This classic banana bread recipe is wonderfully spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Be sure to use very ripe bananas with most or all of their skin black. Bananas are sweet and contain plenty of water. For chocolate lovers, unsweetened or dark chocolate adds a welcome bitterness, but is not required. Enjoy sliced for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or dessert.
storage: Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
material
Quantity: Ten–12 (Makes one 9 x 5 inch loaf)
direction
Active: 15 minutes
|Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
step 1
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on long sides.
Step 2
In a large bowl, mix bananas, eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until evenly combined. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and salt.
Step 3
Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until just incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, stirring to see if there are any streaks. If using, fold in chocolate pieces.
Step 4
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. (If you want to split the top, run a wet butter knife into the center of the loaf pan 1/2 to 1 inch deep.)
Step 5
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (wipe away any chocolate that comes out and retest) and the top is brown.
Step 6
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then use parchment paper to gently lift it out onto a wire rack or serving tray. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.