This sour cream chocolate chip banana bread is so fluffy, chocolatey and moist you won't be able to have just one slice.
So, how do you reinvent boring old banana bread?
- Chocolate helps.
- Sour cream is a definite twist.
- And earl grey tea is absolutely a new and exciting flavor profile.
I've never really been a fan of banana bread. It always seemed like the kind of place leftover bananas went to die. But, lately, I've been thinking about how I can make it just a little bit more special and a lot less boring.
Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
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So I got to thinking about flavor combinations. Chocolate and banana are a natural classic. But bananas and sour cream are such a match made in heaven. The sweetness of bananas and the creamy acidity of sour cream are the perfect combo.
But earl grey really matches chocolate nicely. What about tossing in some earl grey? I tinkered and experimented with what seemed like 1000's of bananas and we've arrived at what I think is the best sour cream chocolate chip banana bread you'll ever make. And of course, it's an easy recipe to make.
How do you ripen bananas quickly?
Because I've made this banana bread so many times in the last couple of weeks, I wasn't always working with nice ripe bananas. Sometimes they were on the very yellow (almost green) side and I needed them to be way past ripe in a hurry. So, here's what I did...
- preheat the oven to 200ºC or 400ºF.
- Wrap the bananas in foil.
- Place on a baking tray or cookie sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove and let them cool in the foil for about 30 more minutes.
And they end up overripe, just how you need them. Like in that photo above. ??
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Top Tips
- Mix your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients in 2 separate bowls and then combine them.
- Use a combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. I chopped some dark chocolate for mixing into the batter and sprinkled some chocolate chips over top before baking.
- Make sure your ingredients are as close to room temperature as possible.
- Line your cake tin with baking paper or parchment paper to ensure it won't stick to the bottom.
How on earth is this banana bread so moist?
This is such a great question. And there are a few elements to this.
- Firstly, bananas. They are THE biggest factor in how moist your banana bread is gonna be. So, obviously the riper and soft the banana, the more moisture in the cake.
- Second, the butter/ oil component. There isn't a lot of oil or butter in this cake, but there is a combination of both. The butter adds a rich flavor and texture and the oil helps with keeping the cake soft for days.
- Lastly, the sour cream! Its fat content is higher than milk and so helps to make this banana bread moist and fluffy.
So, this sour cream chocolate chip banana bread is your weekend baking assignment. Perfect for a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday morning. Slow down, brew some tea, and make some banana bread.
May I highly suggest that you eat a slice of this banana bread warm from the oven with a generous pad of butter that starts to gently melt on contact.
More Easy Cake Recipes From Salted Mint
Tools used to make this Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated or caster sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 very ripe bananas, see note 1
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, reserve 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
- 2 tablespoons earl grey tea, see note 2
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320ºF or 160ºC. Line a 2 pound loaf tin with baking paper or parchment. Brew an earl grey tea bag in ½ cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes. The tea needs to be very strong. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the butter and leave to cool. Whisk the sugars, bananas, eggs, vegetable oil and sour cream together. Once the butter has cooled stir into the mixture.
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix in the strong cooled tea. Pour the banana bread batter into the lined tin and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness using a skewer or toothpick. It should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
Notes
Nutrition
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