Banana Bread with Cherries, Chocolate and Pecans. Fresh baked banana bread features ripe fresh bananas, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, dark chocolate chunks, chopped pecan halves, and fresh cherry pieces. Bread topped with a light coating of crumb topping, fresh banana slices and more chocolate, pecans, and cherries.
I’ve been buying a bag of cherries at the market every week. Bing cherries are available everywhere. Other varieties, like the gorgeous Rainier variety are available with a little searching. I made cherry puree as soon as cherry season started and have used it in a few desserts, including this chocolate cherry cheesecake tart. It’s also great as a smoothie component, and as a stir in to yogurt.
Truth is, most of my cherry purchases are for eating out of hand. A bag will accommodate several recipes, with plenty of cherries unaccounted for.
An overabundance of bananas in the house lead to this delicious banana bread, as well the banana bread muffins recipe I posted a few days ago. This banana bread goes together in minutes. Into the oven, and a few minutes later, the house smells amazing. These loaves take 60 to 70 minutes to bake up golden. So in just 90 minutes total time, most of which is impatiently waiting, you can have a fresh baked banana bread.
How To Make Banana Bread with Cherries, Chocolate and Pecans
Today’s quick bread features fresh cherries, dark chocolate chunks, and pecans baked. The bread batter comes together quickly. Butter and sugar are creamed. Eggs, mashed banana, whole milk are stirred into the sugar mixture. The dry ingredients are folded in using a large spatula. Pitted cherries are chopped and folded into the batter, along with dark chocolate chunks, and chopped pecans.
The quick bread batter is transferred to a buttered, and parchment paper lined loaf pan. The batter is topped with a light coating of brown sugar cinnamon crumble. A few lengthwise slices of fresh banana are lightly pressed into the top, remaining exposed. Additional cherries, chocolate and pecans are sprinkled over.
The bread goes into a preheated oven for around an hour, or until golden and firm to the touch. I use a 9 x 5-inch Goldtouch loaf pan from Williams-Sonoma to bake this bread. My bread was in the oven about 65 minutes. Your results may vary, depending on the loaf pan you use. I usually start checking the bread for doneness, after about 55 minutes. I like to use a toothpick inserted in the center of the baking loaf, and look for unbaked batter. I usually touch the top of the loaf to feel for firmness. The edges of the bread and the crumb topping should be golden and lightly browned.
Warm baked bread slices can be topped with a bit of butter, or perhaps some cherry jam.
This bread can be toasted in a toaster. Once cool, cut slices around 1/2-thick and toast on a medium setting. This crisps up the edges and gives the bread a lovely browning. Store leftovers in the bread loaf pan. Cover the pan with foil and store at room temperature for a few days. Alternately, store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp.
Other Quick Bread Recipes You Might Enjoy
Some of our most popular quick bread recipes include banana bread, apple bread, peach blueberry muffins, chocolate raspberry almond muffins, and apple streusel muffins.
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Banana Bread with Cherries, Chocolate and Pecans
Equipment
- 1 (9 x 5 x 3-inch) bread loaf pan
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 50 grams light brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 42 grams all-purpose flour (1/3 cup)
- 1 gram ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
- 42 grams unsalted butter (3 tablespoons), cold and cubed
Banana Bread:
- 100 grams light brown sugar (1/2 cup)
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup OR 1 stick), softened
- 100 grams egg (2 large), room temperature
- 3 each large ripe bananas (1-1/2 cups), peeled and mashed
- 15 grams whole milk (1 tablespoon)
- 3 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
- 256 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 5 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- 5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 5 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
- 84 grams dark chocolate (1/2 cup), roughly chopped
- 50 grams pecans (1/2 cup), roughly chopped
- 60 grams pitted and roughly chopped fresh cherries (1/2 cup)
- 1 each peeled ripe banana
Instructions
Crumb Topping:
- Add light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon to small bowl. Stir to combine. Add cold unsalted butter to bowl. Cut in with the back of a fork until mixture resembles large crumbs. Chill until ready to use.
Banana Bread:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a large bread loaf pan. Line long sides of pan with a parchment paper sling. Set aside.
- Add light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and unsalted butter to stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Add the peeled bananas to a small bowl. Mash with the back of a fork. Stir in the whole milk and ground cinnamon. Add the banana mixture to the sugar mixture Fold in with large spatula until well combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine sea salt to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Fold in with large spatula.
- Add the roughly chopped chocolate, roughly chopped pecans and roughly chopped fresh cherries to the banana bread batter, reserving a few of each to adorn the top. Fold in using a large spatula.
- Transfer the banana bread batter into prepared bread loaf pan and smooth evenly into the corners with a small offset spatula.
- Sprinkle reserved crumb topping over surface of bread batter.
- Peel and cut two 1/8-inch thick lengthwise slices of banana. Arrange slices on top of bread batter. Sprinkle reserved chocolate, pecans, and cherries over bread batter.
- Bake 70 minutes in preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove loaf pan from oven and cool on wire rack. Remove banana bread from loaf pan using parchment paper sling. Run a paring knife around edges of bread to loosen, if necessary.
- Remove bread from pan, and cool completely before slicing.
