Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread is sure to quickly become a new favorite. The chocolate and cherry combination is the perfect complement to this tasty banana bread recipe. Exceptionally moist and tender, you won’t be able to stop at just one slice!

Our cherry tree was LOADED this year. I spent the better part of Memorial Day weekend picking cherries and there are still more to go… I’m about ready to just give up and let the birds at ’em.

Every year I try to come up with new ways to use our cherries. Fritters, ice cream, smoothies…all excellent ways to get through our crop. The boys would make themselves sick (and have…) eating dozens of cherries at a time. They can be a bit hard to resist. Bright red, super juicy, and just perfect sweet…no one can deny that fresh cherries are a real treat.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Banana Bread

I was gone for several days last week and arrived home late Saturday night to a whole bunch of ripe bananas. After picking bowls and bowls and more bowls of cherries I finally put the two together and came up with this gorgeous Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread.

I tweaked my favorite banana bread recipe and replaced some of the butter with Greek yogurt. If anything, this bread is even more moist and delicious than the original.

I never get tired of trying new types of banana bread and thankfully – neither does my family. It seems like each loaf is better than the last is this one is no exception.

Dried Cherry Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I used fresh cherries, because, well, I’ve got LOADS of them right now 🙂 But you could easily substitute frozen cherries. Just thaw and pat dry with a paper towel before chopping. I quartered some cherries and halved others. When I make this again, I think I will just halve the cherries because there is just something amazing about getting a big bite of cherry when enjoying this bread.

Calories: 332 kcal | Carbohydrates: 50 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 8 g | Cholesterol: 37 mg | Sodium: 372 mg | Potassium: 293 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 31 g | Vitamin A: 239 IU | Vitamin C: 3 mg | Calcium: 57 mg | Iron: 2 mgCan we talk about the elephant in the room for a moment? Banana bread. Why is it called a bread? Why in fact are all quick breads not called quick cakes? It’s the Emperor’s New Clothing of the culinary world. I’m not complaining, necessarily. Just one of those curious questions that I suppose some research would provide an actual answer to, but I was hoping one of you might know, and save me some time. Now, let’s talk about this Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread that is really a cake.

We went on a quick trip to Vergennes, VT a few weeks ago, and part of prepping for any road trip is packing a snack bag. Since this was a morning departure, I wanted to include something breakfasty. My usual banana bread recipe requires three very ripe bananas. All I had was one on the counter, and not even a stash in the freezer to my surprise. I decided to make a banana bread-inspired quick bread.

Vegan Banana Bread With Cherry Choc Swirl Recipe — The Vegan Chef School

The thing about bananas is they infuse anything they touch with flavor, so just one would be enough to qualify it as a banana bread in my book. In an effort to clean out the fridge, I found some sweet bing cherries, too. Not a usual companion in banana bread, but I can’t imagine a banana split without a cherry on top, so this felt like it could work by a big stretch of the imagination. And that’s how the chocolate entered the recipe, too.

After mixing everything, scraping it into the pan, and popping it in the oven, I wondered if I should’ve gone further with the banana split theme. Next time I might add some chopped walnuts, but really the bread (cake, whatever…) was wonderful as it’s presented here. I thought the kids would rebel over this version of banana bread, but they loved it.

I used a mix of sweet and sour cherries since I had some of each in the fridge. Use what you have, or can get your hands on. I wanted them to be bold, and cut them in half. Feel free to chop them finer if you prefer the cherries spread out more evenly throughout your cake (said in my best Mary Berry voice). Lightly toasted, the chocolate gets a little gooey, quite reminiscent of hot fudge on a sundae.

Recipe: Chocolate And Cherry Banana Bread

One last note—if you don’t have molasses, but do have brown sugar on hand, then swap that in for the cane sugar listed in the recipe. In case you didn’t realize it, brown sugar is simply regular sugar mixed with molasses (read more here, and learn how to make your own).

You know, it’s odd writing a post like this, compared to my last one. I’m constantly finding a way to balance everything in my life, and these pages are where it all gets unpacked. Sometimes I’m so conflicted with this space. Is it a place for sharing recipes, stories about parenting, honest reflections on my life as a widow?

I know the answer is all of the above, but I always wonder how you as readers feel about the mixing of it all. I know deep down that if you just wanted a recipe you could go any place else (though whether they’re good, well-tested recipes is another story). I guess what I really want to say is thank you for sticking with me all these years. I’ve become more a solitary creature of late, letting my inner introvert take over. The way writing here, here, and here allows me to connect to people from all walks of life is something I cherish, and never take for granted. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xo-Jennie

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread With Cherries — Wanderings In My Kitchen

This recipe is now part of my new site, Simmering. Join thousands of other subscribers now for only $5/month or $30/year (that’s six months free!)

The thing about bananas is they infuse anything they touch with flavor, so just one would be enough to qualify it as a banana bread in my book. In an effort to clean out the fridge, I found some sweet bing cherries, too. Not a usual companion in banana bread, but I can’t imagine a banana split without a cherry on top, so this felt like it could work by a big stretch of the imagination. And that’s how the chocolate entered the recipe, too.

After mixing everything, scraping it into the pan, and popping it in the oven, I wondered if I should’ve gone further with the banana split theme. Next time I might add some chopped walnuts, but really the bread (cake, whatever…) was wonderful as it’s presented here. I thought the kids would rebel over this version of banana bread, but they loved it.

I used a mix of sweet and sour cherries since I had some of each in the fridge. Use what you have, or can get your hands on. I wanted them to be bold, and cut them in half. Feel free to chop them finer if you prefer the cherries spread out more evenly throughout your cake (said in my best Mary Berry voice). Lightly toasted, the chocolate gets a little gooey, quite reminiscent of hot fudge on a sundae.

Recipe: Chocolate And Cherry Banana Bread

One last note—if you don’t have molasses, but do have brown sugar on hand, then swap that in for the cane sugar listed in the recipe. In case you didn’t realize it, brown sugar is simply regular sugar mixed with molasses (read more here, and learn how to make your own).

You know, it’s odd writing a post like this, compared to my last one. I’m constantly finding a way to balance everything in my life, and these pages are where it all gets unpacked. Sometimes I’m so conflicted with this space. Is it a place for sharing recipes, stories about parenting, honest reflections on my life as a widow?

I know the answer is all of the above, but I always wonder how you as readers feel about the mixing of it all. I know deep down that if you just wanted a recipe you could go any place else (though whether they’re good, well-tested recipes is another story). I guess what I really want to say is thank you for sticking with me all these years. I’ve become more a solitary creature of late, letting my inner introvert take over. The way writing here, here, and here allows me to connect to people from all walks of life is something I cherish, and never take for granted. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xo-Jennie

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread With Cherries — Wanderings In My Kitchen

This recipe is now part of my new site, Simmering. Join thousands of other subscribers now for only $5/month or $30/year (that’s six months free!)