We are so, so excited to welcome the wonderful Stephanie from
! She creates the most drool-worthy breads, baked goodies, and more on her beautiful blog, and I can't believe she has agreed to post for us today. But I'll stop gushing and let her show us her gorgeous Nutella-swirled banana bread! -Caroline
Hey there, Pass the Cocoa readers! My name is Stephanie and I'm the baker/blogger/babbler over at
. When Caroline and Monica invited me to guest post on their lovely site, I knew exactly what to make. You see, thanks (in very large part) to their Nutella board on Pinterest, I am always drooling on my keyboard when I browse the recipes on there. Being that we share a serious love of Nutella, I just knew this Nutella-swirled banana bread had to happen.
I first discovered the recipe for this chocolate-hazelnut banana bread in my Cooking Light magazine months ago, but I just hadn't gotten around to making it. Of course, I'm kicking myself now that I waited so long, because really? Look at this thing. It's a wonder I had any willpower in waiting to make it (all of which went out the window once I actually did make it because, I mean... look at this thing).
I can't decide what I love about this banana bread recipe more -- the swirly Nutella inside or the crunchy hazelnut-chocolate drizzle top. It's a tough call, but thankfully my tastebuds don't have to choose when I devour a slice (or three). If you're a fan of banana bread, or Nutella, or chocolate, or really anything that is good and delicious in this world, you will fall head over heels in love with this loaf -- not to mention the fact that it doesn't take very long at all to make. Dangerous -- but also amazing -- news.
If there's anything I've taken away from many a drool session browsing a Nutella Pinterest board, it's that Nutella makes anything taste better. And banana bread is certainly no exception. So if I were you, I wouldn't waste any willpower in waiting to make this recipe -- I'd save it all up for trying not to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Trust me, you're going to need it.
Nutella-Swirled Banana Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light
Yields: 1 9-by-5-inch loaf
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 medium ripe bananas, sliced
2 large eggs
6.75 oz (1 1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
Baking spray with flour
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F if using a dark pan). Combine Nutella and 1 teaspoon canola oil in a small, microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high 30 seconds at a time until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together remaining 3 tablespoons canola oil, butter, brown sugar and bananas until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Alternately add flour and buttermilk to banana mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stirring after each addition until just combined.
Lightly spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Drizzle melted Nutella mixture evenly on top. Top evenly with remaining batter.
Using a wooden skewer or sharp knife, lightly swirl batter. Sprinkle top with chopped hazelnuts.
Bake bread until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack.
When bread is fully cooled, place unsweetened chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 30 seconds at a time until smooth. Drizzle over bread. Let set before slicing.