Although the title of this recipe may sound unappealing, the combination of bananas and chocolate chips make this bread truly delicious.

The author suggests that you let the bananas get so ripe that “you can smell them the minute you walk through the door”.  I did not wait quite that long, and the banana bread was still delicious.

This recipe was both quick and easy. After I set up my mis-in-place (and you should too) this bread whipped up in no time. If you love bananas, you will adore this recipe. The mixture of the bananas and the sour cream gave this bread a wonderful, smooth texture that made each bite divine. The very ripe bananas gave it a nice caramelized flavor and the bittersweet chocolate added the perfect amount of sweetness. Of course, the lemony glaze was the perfect topping for me. You can eat it for dessert, breakfast or just for a snack. It is delicious no matter when you eat it.

This recipe is courtesy of Cook This Now and will serve 8-10 people who will go “bananas” for this bread. 

Ingredients for Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1 /2 cups mashed, VERY ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
1/4 cup sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
4 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Add the chocolate pieces and combine well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream or yogurt, lemon zest and vanilla.

Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until dark golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan completely.

While the cake is almost cool, prepare the glaze.

In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and lemon juice until smooth. 

Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake, spreading it with a spatula to cover.

It’s that simple!