Chocolate Banana Bread with Sky Juice Frosting
From Ainsley’s Taste of the Bahamas, ITV
Banana bread is a popular treat in the Bahamas and all over the Caribbean – whether it’s served as a slice with coffee or as a dessert with a rum sauce or glaze it’s always a winner. This is a rich chocolatey banana bread and I’ve added a ‘ikkle bit of rum and a frosting inspired by Sky Juice, a favourite island cocktail made from coconut and condensed milk.
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Butter and line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until thick and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time and then add the bananas, vanilla extract, yoghurt and rum and gently stir together until well combined.
Mix together the sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the wet ingredients and gently stir in – don’t overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 40–50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Leave the banana bread to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile prepare the topping: put the butter in a bowl and whisk with an electric hand beater until pale and creamy. Slowly add the coconut condensed milk, mixing after each addition until smooth. Add the coconut rum or extract, salt and lime zest and beat until fluffy.
When cooled, top the cake with the frosting and decorate with a grating of fresh nutmeg and toasted coconut.
Ingredients
- For the Chocolate Banana Bread
- 125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 100g soft dark brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt or full fat milk
- 1-2 tbsp coconut rum or 1 tsp coconut extract
- 225g plain flour, sifted
- 40g good quality dark cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- a grating of fresh nutmeg or ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 80g dark or milk chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tbsp desiccated coconut
- For the Sky Juice Frosting
- 120g unsalted butter, softened
- 120ml sweetened coconut condensed milk or sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp coconut rum or ½ tsp coconut/vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- zest of ½ lime
- To Serve
- fresh nutmeg, for grating
- 1 tbsp coconut flakes, toasted