Chocolate Malted Banana Bread

Chocolate Malted Banana Bread – Deep, rich chocolate flavor in this classic banana bread with a hint of malt for that retro flavor.

My desire to bake continues to grow. This is partly rooted in my quest to be better in the kitchen and partly because I want my daughter to have homemade sweet treats that I can identify all its ingredients. 

This post is sponsored by Camp Chef.  As part of my on-going relationship with them, I received a Seasoned Cast Iron Bread Pan to review, however all thoughts and opinions, glowing, gushing, or otherwise are 100% my own.

I cannot believe how easy this bread, loaf, rectangle thick cake-like thing was to make. But coming up with the right ratios, not so much. This was my third attempt. My first attempt lacked the oomph of  banana and malt. The second had plenty of banana but still not a lot of malt and weak in the chocolate area. And I totally over cooked that second batch…can we say hockey puck?This time, well this time, I was satisfied. Chocolate and banana were perfectly balanced. The malt was scant. I really wanted the malt to pack a punch, but it was subtly there in each bite. After the first bite, I really thought I was going to go for round 4, but then I tasted it, malt quietly on the palate. The rest of the bread was too perfectly balanced for me to not share the recipe. I continued to eat it, and then eat it again, and then some more. This ladies and gentlemen is why I don’t bake, it’s just all too delicious. I’ve used the pan three times now and have to say, I really love it. Since it was pre-seasoned, there was no work involved other than washing it gently after taking out of the box. My bread didn’t stick, literally just popped out when I flipped it over-even during the hockey puck round, so that’s saying something.

That being said, I do have to keep up the seasoning. After I wash it, as gently as possible, I do apply a coat of olive oil, just a teeny tiny bit, to keep the seasoning intact. People erroneously think cast iron is like teflon in its non-stick properties and it is not. Things can stick and will stick if the item isn’t cared for. Even this time, tiny crumbles did adhere to my pan when the bread came out, but nothing remotely like I would get with my regular baking pans, glass or coated metal. And if you’re concerned, you can always use cooking spray or some kind of coating before baking. Now that I have worked this bread idea out of my system, it’s time for a meat loaf in this pan. Have I mentioned that meat loaf is one of my favorite things ever to eat? I know without a doubt it will be fantastic in the cast iron, that the flavor will be enhanced just by using it. Head on over to Camp Chef and check out this fantastic bread pan, I promise it won’t bust the budget and you will love having it.

Oh, a personal note, when pulling it out of the oven, make sure you properly have the hot pads in position. I did not, and as a result when I was trying to set it down to cool, I had to “drop” it down quickly, resulting in a deflation of the bread and painful hands. While I know this is not the most PERFECT looking of breads, the taste is spot on. That was ultimately why I decided to go ahead and share it with you. Now pardon me while I go nab another slice. I totally owe a major thank you to Mary over at LoveFoodies for helping me with the ratios and working out what I was doing wrong.

And incase you are thinking the bottom of the bread is slightly undercooked, it’s not, the melted chocolates settle at the bottom and make it gooey delicious. 

Chocolate Malted Banana Bread

Author: Michelle De La Cerda

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Ingredients

• 1.5 oz melted chocolate (1 oz baker's square and then dark chocolate chips)
• 3/4 Cup malted milk powder
• 3/4 Cup milk
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup butter; softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 medium eggs lightly beaten
• 3 cups VERY RIPE bananas. (approx 4 medium bananas)

Instructions

1. Using a sifter, mix all the dry ingredients together; set aside
2. Melt the chocolate.
3. Cream butter and sugar until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes
4. Slowly add the beaten eggs a bit at a time with a tablespoon of the dry ingredients to prevent splitting.
5. Add the melted chocolate.
6. Add the mashed bananas. Mix well.
7. Add HALF the milk and half the flour mixture and combine.
8. Then add the remaining milk and a tablespoon of refraining drying ingredients at a time.
9. If needed, coat a pan with cooking spray, butter, or oil.
10. Bake in a pre-heated 325° oven for 60-75 minutes, testing for doneness after 45 minutes using a toothpick.
11. Allow the bread to cool before removing from the pan, then serve and enjoy.

Thank you for sharing!