Chocolate Banana Bread

I love the chocolate and banana combo, wether it is a smoothie, cookie or a yummy toast with homemade chocolate spread (always homemade!) and sweet, ripe banana slices with all the toppings! I made Pumpkin and Banana Pecan bread two years ago but since then I haven't tried any banana-based bread so when you have a bunch of super ripe bananas you know what you have to do, right? I still have two previous recipes waiting to be published but felt like sharing this one with you guys this week cause I'm really happy with how it came out and hopefully you'll like it too.
I highly recommend to serve this loaf with the sweet almond sauce cause it seriously takes this recipe to a whole new level, makes the experience extra juicy and extra yummy. Also, for those days when you want something a lil more decadent try replacing the cacao nibs with dark chocolate chips, the darker the better, preferably up to 70 % cacao. This time I used cacao nibs and chopped walnuts because next weekend we'll celebrate my mom's birthday and there will be tons of chocolate involved...of course I'm in charge of the cake; this year mama Carmen asked for a brownie cake (no wonder where my passion for chocolate comes from...).
Before I forget, this recipe is completely plant-based, refined sugar-free and gluten-free, woohoo! Also, delicious, tender and moist. ;-)


Chocolate Banana Bread
(8 to 10 servings approximately)

Ingredients
- For the banana bread:
1 cup oat flour.
3/4 cup brown rice flour.
4 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch.
1/2 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder.
1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
A pinch of pink himalayan salt.
1 1/2 cups banana puree, around 4 ripe bananas.
3/4 cups unsweetened oat milk.
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
1/4 cup pure maple syrup.
1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, melted.
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped.
1/2 cup cacao nibs.

- For the sweet almond sauce:
4 tablespoons natural almond butter.
4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted.
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup.

Directions
Preheat oven to 170 ºC (338 ºF), lightly grease a loaf tin with coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl stir together the milk and vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes while you mix the dry ingredients. The milk will kind of curdle, it's the vegan version of buttermilk.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flours, cornstarch, cocoa powder, psyllium, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine with a wire whisk until well mixed.
In a separate bowl mash the bananas until you get 1 1/2 cups of puree, add in the maple syrup, coconut oil and milk mixture. Gently whisk until combined and add this wet mixture into the dry mixture, mixing with a silicone spatula until thoroughly combined and no flour lumps are visible.
Finally stir in the chopped walnuts and cacao nibs and pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. 
Bake for 1 hour approximately or until a fine wooden cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
While the banana bread is in the oven we can prepare the sweet sauce by simply mixing all the ingredients with a fork in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside at room temperature.
Once the bread is ready, let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes approximately, then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack.
Drizzle the top of the bread with the sweet sauce and serve the slices with the remaining sauce.
Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature. Store the leftover almond sauce in a sealed container, refrigerated. Keep in mind that once it's cold the sauce will become solid because it contains coconut oil, so you will have to place it in a small saucepan over low heat in order to become pourable again.







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