Dark chocolate and coffee give this Mocha Banana Bread an amazing flavor twist. Plus, extra chocolate chips and a creamy coffee frosting are guaranteed to perk everyone up.
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Chocolate Coffee Banana Bread
Whenever ripe bananas are on the counter, I begin thinking about making something delicious with them. Our children request chocolate banana muffins and sour cream banana bread at least once a month.
This time, I wanted to add chocolate and coffee to the traditional banana bread. This recipe is packed with chocolatey goodness and topped with a dreamy coffee frosting.
Trust me, this is the combo you didn't know you needed!
Don't want the bananas? You might love these Starbuck's copycat marble loaf and lemon loaf recipes instead!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great for overripe bananas. This recipe is the best way to use spotty bananas and avoid waste.
- Serve any time of day. Perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or even dessert. It's delicious any time.
- Perfect for coffee fans. The combination of chocolate and coffee perfectly complements banana bread. Plus, coffee frosting adds a sweet caffeinated kick.
- Looks and tastes fancy. It's easy to make but looks and tastes like something from a bakery. Get ready to show off your baking skills!
Main Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you will need to make chocolate banana bread with coffee.
- Unsalted Butter - Let the butter sit out until softened. You should be able to cream the butter and sugar easily.
- Sugar - This quick bread recipe uses granulated and light brown sugar to sweeten the batter.
- Eggs - The "liquid" in this "recipe."
- Ripe Bananas - The riper the bunch of bananas are, the better they are for sweet bread. See our tips on how to ripen green bananas for baking if yours are not ready yet.
- Plain Greek Yogurt - Adds moisture to the batter and gives the bread a soft, moist texture. Full-fat sour cream can also be used.
- Instant Coffee - Instant granules are best because they quickly dissolve. For a deeper coffee flavor, use instant espresso powder.
- All Purpose Flour - Gives the quick bread structure. See how to measure flour correctly so your bread turns out every time.
- Cocoa Powder - Hershey's special dark cocoa powder gives this bread a rich chocolate flavor and a dark color.
- Baking Soda - Provides the lift in the sweet bread as it bakes, so no baking powder is needed.
- Mini Chocolate Chips - Use mini chocolate chips for extra melty pockets inside and on top. Want bigger pockets? Use chocolate chunks.
- Coffee Frosting - The frosting adds a perfect kick and balances the sweetness.
How To Make Mocha Banana Bread
Your house will smell incredible while this mocha banana bread recipe is baking. The combination of banana, chocolate, and coffee is so dreamy.
- Beat the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the eggs, sour cream, mashed bananas, instant coffee, and vanilla extract, and beat again.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and slowly mix them into the wet mixture.
- Gently stir the chocolate chips into the batter, then spoon it into a greased loaf pan.
- Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean. Remove and let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then flip out and let the loaf cool completely.
Storage Recommendations
On the Counter: Store the frosted banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
In The Freezer: Wrap the entire loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap. Then, place them in a freezer bag or container and freeze for 2-3 months. When ready to use, thaw it in the fridge before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Use overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your bread will be. Look for bananas with plenty of brown spots.
- Mash the bananas thoroughly. Use a fork and a plate to mash the ripe fruit before adding it to the batter.
- Don't overmix. Mix your wet and dry ingredients until just combined; avoid overmixing, as it can lead to dense bread.
- Line your pan. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper or grease it for easy removal.
- Let it cool. Once the bread has cooled completely, then you can add the frosting. If the bread is even slightly warm, the frosting will melt.
FAQs
Yes, make sure to thaw and drain any excess liquid from the frozen bananas before mashing and using them in the recipe.
The bread is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it comes out with wet batter, it needs more time.
Don't worry! You can skip the coffee in the batter and frosting altogether. Try substituting the frosting with a simple chocolate or vanilla glaze.
More Banana Bread Recipes
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Gingerbread Banana Bread
- Flourless Banana Bread
- Cherry Banana Bread
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Recipe
Mocha Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed banana (2 medium bananas)
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
For the Coffee Frosting
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- For the bread: In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars and butter until creamy. Stir the instant coffee into the vanilla.
- Add the eggs, banana, yogurt, and coffee vanilla to the butter and beat again.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the creamed mixture slowly. Do not overbeat. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand gently.
- Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Flip out and let it cool completely.
- Dissolve the water and coffee together and beat into the butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over the top of the cooled bread. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
- Cut into slices. Store in a tightly sealed container.
Notes
*You can leave the coffee out of the recipe if you do not like coffee flavored treats.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 5g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
This post was first published in May 2014. It was updated and republished in July 2024.
Megan
Turned out great! I might have used a slightly bigger pan, but make sure to check your bread before 60 min. Mine only took 40! I also added some cool whip to make the icing go a little further!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes, if you used a bigger pan that what I said in the recipe, it will bake faster.
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector)
I love coffee in my chocolate baked dishes and the addition of banana sounds awesome! Pinned!
Kelly
Love this chocolate banana bread and the coffee buttercream sounds amazing! I've been trying to cut out some sugar too but would not be able to resist a piece of this for sure!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking
That's so awesome -- good for you and your husband!! It takes a lot of self-control to cut out sugar, especially as a dessert blogger (heaven knows I need all the help I can get with that one!), and it sounds like you're making incredible progress. So happy for you! I definitely need to try making a chocolate banana bread sometime; with how much I adore both flavors, it's crazy I haven't thought of that yet. And coffee would make it 20x better -- awesome idea! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Amy! 🙂
Chels R.
I hear you on the coffee. I've cut way back from where I used to be. I still miss the sweetness, but I can totally tell the difference when it has more sweetener than what I usually put in.
Loving this bread though. Pinned and can't wait to try it!
Layla @ Brunch Time Baker
This bread looks so fluffy yet so dense and moist! I can't resist coffee!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Layla! 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
I love coffee in everything, and so of course I love this banana bread! Mocha chip gets two thumbs up from me. 😀
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Jess!
Wendy
This sweet bread looks so rich and chocolaty! I agree, Jocelyn, a wee bit of coffee makes a big difference in chocolate treats. Maybe its just that I am an extreme coffee addict, but I find that it takes a lot of added espresso powder to truly taste the coffee over the chocolate. The banana bread intrigued me but that frosting clinched the deal! 🙂
Michelle { A Latte Food }
I am a huge fan of mocha! I've never thought to put it in banana bread--so creative and perfect. Can't wait to give it a shot!
Jocelyn Brubaker
It was great to meet you too, girl! 🙂 Thanks!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Sorry, that reply above was meant for the girl who commented above you, stinkin computer! 😉 But thank YOU, Michelle!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor
Now this is what I call my kind of banana bread! So fun to meet you this weekend, Jocelyn!
Jocelyn Brubaker
It was great to meet you too, girl! Thanks! 🙂
Shaina
So I totally read this post while I was on the elliptical at the Hilton's gym during BlogHer lol...and it made me want to dive into my phone. Seriously this sounds so amazingggg
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha! Too funny! Thanks Shaina! 🙂
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
You are killing me with all these insanely delicious banana breads! I know where to come to whenever I am looking for a new twist on our favorite treat!
Martha @ A Family Feast
We're doing the same at our house - trying to watch what we eat - and it IS amazing how your taste buds adjust!! Love the addition of the coffee to the chocolate - this looks delicious! (And - again - great job this past weekend at BHF!)
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Martha!! 🙂