Marbled Banana Bread
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With a gorgeous ribbon of chocolate running through it, this marbled banana bread is as impressive as it is delicious.
I haven’t been shy about offering up banana bread recipes on this site (pick your flavor: chai-spiced banana bread, chocolate banana bread, or coconut banana bread) but this one is such a beauty, I couldn’t resist adding one more. Tender and sweet with a gorgeous ribbon of melted chocolate running through it, marbled banana bread is as impressive looking as it is delicious. Plus, it’s fun to make: you spoon the banana and chocolate batters into a loaf pan alternately, then artistically swirl the two together with a knife.
Table of Contents
“I am pretty sure that my kids beg me to buy bananas at the grocery store, only to let them go brown, so that I have to make this banana bread. So delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Marbled Banana Bread
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, baking soda and salt.
Whisk to combine.
Set aside, then cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Beating well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat on low speed to combine.
Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Place the chopped chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave in short intervals, stirring in between so the chocolate doesn’t scorch, until the chocolate is almost melted. Stir, letting the residual heat melt the chocolate completely, then stir in the cocoa powder.
Add one cup of the batter to the melted chocolate.
Stir until well combined.
Spoon the two batters alternately into a greased loaf pan.
Then swirl with a knife. Don’t over-swirl or the colors will get muddled—four or five times up and back should do it.
Bake for about an hour and ten minutes.
Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for about ten minutes, then remove and cool completely.
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Marbled Banana Bread
With a gorgeous ribbon of chocolate running through it, this marbled banana bread is as impressive as it is delicious.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (a heaping ½ cup)
- 2 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan generously with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high power in 20 second intervals, stopping to stir in between, until about 80% melted. Stir until smooth, letting the residual heat in the bowl melt the remaining bits of unmelted chocolate. Add the cocoa powder and stir until dissolved. Add one cup of the banana bread batter to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined.
- Spoon the plain batter and chocolate batter alternately into the prepared loaf pan. Swirl the batters together with a knife (don't overdo it or the colors will get muddled -- up and back 4 to 5 times should suffice). Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and set on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 276g
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Sugar: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 246mg
- Cholesterol: 56mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Great recipe! I had a slight bit of burning along the edges so I’ll decrease my time next time by a few minutes. Just wondering, whenever I’ve seen recipes before for banana bread, they always involve using parchment paper. Is there a particular reason why you prefer to grease the pan instead? Would this help with preventing burning on the edges? I have a gas stove if that makes any difference.
Hi Andrea, glad you like this but sorry to hear it got a little burnt along the edges. Did you by any chance use a glass loaf pan? If so, glass conducts heat more efficiently than metal so if you see the edges starting to brown before the center is done next time, you could reduce the heat by 25°F. I don’t think the burning is a result of greasing the pan, but if you’d prefer to try it with parchment, that would be fine too. Hope that helps!
Hi,
I just discovered your recipes three days ago and have already made six of them! They’ve been foolproof until tonight, so thank you very much.
I just made the marbled banana bread and it’s delicious. My marbling want great but I’m sure I’ll do better next time. My sad and puzzling problem was that almost right out of the gate, the bread smelled like it was burning in the oven. I didn’t think much of it because it was the right size pan in an accurate oven, so I figured it was a drip or something. Lo and behold, when I pulled it out some five to ten minutes early, it was burned on all sides but the top. I sliced it all of and what was left was scrumptious but I’m so ☹️. I double checked everything, the middle rack, the pan size, the oven setting. I’d love to make this again as gifts but only if I can prevent it from burning. The three cookie recipes and pumpkin bread all came out perfectly. ( I’ve been baking up a storm since the night before last, as I like your chatty recipes.)
So glad you’ve enjoyed what you’ve made so far but sorry to hear you had a problem with this one! Did you use a glass or dark metal loaf pan? Both glass and dark metal conduct heat more than light metal and can cause the outsides of a loaf to cook before the remainder of the bread. It is strange though that you started smelling a burning smell so early into baking!
Another winner! Deceptively easy and so delicious!
This is very very similar to Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread from Cooking Light magazine Sept 2003. You really should site it. The only reason I noticed is it is a family favorite We have made for years. I think you just switched out the yogurt for sour cream. Love your site.
Hi Sharon, I think it’s really important to give attribution to another website/chef if I’ve done a “riff” or have tweaked their recipe in some way to make it my own but in this case, any similarities are purely coincidental. Thanks for pointing it out though as I would want someone to do the same for me (and so glad you enjoy the recipes)! 🙂
I love this recipe but I have a question. It calls for a 9 X 5 loaf pan. I looked up the volume for a pan that size and it says it holds 8 cups(2 quarts) . Since most glass loaf pans hold only 1.5 quarts can I use the 1.5 qt. pan for this recipe?
Unfortunately, I don’t think the batter will fit in a 1.5-quart pan.
This was delicious and so beautiful! Thanks for another great recipe!
This banana bread was delicious! I would not change a thing, perfect as is. Moist and very flavorful! My friends all asked for the recipe 😊
Second time making this recipe. It was a hit first time around and gone within hours!
Hello! Can you make this marbled banana bread in a bundt pan?
Sure, Julie, that should work. Hope you enjoy!
I’d cut back on the sour cream in this recipe. The flavor of it overpowers the banana.
Great recipe, had no chocolate, and just substituted it with 1 tablespoon instead of 1 teasoopn cocoa powder, worked out fine 🙂
Are the metric measurements accurate? Sorry from the UK! Thank you
Yes, Ellie, they should be accurate. Hope you enjoy!