I’ve posted a lot of colorful desserts in the past few weeks, which is very appropriate given the season and abundance of colors all around, but every now and then a simple, monochromatic dessert can be just as pleasing as the most rainbow-tastic one. Brown on brown on brown today – does that make you excited for summer?? Well it should! Because this banana bread is ah-maz-ing. And quick and easy to put together so you can run back out to the pool when you’re done. Or you can just have your husband make it, like I did, since it really is that easy!

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Ryan doesn’t bake much at all, which makes a lot of sense considering he’s married to quite the oven-hog, but he does have a few tricks up his sleeve. And by a few, I mean quick breads and quick breads alone. Maybe it’s just what he feels comfortable with, but I let him stick to his one forte without complaints, especially if there are bananas and lots of chocolate involved. The recipe comes from Deb of Smitten Kitchen, with over 400 comments backing up its deliciousness. The bread is packed with chocolate flavor, stays super moist, and can almost be compared to a brownie in bread form – it’s that good!! And surprisingly not the worst thing for you either considering that most of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder. We used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder here which is why it’s so beautifully dark, I love the contrast with the mini semisweet chips!

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It’s pretty amazing to take the back seat when it comes to baking in our home every now and then, but you know I can’t just let Ryan completely reign free in the kitchen. I’m definitely scared to hand over complete control – but he did well with this one almost entirely on his own! I even stepped back enough to snap this photo of him stirrin’ up the batter. It’s a one-bowl recipe too which is awesome, especially for a neat-freak husband like mine! I post a lot of really complex recipes here but ones like these are so great for getting back to the basics and eating delicious food that’s good just because it’s simple. Sure Oreo Taco Cookies are adorable, but you can’t deny that sometimes things without so much fuss are not only easier, but yummier too.

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Ryan and I had a great time celebrating our anniversary and I thought it was fitting to follow the weekend with this post featuring some of his handiwork. He’s cute, he’s smart, and he makes me banana bread sometimes! Definitely a keeper. And for a gift he got me a custom painting of my bridal bouquet that brought tears to my eyes. He’s an infamously terrible gift giver, so I was totally floored with how beautiful and touching it was! If you’re one of the two men that read my blog, definitely consider this gift for an anniversary present, it’s so, so special. And if art isn’t your wife’s thing, I can bet this double chocolate banana bread might do the trick!

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Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 medium large ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Set a sifter or fine mesh strainer over the bowl and sift in the baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Then gently stir in the 1 cup of chocolate chunks or chips.

Transfer batter into prepared pan, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, and bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep bread wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days, or serve immediately.

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76 Responses to “Double Chocolate Banana Bread”

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    Hana Sarker — June 11, 2014 @ 3:14 pm

    The recipe says ‘I used’ maybe change that to ‘Ryan used’ as it’s he made it :)

    • Erica — June 11th, 2014 @ 8:42 pm

      Hahaha good catch! Definitely a subconscious slip there :) I’m not used to him doing all the work!

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    Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel — June 11, 2014 @ 10:58 pm

    Hey, there is NOTHING wrong with brown on brown when it’s chocolate on chocolate!! Bring it on! ;)

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    Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar — June 12, 2014 @ 2:58 pm

    This bread looks AMAZING! I want to face plant right in it – so moist looking! I always use Hershey’s Special Dark – definitely the best! Happy Anniversary!

    • Erica — June 12th, 2014 @ 11:10 pm

      Thanks!! Yes, the dark color really makes everything look so much more dramatic and beautiful :)

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    Julia — June 12, 2014 @ 8:39 pm

    Your photos are gorgeous and this bread looks divine!

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    Danielle Lis — June 12, 2014 @ 11:00 pm

    Wow!! What a lovely cake!! Do you know by any chance if this cake is freezable?

    • Erica — June 12th, 2014 @ 11:09 pm

      I think it would freeze very well – just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then throw it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag to make sure it’s well sealed. Then just leave it on the counter to come to room temperature for about an hour or two before serving (depending on how cold your freezer is). Enjoy!

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    Crystal — June 18, 2014 @ 9:54 pm

    The ingredients dont call for cinnamon, but in the directions it says add cinnamon. Could you tell me how much?

    • Erica — June 19th, 2014 @ 10:45 pm

      Just realized that I accidentally included the cinnamon in the recipe instructions because I actually omitted it in my version. If you would like to add some cinnamon, use 1/2 tsp! Enjoy the bread!!

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    Anne — June 19, 2014 @ 12:43 am

    This is amazing! I substituted the brown sugar with coconut sugar…& used gluten free flour….delicious! Also added a couple of butterscotch chips to the top…just came out of oven! Yummy!! Thank you for this recipe!

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    Anita — June 19, 2014 @ 7:50 pm

    How much cinnamon is to be used in the recipe? The amount isn’t given in the ingredient list.

    • Erica — June 19th, 2014 @ 10:44 pm

      Sorry about that! I actually chose to omit the cinnamon, but was adapting the recipe from an original source that included it so the ingredient snuck into the list for the recipe instructions. If you want to include cinnamon, the original recipe recommends 1/2 tsp. Enjoy!!

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    Whitney M — June 23, 2014 @ 3:20 pm

    Hello there, just wanted to say that this bread is delicious!! My boyfriend has been eating big chunks of it for breakfast. It is perfectly moist without being under cooked. And the dark chocolate was definitely what it needed :)

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    Allie — July 7, 2014 @ 8:54 pm

    Wow!! You knocked it out of the park with those mini-chips on top of the loaf… brilliant. I also loved this recipe from Deb… she can do no wrong :)

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    Gemma — July 8, 2014 @ 9:59 pm

    I saw this on Foodgawker and almost fell off my chair! It looks so luscious and delicious! <3

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    jenn — July 14, 2014 @ 12:08 pm

    love love love this recipe! how do you get it out of the pan without destroying the top level of chocolate chips!

    • Erica — July 15th, 2014 @ 1:44 am

      I think there weren’t as many chips near the edges so I was able to pry it out safely since we used plenty of non-stick spray too :)

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    mike viehl — July 17, 2014 @ 5:26 pm

    i omit sugar,cinnamon andthe sifting and butter
    i do 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce and 1 cup greek yogurt added.
    comes out great
    also 60 percent cacao chips mixed into batter
    the bananas are sweet enough as well as the applsauce

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    mike viehl — July 17, 2014 @ 5:28 pm

    also walnuts added is great

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    rebecca — August 2, 2014 @ 11:20 pm

    I’m making this tomorrow morning but I am substituting peanut butter chips for the semisweets….

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    rebecca — August 3, 2014 @ 6:39 pm

    Peanut butter chip substitute equals Ah.Maze.Ing!!!!

    • Erica — August 4th, 2014 @ 2:42 pm

      I am not surprised – what a great idea!!

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    AlBa — August 12, 2014 @ 3:00 am

    This was so delicious, i made it and took it to work, everybody loved it.
    But since I was out of cacao, I used Nesquik, and it was really good!

    It’s also very good with peanut butter on top with a glass of milk

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    Trisha — August 15, 2014 @ 12:27 pm

    This was to die for! We ate it all with in a couple hours. I’m wondering if you could sub zuchine for the bananas? Would I need to add a little more flour? Maybe you can email me and let me know:) thanks! Ctn_mcgary@yah..

    • Erica — August 15th, 2014 @ 2:22 pm

      Hmmm I’m not sure! I don’t have a lot of experience with baking with zucchini so I can’t say exactly what I would recommend adjusting. Let me know if you try it though!

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    Kim — August 29, 2014 @ 11:25 am

    I have a TON of bananas to use up and always crave chocolate. This recipe was perfect. I subbed gluten free flour, added another 1/4 c of cocoa and an extra egg. I made muffins and frosted them with Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting since chocolate chips are pretty scarce here in Africa. Total satisfaction! Thanks!

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    Brittany — October 1, 2014 @ 9:26 pm

    Wow!! Can’t wait to make this!! Is the recipe easily doubled? If so, what do you suggest on the baking time?

    • Erica — October 1st, 2014 @ 9:43 pm

      If you double it I’d just put it in 2 different pans and bake them at the same time for the 55-65 minutes. Good luck!

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    Kim — October 4, 2014 @ 12:31 pm

    can this be adapted to an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square cake instead of loaves and how would that affect the baking time?

    • Erica — October 4th, 2014 @ 8:34 pm

      I’m not sure exactly, but I imagine the baking time would be a lot shorter. Try testing it at 25 minutes maybe and see if the cake tester comes out clean? If not, keep baking at 5-10 min intervals to see when it’s done. Sorry not to have a more definitive answer!

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    Donna Kuhn — October 27, 2014 @ 9:13 am

    I made this in a four mini loaf pan and it turned out fabulous. Baked it for 30-35 minutes. This is now one of my favorite Banana Bread Recipes.

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    Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents — November 6, 2014 @ 2:04 pm

    This was fabulous!!! I used white wheat flour with great results. I didn’t sprinkle the top with chips but I should have. :-)

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    Sara — November 23, 2014 @ 11:56 am

    Is the cocoa powder supposed to be unsweetened??

    • Erica — November 23rd, 2014 @ 12:50 pm

      Yes, I prefer unsweetened and the sugar is added anyway. Enjoy!

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    Ms. Ramos — November 23, 2014 @ 11:11 pm

    I made this this for a BBQ for some friends and they all loved it. It was so rich and moist, not overly sweet. Would make it again and again, it’s that good. Make it you won’t regret it.

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    Brie — December 14, 2014 @ 11:59 am

    Have to say, just made this for my holiday gift giving and “YUM!!!” Like beyond. Thank you for the recipe.

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    Frederique — December 19, 2014 @ 3:53 pm

    I want to make this for my dad’s birthday in a few days but I don’t know where I can get vanilla extract and it isn’t available at the supermarkets so is vanilla sugar also good if I use it instead of the 3/4 cup of brown sugar?

    • Erica — December 19th, 2014 @ 4:37 pm

      I would just omit the vanilla and still use brown sugar. I think it’ll still taste great!

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    Queenie' — January 7, 2015 @ 10:59 pm

    I just made this recipe and it’s incredibly YUMMY! Nice & moist! than you for sharing your recipe.

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    despina — February 21, 2015 @ 9:00 am

    I have made this twice now, definitely my favourite chocolate cake recipe, very moist, definitely one of the best recipes I have ever used. I also put chocolate ganach on the too!
    Thanks so much for a fabulous recipe :)

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    Stephanie — March 2, 2015 @ 5:43 pm

    I have a ton of ripe bananas that I froze because they were too soft to eat. Can I use them? Just thaw them out? Thank you!

    • Erica — March 2nd, 2015 @ 10:18 pm

      Yes that’ll work great! Enjoy :)

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    Mariana — March 4, 2015 @ 2:00 pm

    Absolutely amazing!

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    Vanessa — March 5, 2015 @ 7:34 am

    OMG doble chocolate it’s heaven! I will just try to make it a bit healthier by replacing the sugar for nectar http://www.tiana-coconut.com/products/coconut-superfoods/coconut-nectar-sugar-substitute/ and maybe 20% of the flour for this http://www.tiana-coconut.com/products/coconut-superfoods/gluten-free-coconut-flour/ and hope that it will work, let’s see… Thanks you for this amazing recipe.

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    Elina — March 8, 2015 @ 1:13 am

    How these little chocolate chips did’t melt after 55 min being in oven?

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    Frannie — March 11, 2015 @ 12:04 am

    I’m baking up your recipe tonight, but serving tomorrow night to my better half as a surprise dessert. Loving how easy it was to put it all together since I had most of the ingredients at hand. Can’t wait for the raving reviews tomorrow!

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    Erica — March 11, 2015 @ 9:21 pm

    The do melt a bit, but not completely, and then they harden a bit after the bread cools.

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    Karen — March 11, 2015 @ 10:08 pm

    What is the breakdown is calories, fat and sugar content, I didn’t see it.

    Thank you!

    • Erica — March 11th, 2015 @ 10:15 pm

      Sorry but I don’t calculate that information for my recipes, you’ll have to use an online calculator or something to figure it out.

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    Aless — March 12, 2015 @ 2:05 pm

    i have his banana bread still in the oven and it takes more time actually but my question is how to take the bread out from the pan without destroying the top with chocolate chips…

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    Aless — March 12, 2015 @ 2:27 pm

    Actually it Was easy i found a way

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    Matea — March 13, 2015 @ 2:33 pm

    Whoah! And I thought adding a few chocolate chips to banana bread was a good idea. But this, *this* is amazing!! I have to make this next time! :)

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    mama spins — March 15, 2015 @ 3:21 pm

    Thanks for sharing this great go to recipe! I will try applesauce and cinnamon next time. I would recommend a parchment sling as the chips on top were still soft after ten minutes. Thank again. I will check back here for more great recipes!

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    Linda — March 15, 2015 @ 9:12 pm

    LOVE this. The house smelled amazing and it’s so deliciously moist. I didn’t have the Special Dark…but will definitely get some and use it next time. Oh, yes…there WILL be a next time!!

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    esme — March 18, 2015 @ 3:23 am

    Can the butter be substituted with olive oil as I am dairy intolerant.

    • Erica — March 18th, 2015 @ 7:47 am

      I don’t think olive oil is the best substitute, but what about a vegan butter like Earth Balance?

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    Eden — March 21, 2015 @ 2:33 pm

    Erica, thank you SO much for this recipe!!
    I love bananas, so do my kids & so does my husband. Yet somehow we ALWAYS have at least 3-4 bananas brown bananas sitting on my counter. So I am always making banana bread/muffins. I get bored with using the same recipe over & over. I have not made the same banana bread twice in about 4 years. That is, until I came across THIS recipe. The first time I saw it I knew I would love it. Then I tasted it & thought it was surely the best banana recipe in the world. A couple of weeks later when I went to look up a new banana bread recipe, I couldn’t get this recipe off my mind, so I just made it again. And then again… And AGAIN…
    My fifth batch is sitting on my counter right now. I am going to try to bake this recipe as muffins & send them to work with my husband. :)
    Thank you again!

    Also, for the comment above… Maybe try Coconut Oil as a substitute for the butter. I used to be vegan & I would make all sorts of recipes using that as a substitute. Or you could use vegetable oil because it’s got such a mild flavor & won’t change the taste of the bread.

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    Erin — March 29, 2015 @ 9:30 am

    I just made this yesterday, and it turned out delicious! I think it is even better the next day :) I had to bake mine for the full 65 minutes, but it is still super moist.

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    Ashley — May 10, 2015 @ 9:43 pm

    This recipe is BOMB. Seriously. No mixer required, not a million cups of flour necessary (I always get flour everywhere), and very straightforward! Instead of the 1 cup choco chips, I did 1/3 of butterscotch chips, dark choco chunks, and semi sweet chips. AND added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. I’m in love, thank you. It made about 16 muffins.

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    Kayla — May 17, 2015 @ 10:17 am

    I made this but I used Nestlé’s cocoa powder and substituted over ripe plantains in place of the bananas. I also omitted the chocolate in the recipe for 6 ounces of Kraft bakers German sweet chocolate. I used 2 bars and used the rest on top in place of the mini chips with chopped walnut pieces. It tastes amazing. I know I completely reworked it but I definitely love the taste though mines may be a but drier due to the plantain substitute. Thanks for posting this…I love chocolate and bananas so this was heaven for me.

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    Bonnie — June 30, 2015 @ 4:43 pm

    We love this! Our favorite treat! My kids 7 and 9 have a blast helping me make it! Thanks for sharing.

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    sudhakar — July 20, 2015 @ 4:53 pm

    I saw the picture of this cake on Pinterest and had to hunt it down. It looks absolutely luscious.

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    Jackie — September 3, 2015 @ 2:38 pm

    Yummmm! I did this with the cinnamon, but also added an 1/8 tsp of nutmeg And a pinch of cayenne pepper which leaves a nice warm feeling in your mouth.

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    Joy — October 14, 2015 @ 4:20 pm

    First had this at Sarah’s house at a brunch, I purchased the ingredients & made 2 of them! So very yummy, moist, & great with coffee!

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    Tamara Moshier — October 27, 2015 @ 10:47 am

    I HAVE MADE THIS MANY MANY TIMES. IT IS THE BEST EVER … My grandkids , husband , friends think this is the best ever ….. YUMMY

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    MomTom — November 16, 2015 @ 5:18 pm

    I had 16 bananas leftover from a sporting event and after a few days there were gnats flying around my house. I decided to find several banana recipes to try and spent all day Friday baking banana bars, banana breakfast cookies, banana cake and finally this deliciousness. Although the other recipes turned out great this was the showstopper. This bread was super moist and decadent! My girls and I finished the whole loaf in two days.( Does 6pm Friday to 9am Saturday count as 2 days?) As this was my last recipe I only had about half a cup of brown sugar left so that’s all I used. Also I used all white whole wheat flour and left everything else as written. Baked for 60 min and wished I had used all my bananas for this. Thanks for this new addition to my regular baking list.

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    Charlotte — November 22, 2015 @ 12:45 pm

    Made this recipe yesterday and it was SO moist and delicious! I went by the recipe exactly except I added 1/3 cup chia seeds to the batter. This will be my go to banana bread recipe from now on. Thank you for this awesome recipe!

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    jesika — April 8, 2016 @ 8:29 pm

    Was looking for a recipe for my brown bananas, this was amazing! I did muffins for shorter cooking time, made 18 muffins. I baked them at 375 for about 17 minutes – perfect! Thanks

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    JenS — April 16, 2016 @ 4:29 pm

    I made this today. It was easy and looks beautiful. As I was slicing to take to a party I was thinking how odd that there was no sugar in the recipe…. Of course you know where this is going. I forgot to add the 3/4c sugar…. :-( So dumb!!!!! Anyway, I can say it still tastes ok with no sugar at all. My bananas were really ripe and sweet. Strong cocoa taste. I will definitely make this again properly. It looks gorgeous. High points for presentation.

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    Astha — May 29, 2016 @ 3:35 am

    I Can I substitute egg for sumthing else…?.

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    Angelica — August 11, 2016 @ 4:06 pm

    Holy moly!!! His recipe is literally perfection. I made this today and I can’t stop eating it…no joke, I’ve had four pieces in the last 10 minutes. I used an 8×8 pan and baked for approx. 45 mins. I’ll be buying extra bananas from now on just so I can make this recipe!

    Note: I used 4 bananas and slightly under baked, so they came out a little more like brownies – omg, yum!!!

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    Rachel — November 1, 2016 @ 1:10 am

    I have made this twice already and it was perfect! To make it more healthier I substituted half of the butter with apple sauce and the texture was just right! I added one more egg and omitted the chocolate chips on the top, but did add a cup of semi sweet chips in the batter. It took me 1 hour in the oven and was simply delicious! This is my go to recipe whenever I have extra bananas lying around!!

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    Terry — January 8, 2019 @ 1:02 am

    I put this recipe in weight watchers recipe maker and if you can squeeze 24 servings out of this it is 5 WW points per serving. ?

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    Patricia — February 14, 2020 @ 6:53 pm

    I cannot believe how soft and fluffy this cake is. I can’t believe it! The only thing I did different was beat the eggs and banana before adding flours, use coconut sugar instead of brown, and cut the chocolate chips down to half a cup. Tastes like a really good, high end cake. Will definitely make again!

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