Chocolate chunk banana bread with espresso mascarpone – rich and comforting, with a creamy coffee-laced mascarpone and berries.  Jump to Recipe 

The ultimate comfort food – banana bread.

Finally. It is one of the basic, fill-the-tins morning tea recipes that emerges from our oven most frequently, so I can’t believe it has taken a year to make it up here. It actually came down to a deadline thing – one of my friends has been dying for the recipe, and threw down the ultimatum that it needs to be available for her perusal by the time she goes home for the summer – in two weeks time.

It is something I make whenever the bananas in the fruit bowl have been ignored for just that little bit too long – the spots appear first, and then at a certain stage we realise no one will eat them and the fruit flies begin to circle, so they get put in the fridge at eye level, skins slowly turning black and just begging to be transformed into mouthfuls of goodness to go with your coffee. We are a house of (mostly) perfectly yellow banana eaters (or at least I am) – the first sign of a spot and the banana is destined for the oven. I still don’t understand spotty banana lovers – something about the texture and flavour is irrevocably changed for me at that transition. However, spotty, blackened bananas are the BEST for banana loaf like this- sweeter, a softer crumb, stronger banana flavour, and just all round better.

But I couldn’t stick with plain banana bread, as good as plain banana bread is. Gooey chunks of dark chocolate found their way in, along with a whole heap of brown sugar for that rich, caramelised flavour. And being a newfound coffee fiend, the perfect partner for the warm, straight-from-the-oven banana bread was espresso mascarpone. Creamy, tangy and rich with strong espresso flavour, it balanced the sweetness of the loaf, mingling with those dark chocolate chunks. With new season strawberries around, I couldn’t help but use them and raspberries to top it off for a layer of fresh fruitiness.

And coffee + berries + bananas = breakfast. Yes, this can definitely be breakfast.

Unfortunately my time is up and I have to return to the books (being gastrointestinal physiology – I mean, why would I want to know what happens to food once it passes my mouth? I truly don’t).

Do give this loaf a go, especially with the espresso mascarpone for a treat. You won’t regret it, I promise.

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