choco-hazelnut swirl banana bread
Yield: 1 8- by 5-inch loaf
Ingredients:
choco-hazelnut sauce
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 tablespoon dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
a pinch of salt
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Make the choco-hazelnut sauce: In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients until it all comes together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Whisk in the butter, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients except for the cocoa powder. Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet and fold until the last streak of flour disappears.
Transfer 1 cup of the batter and 1/4 cup of the choco-hazelnut sauce to a medium bowl. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined.
Fold the chopped hazelnuts into the yellow batter. Pour 1/3 of the yellow batter into the loaf pan. Spoon 1/3 of the choco-hazelnut batter into the loaf pan. Continue alternating until no batter is left. Using a chopstick, swirl the batter together to create a marbling effect.
Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a moist crumb or two. Let sit on the counter for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. Serve with flakey salt and extra choco-hazelnut sauce.
