Marble Banana Bread

4.98 from 44 ratings

This marble banana bread bakes up moist and tender and is topped with chocolate chip streusel and a chocolate ganache drizzle.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Additional Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Bread & Cinnamon Rolls

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 751kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 65g
1/2 cup roughly chopped chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips 85g
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 50g
3 Tbsp granulated sugar 40g
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 56g

Marble Banana Bread

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 56g
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 56g
1 large egg plus one large egg white, room temp 86g
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 160g
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 120g
1 cup mashed bananas, about 2 large bananas 250g
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 25g
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 30g

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

1/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate 60g
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 80g

Instructions

Chocolate Chip Streusel Topping

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup roughly chopped chocolate chips, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Pour 1/4 cup of melted and cooled butter into the dry ingredients and gently stir together with a fork to make some nice, big crumbles. You should end up with a bowl of what looks like wet sand with some pea-sized chunks. Be careful not to over-mix! You want to leave some of those buttery chunks intact. Set aside.

Marble Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C and grease an 8.5 in x 4.5 in loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter and line with a sling of parchment paper.
Add 1/4 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a large bowl. Beat on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes with either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat until the mixture becomes lighter in color and looks fluffier.
Mix in 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 large, whole egg + 1 egg white on a medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Add 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix on a low speed until just combined. Pour in 1/2 cup of buttermilk and mix on a low speed until incorporated.
Mash 2 large, overripe bananas and mix 1 cup of mashed bananas into the batter on a low speed until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between two bowls (about 400g per bowl). Mix 1/4 cup of cocoa powder into one bowl, and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour into the other bowl. Stir until just combined.
Alternate spoonfuls of regular and chocolate batter into the prepared pan, then gently swirl the batter together with a butter knife. Cover the top of the batter with an even layer of chocolate chip streusel.
Bake on the middle baking rack for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pan halfway through to make sure it bakes evenly. If you notice the streusel on top of the loaf is over-browning when you rotate it, cover the loaf pan with a foil tent to prevent it from over-browning.

Chocolate Ganache Drizzle

While the banana bread bakes and cools, make the chocolate ganache. Place 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
Heat 1/3 cup heavy cream in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, until it's steaming and just starting to bubble. If you don’t have a microwave or prefer to use the stovetop, heat the cream over medium heat in a pan until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat.
Gently pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is fully covered by the cream. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes.
Stir the mixture together until the cream and chocolate are combined and the mixture is smooth. If you make this in advance, it can be refrigerated for up to a month. Heat it in the microwave in 5-10 second intervals, stirring between until it reaches a more fluid consistency.

Decorating This Marble Banana Bread

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then carefully lift the loaf out of the pan with the parchment paper sling and place it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Drizzle with warm chocolate ganache, then enjoy!

Video

Notes

Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions

For a detailed list of ingredient swaps and substitutions that can be made in each component of this recipe, please refer to the "swaps and substitutions" section above.

Tips for Making the Best Marble Banana Bread

Line the bread pan with a parchment paper sling so that you can easily remove the banana bread once it's baked without messing up the streusel topping.
Use super-ripe bananas! If you don't have any on hand, see my tip above on how to quickly ripen your bananas in the oven.
Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Ingredients at room temp mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
DO NOT OVER-MIX THE BATTER! It can make your banana bread dense and chewy. Once you start to mix in the flour, mix the batter JUST until it's combined.

Making This Marble Banana Bread in Advance & Storage Tips

You can make this marble banana bread in advance! It can last for a few days at room temperature, up to a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer. Store the banana bread in an airtight container to keep it moist.

If you plan to immediately freeze it, I recommend waiting to make the glaze until you thaw it and plan to eat it.

This banana bread freezes extremely well, so don't be afraid to make a double batch and freeze one for later! I like to wrap the banana bread in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil to lock in all the moisture.

When I'm ready to enjoy one of the frozen loaves, I move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Then I set it out at room temperature to let it thaw for a few hours before adding the glaze.

Different Batch Sizes

This recipe can be doubled to make two loaves.

This recipe can also be used to make marble banana bread muffins. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake at 350 F / 175 C for 15-20 minutes (bake time will vary based on the size of your liners & pan).

Nutrition