Double Chocolate Rum Banana Bread

By Sweet July

Banana bread certainly had its moment during lockdown—and for good reason. It’s easy to make and can be enjoyed as a satisfying breakfast, a tasty snack, or a delicious dessert.

Classic banana bread, if you’re listening, we still love you. But the addition of chocolate and rum take this banana bread to a whole other level.

If you’re suffering from banana bread fatigue, here’s an upgrade that is an absolute must-try. Chocolate and banana are a beautiful pairing, but the real magic in this recipe is the balance of these two flavors. Is it rich and chocolatey? Yes. Is it buttery and banana-y? It sure is. It’s everything you want in a slice of banana bread and more, and the addition of caramelized banana slices on top makes for the most delicious and indulgent bite. We also love the bitter notes of dark chocolate, but feel free to sub in semisweet or milk chocolate chips if you like things on the sweeter side.

Watch the recipe →

Ingredients

- 4 ripe bananas (3 for the recipe + 1 for the topping)
- 1 cup light brown sugar + 1 tbsp for topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 large egg, room temp and lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 4 x 12-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Add a long piece of parchment to the center of the pan so that the ends of the paper hang over long enough to grab and lift the bread. Spray the inside of the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.

step 2

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl.

step 3

In a separate bowl, add ripe banana and butter and mash together. Add brown sugar, egg, milk, rum and vanilla into the same bowl. The mixture will look slightly curdled, but don’t worry—it will all come together. Incorporate the dry into the wet mixture in three parts. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Step 4

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Slice the remaining banana lengthwise to create two long banana slices. Gently place the bananas on top of the batter, pushing down slightly, and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Step 5

Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean (a 4 x 12-inch loaf pan baked for 55 minutes, so begin checking at 50 minutes to be safe and add more time as needed). Allow to cool before slicing and serving.