. The chocolate chips are stirred in, and the mixture is spooned into the tin and levelled.
Baking and Finishing
The loaf is baked for 40-45 minutes until well-risen, then left to cool for about 10 minutes before being turned out onto a wire rack. The dark chocolate is melted in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, with the bowl not touching the water. Once nearly fully melted, it is removed from the heat.
The melted chocolate is transferred to a piping bag and piped in zigzag patterns across the loaf, or simply drizzled with a spoon. After the chocolate hardens, the banana bread is ready to be cut into slices and enjoyed.
