Date + Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

A good banana loaf must be to be super-moist (sorry ... ). That's where dates come in, keeping the cake soft and meaning we can add less refined sugar too. Win-win. Toast a slice of this and slather it with vegan butter for a beautiful afternoon pick-me-up. 

SERVES: 8
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes
Difficulty level: 2 / 5

INGREDIENTS

• 200g (7oz) pitted dates
• 300ml (1¼ cups) water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 ripe bananas (about 240g / 8½oz)
• 170g (6oz) soy yogurt
• juice of ½ lemon
• 3½ tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
• 270g (2 cups) self raising (rising) flour
• 100g (½ cup) soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 150g (5½oz) dark chocolate (ensure vegan), roughly chopped
• vegan butter, to serve (optional)
• vegan yogurt and berries, to serve (optional)
   

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 210°C (190°C fan/ 410°F /Gas 6-7). Grease a 450g (1lb) loaf tin (about 20.5 x 10cm / 8 x 4in). 

2. Place the dates and water in a small saucepan set over a medium-high heat. When the water comes to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for Io minutes until the dates have fully softened. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda then use a hand-held blender to blitz the mixture to a puree.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas using a fork, then stir in the yogurt, lemon juice and sunflower or vegetable oil. In another large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and chocolate. 

4. Add the dry mix to the bowl with the mashed bananas and stir to fully combine, then fold in the date puree until everything is just mixed. 

5. Tip the batter into the greased loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Keep an eye on the banana bread as it bakes - if the top gets too dark simply cover it with foil while it continues baking. 

6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10- 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, sliced and spread with vegan butter, or topped with yogurt and your favourite berries. This will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.