Red Currant Bakery

Banana Bread Batter
0 Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
2 Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder and hot water into a small bowl and stir together until smooth.
3 In a medium mixing bowl add in the melted butter, brown sugar, bloomed cocoa powder and espresso powder, salt, and vanilla. Whisk briefly until smooth.
4 Add in the 3 soft bananas (should be approximately 350 grams), use the whisk to smoosh them into the butter and sugar. Crack in both eggs and add in the greek yogurt. Whisk again briefly just until smooth.
5 Pour in the flour and then the baking soda on top and give it a brief whisk just to incorporate the baking soda. There should still be plenty of dry flour visible on the surface.
6 Peel and chop the last banana into 1/2" chunks. Add the chocolate chips and banana chunks on top of the flour.
7 Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients and add-ins into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Bake
9 If using this USA pan, pour the batter straight into the pan. If using a different metal loaf pan, prep the pan with a baking spray including flour or parchment paper.
10 Bake the loaf on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top is firm when gently pressed on.
11 Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for 45 minutes to an hour.
12 After it feels cool to the touch, tip the loaf out of the pan and set on a parchment lined wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes before topping with the chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
14 If topping with chocolate ganache, add the chopped chocolate into a medium heat safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a pot or the microwave until just steaming hot, not boiling.
15 Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, cover with a lid and let it sit for 1 minute. After a minute has passed, remove the lid and whisk slowly until smooth.
16 Pour the smooth ganache over the top of the cooled loaf and if you can, let it set. But also feel free to cut into it immediately.
17 Store leftover in an airtight container at room temperature.