This is the best thing I have ever baked. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. It's extremely fudgy and is guaranteed to convince the most skeptical of people that vegan, gluten-free food is as good as (if not better) than whatever they eat. Love bananas? Love chocolate? Then you've just stumbled upon your new favourite food, my friend.
It seems somewhat sacrilegious to toy around with an old favourite - disrespectful to the almighty banana lords, if you will - but a life without experimentation is a life poorly lived. My childhood was peppered with the sweet, molten chunks of chocolate embedded in fresh banana muffins, straight from the oven. These piping hot handfuls of gooey banana-choc-chip goodness have inspired me to turn not just the filling, but also the batter itself, a glorious shade of brown (which is coincidentally also my favourite colour).
This bread stays insanely moist for days after baking if you keep it in an airtight tin, but I can promise that it won't be around for that long. Serve with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream, or some cookie dough spread as pictured in the last image.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons of cool water
250g of gluten-free flour (I used Healtheries' Baking Mix)
100g of brown sugar
100g of golden sugar
40g of raw cacao powder OR cocoa powder
15g of baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
400g of ripe, peeled bananas
120ml of dairy-free milk (I used Macro Organic Rice Milk)
40g of coconut oil, melted
100g of dark chocolate chips
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius on bake mode and line a medium-sized loaf tin with parchment paper.
In a cup, make a flax egg by stirring together the ground flaxseeds and water. Let sit for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, golden sugar, raw cacao powder, baking powder, and sea salt until well combined with no lumps.
In a medium-sized bowl, mash together the ripe bananas until no lumps remain.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add in the mashed banana, dairy-free milk, melted coconut oil, and flax egg mixture. Stir until combined.
Fold in most of your dark chocolate chips, saving a few to sprinkle on top of the loaf.
Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and spread with a spoon to evenly disperse, then sprinkle over the rest of the chocolate chips.
Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf tin. You'll know the bread is ready when you press your finger into it and it is ever-so slightly resistant. Use a knife to check if the batter is cooked in the middle - just make sure to dodge the chocolate chips!