Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

A classic, simple and moist chocolate chip banana bread.

Makes the perfect breakfast or snack.

I have tried many different banana bread recipes over the years. Various versions from a healthy oatmeal version to a Nutella filled one and a bunch of others in between. However, I keep coming back to this recipe. It is one I have been making for a as long as I can remember. It is adapted from an old newspaper clipping that still lives in my mom’s recipe binder. When I was younger my mom and I used to make the original version together - until one day I accidentally read the ingredients wrong and this new and improved version was born. The bread is incredibly moist and has just the right amount of sweetness. It bakes up beautifully as both a loaf or muffins and I have included the bake time for both below. The recipe is incredibly versatile, freezes well and doubles perfectly! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Banana Muffins or Banana Bread?

I have made this recipe multiple times as muffins and as banana bread. Both are equally delicious and moist. Muffins are the perfect grab and go snack. I have included the directions and bake time below for both muffins and banana bread - so you can make whatever version works best for you!

How to Freeze Banana Bread

This recipe for banana bread freezes well. The banana bread will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. For the muffins, I recommend freezing in a zip lock bag. You can grab muffins as needed and let them defrost before enjoying.

For the loaves - I recommend wrapping them first in plastic wrap, followed by tin foil. Allow them to defrost completely before cutting and enjoy as usual.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Yield: 24 muffins or two 8 inch loaves
Time: Prep 20 minutes, Bake 24 minutes (muffins) or 45-60 minutes (loaf)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3 large ripe bananas

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 sour cream or plain greek yogurt

1/2 - 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or grease and flour two 8 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (approx. 3 mins). Beat in bananas. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl in between each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, until just combined - do not over mix. Stir in sour cream until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

For muffins: Spoon batter into muffin liners, filling each 2/3rds of the way full. Bake for 24 mins or until tooth pick inserted into centre comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For loaves: Evenly divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into centre comes out clean. If after 45-50 minutes the top is brown but the middle is still undercooked, cover with tin foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Champagne Cake

This bubbly, bright and beautiful cake is sure to delight any (champagne) lover. This layered cake highlights the classic pairing of strawberries and champagne.

This cake is so me! I love all things pink and who can’t resist a glass of bubbly?? I love everything from the pink frosting to the chocolate covered strawberries and sprinkle medley. This cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day! It would also make for the perfect centrepiece for a Galentine’s Day Brunch. The fresh strawberries paired with the effervescent Champagne make for one delicious cake.

The champagne and strawberries pair so well together… it’s no wonder they are a classic pairing! While this cake has a few different components - they all come together fairly quick! If you would like to make a few things in advanced the cake layers can be made in advanced and frozen. Just fill and frost as usual from frozen. The layers will thaw out beautifully. The strawberry champagne filling can also be made a day in advanced and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.

The champagne syrup really helps to infuse the cake with champagne flavour. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness and flavour to the cakes, while helping to keep the cake layers nice and moist. It is best to infuse this into the cake while the syrup is still hot. The filling is bright and fresh. The strawberry really shines through. The cake itself is moist and has a wonderful crumb. It shockingly (for me anyways) doesn’t have any butter but is an oil based cake. I love the flavour of it paired with the strawberry champagne filling.

I have a love for tall cakes and this one does not disappoint. It has great height which is perfect for a chocolate ganache drip. I like to use a spoon to add the drips where I want them down the sides of the cake and then go back and fill in the top using an off set spatula. I used a small (375ml) bottle of champagne for this cake. It was the perfect size. I had enough bubbly for the syrup and the filling (and a glass to sip).

Strawberry Champagne Cake

Makes: one 6 inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 ½ c flour

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

4 eggs

2 c sugar

1 c canola oil   

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

Champagne Syrup

½ c champagne

2 tbsp sugar

Strawberry Champagne Filling

1 ½  c strawberries, diced

½ c champagne

½ c water

½ c sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups icing sugar

2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract

1-3 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Red Gel Food Colouring

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

4-6 Strawberries

½ c white chocolate chips, melted

sprinkles (optional)

White Chocolate Glaze

½ c white chocolate chips

¼ c heavy cream

Directions

For the cake: Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6 inch cake pans, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium speed beat together eggs and sugar. The mixture should lighten in colour and increase in volume. Continue mixing until very light in colour and almost tripled in volume (about 5 minutes). With the mixer on low-medium speed, continuously add the oil, mix until just combined.  

Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk and vanilla, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined, do not over mix. Evenly pour batter between the three prepared pans. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Champagne Syrup: In a small saucepan, over medium heat combine champagne and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and let reduce by half.

For the Strawberry Champagne Filling: In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine strawberries, champagne, water and sugar. Stir occasionally. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until smooth. Bring mixture back to a boil and whisk in corn starch. Allow filling to cool completely before use.

For the Buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in icing sugar, one cup at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla & gel food colouring. Optional - beat in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

For the Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip strawberries in white chocolate and place on parchment paper. Top with sprinkles if using. Let chocolate set completely before using.

For the Chocolate Ganache: Heat heavy cream until almost boiling (about 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave). Pour over chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

To Assemble: Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip with buttercream. Place one layer of cake on your cake board or serving dish. Brush cake layer with hot champagne syrup. Pipe a ring or dam of frosting around cake layer. Fill with strawberry champagne filling. Top with cake layer and continue to fill and stack cake. Once the last cake layer is placed, chill cake in fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow cake to set. Apply a crumb coat of frosting and allow cake to chill for another 10-15 minutes. Frost cake as desired. Top cake with white chocolate ganache and chocolate covered strawberries.

Double Chocolate Donuts

Baked Heart Shaped Chocolate Donuts with a Chocolate Glaze and a medley of Valentine’s Day Sprinkles.

I had so much fun making these baked double chocolate donuts. There were little heart sprinkles ALL over my kitchen… but what else is new? Ha. I bought my heart shaped donut pan a few years ago on sale after Valentine’s Day and then left it sitting in my basement for a few years and when I discovered it again earlier this year… thanks to Marie Kondo lol. I knew I that I had to finally use it this Valentine’s Day.

I decided to go with a double chocolate donut because who doesn’t love chocolate? The more chocolate the better in my opinion. As these are baked donuts the texture is more cake-y than your typically fried donut. I decided to keep my glaze thicker - more frosting like, but you can thin it out with extra heavy cream if you prefer a thinner glaze.

I can’t believe I waited so long to make heart shaped donuts. They are super cute and quick to make. I didn’t even have to pull out my KitchenAid Mixer. I mixed these bad boys by hand and piped them into the donut pan. They bake up quickly and look super cute topped with sprinkles!

Double Chocolate Donuts

Makes: 2 Dozen Donuts

Ingredients

For the Donuts

1 ¼  c flour

½ c sugar

¼ c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ c butter, melted

⅛ c canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ c milk

For the Frosting

1 c powdered sugar

2+ tbsp heavy cream

2 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp butter

Sprinkles

Directions

For the Donuts: Pre-heat oven to 350F. Spray donut pan with cooking oil, set aside. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, egg, vanilla and milk. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until combined. Transfer the donut batter to a pipping bag. Pipe batter into donut wells. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together icing sugar and two tablespoons of heavy cream. In a microwave bowl, in 20 second intervals, melt together chocolate and butter, stirring between each interval. Stir melted chocolate into icing sugar mixture. *For a thinner glaze add additional heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Using an off set spatula frost donuts. If using, add sprinkles immediately.