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Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze

Whether served for breakfast or a snack, this lightened up banana bread with chocolate glaze is sure to please. Wonderfully moist with extra nutrition added and lots of chocolate, it is a recipe you will want to put on repeat.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze with a slice cut.

Banana bread is something I make frequently. I buy bananas practically every time I go to the grocery store. A banana and a spoon full of peanut butter or almond butter is my go-to, no fuss breakfast.

Because I buy them so frequently, there are many times they get to that overripe stage before anyone eats them. Then it’s time to make banana bread. I have tried many recipes over the years and there are a lot of good ones out there.

Cooked Bread in loaf pan.

Most recently I made the one on the cover of the current Cooking Light Magazine. You’ve probably seen it. Doesn’t it look to die for? It’s covered with a fabulous, silky chocolate glaze. It’s a lightened up banana bread made with skim milk, lite sour cream, and egg whites. A hefty dose of mashed bananas (1 2/3 cups)  helps keep the bread super moist and filled with wonderful banana flavor.

Lightened Up Banana Bread Recipe

I altered the recipe a little to make it even healthier, subbing out 1 cup of the 2 cups of all-purpose flour for 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup ground flaxseed. I’ve been experimenting adding ground flaxseed to a bunch of different foods. And the results are very good. You can add it to breads, pancakes, waffles, muffins, and smoothies.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze on serving plate.

Ground Flaxseed

If you buy a bag of ground flaxseed, you will want to use it often because ground flaxseeds (whole flaxseeds will keep longer) are very perishable and will only keep for 3-6 months and they should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Simple Chocolate Glaze

I also changed the chocolate glaze. I first made the glaze that the Cooking Light recipe calls for by melting 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate with 2 1/2 tablespoons of half and half, but I didn’t like the way it turned out. It was thick and dull looking, nothing like their picture. I spread it on the bread anyways, but then I made a second batch by melting the same amount of chocolate with just 1 tablespoon of shortening and it made a nice, liquidy chocolate glaze with a brilliant shine. So yes, I ended up with a double batch of chocolate on my banana bread.

Banana getting mashed with a fork.

Use Overripe Bananas

The bananas should be at least as ripe as the bananas in the picture above, preferably riper. Mash them well with a fork and then measure them. You need 1 2/3 cups of mashed banana which is 3 medium to large bananas.

Variations

  • Add nuts if you like. Either walnuts or pecans work really well.
  • Use 2 cups of all-pupose flour instead of a mixture of all-purpose, whole wheat flour and flaxseed.

How To Store

Can be kept at room temperature for 4 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze with a slice cut.

Are you a huge fan of banana bread? You’ll also want to try Triple Chocolate Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread, Funfetti Banana Bread, and Butterscotch Banana Bread .

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze

Whether served for breakfast or a snack, this lightened up banana bread with a chocolate glaze is sure to please. Wonderfully moist with extra nutrition added and lots of chocolate, it is a recipe you will want to put on repeat.
PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 55 minutes
TOTAL: 1 hour 5 minutes
SERVINGS: 16

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 2/3 cups mashed ripe banana, about 3 bananas
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 cup lite sour cream
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon shortening

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  • Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well blended.
  • Add banana, milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Mix until blended.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add flour mixture and vanilla extract to banana mixture, beating just until blended.
  • Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the top feels firm when pressed on. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • For glaze, place chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over bread.

Notes

Can be stored at room temperature for 4 days, in the refrigerator for a week, or frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutritional info is provided as an estimate only and will vary based on brands of products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bananas, chocolate, quick bread

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Originally posted October 6, 2013.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cooking Light

 

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24 thoughts on “Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze”

  1. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker

    I’ll eat a banana bread any day when it has chocolate glaze on top! 🙂 Genius and delicious.

  2. Laura Dembowski

    You make the best looking desserts! I need this banana bread. I buy bananas constantly and eat tons of them, but there are always a few that get too ripe before I can eat them, so banana bread is a great go-to recipe.

  3. Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes

    Ahhh I think I just saw this on Foodgawker – either that or I’m crazy! haha. Love it! The glaze is genius.

  4. I saw that bread on the cover of Cooking light! Yours looks great, and I especially love that you made it whole grain. I used to add ground flaxseed to so many things, but I’ve gotten away from it. I need to start up again because I do love it! I née to do this with my next batch of overripe bananas!

  5. Meghan @ Spoonful of Flour

    This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes ever! Seeing the cover of CL in stores recently has reminded me that I need to make it again!

  6. Ari @ Ari's Menu

    This is probably one of my favorite recipes you’ve posted Christin!! The photos are totally drool-worthy, and don’t even get me started on that glaze!

  7. Amy @ Elephant Eats

    I always add mini chocolate chips to my banana bread, so I know that chocolate and bananas go together really well…but that glaze, oh my! Looks amazing. Is it still ok to eat for breakfast? 😉

  8. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    Oh, how I would love a slice of this bread. What could be better than chocolate drizzle, yum!

  9. haha a double batch of chocolate glaze doesn’t sound so bad : ) This bread looks delicious! I don’t like bananas by themselves but I do for some reason like banana bread! I really like that this uses whole wheat flour and the flaxseed – which I always seem to have an open bag of in my fridge!

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      Ashley- those flaxseed bags seem to be never ending don’t they? I use mine all the time and I never run out!

  10. I love banana bread and this one looks like a winner! It looks super moist! Love how you added whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed too 🙂 And that double chocolate glaze is so mesmerizing and pretty!:)

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      Thanks Kelly! The whole wheat flour and flaxseeds make me feel a little better about the double chocolate glaze 🙂

  11. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs

    Double batch of chocolate sounds great to me! And this bread, oh gosh… so much awesomeness! It looks delicious and I love how you made it healthier. This is on my baking bucket list now 😉

  12. Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen

    Christin, that looks absolutely delicious! I did not know that about flaxseed and mine is not in the refrigerator! Thanks for the tip! I have a huge bag I bought from Costco, so I’m going to check right now. I love Banana Bread, so I’m going to have to try your version!

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      Oh wow! If you bought flaxseeds at Costco it must be a really huge bag! If they are whole seeds I think it is OK not to refrigerate them 🙂

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