Instant Espresso Powder Amps Up the Chocolate Flavor in This Simple Banana Bread Recipe

There are endless reasons to love this chocolate espresso banana bread, but we’ll give you just a few: it’s quick to make, fluffy, full of flavor, and will make your kitchen smell delicious while baking. Like our classic espresso brownie recipe, instant espresso here adds an amazing richness to the cocoa, with the chocolate amped up even further with the addition of chocolate chips. Don’t skip the buttermilk either – the acid in it is a key part of creating the bread’s light texture as it reacts with baking soda.

Even better, this bread freezes beautifully. If you want a quick breakfast treat ready to go when the mocha craving strikes (and, if you’re anything like us, that’s frequently!), double the recipe and bake two loaves. Enjoy one now and pop the other in the freezer for later. Future You will be grateful!

Instant Coffee or Instant Espresso?

Instant espresso works well for this recipe because it has a rich flavor with low acidity. However, if you don’t have espresso powder available, instant coffee granules can work in a pinch! We’d recommend using between 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons, dissolved in hot water. You can also brew a shot of spresso and add a tablespoon of it to the batter. Try experimenting to figure out which flavor you like best!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1 cup flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup canola oil (or melted butter)

• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp instant espresso powder

• 1 tbsp hot water

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf ban with parchment paper, leaving the edges hanging over, then spray lightly with non-stick oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, egg and yolk, buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed banana.

4. Combine espresso powder and hot water. Add to wet ingredients and mix.

5. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.

Recipe adapted from Delish