Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread Recipe

Certain adventures call for the perfect banana bread, and this was one of them. A moist, ridiculously good banana bread recipe. A banana bread that is chocolate studded, lemon kissed, and made with whole wheat flour (and olive oil) - from Melissa Clark's new book.

Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread

Certain adventures call for the perfect banana bread, and this was one of them. You can't really know what to expect regarding the weather when someone invites you to a late-October wedding near Monterey, California. A wedding at an off-season summer camp. I thought there was a good chance I'd be wearing Wellies under whatever dress I picked out, sloshing around in puddles. Not the case! The sun was strong, old moss-laced oak trees lent some shade, and the guests swam, shot rifles, barn danced, and drank plenty of bubbles at this multi-day fête. Knowing I couldn't go off to camp without a couple treats in my bag, I wrapped a massive piece of Melissa Clark's Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread in parchment paper and tucked it away for snacking later.
Best Banana Bread Recipe
If you drive south, and then a bit east from Monterey, the landscape changes. It goes from the big horizons, slates and blues of the coast to rolling, golden hills, warmer temperatures, craggy trees, and horse properties. I grew up north of here by an hour, also inland in a similar way. Filled with oak trees, hills, yellow/gold, and hot days that extend into warm nights. The setting of the wedding felt incredibly familiar to me. In a way, those trees, the colors, that sky have always been a part of my life. It was nice. And I suppose it goes without saying, I was happy to have a camera with me to try to capture some moments from the wedding. Plus some shots that share a sense of what I love about this part of California.Best Banana Bread Recipe

A Special Banana Bread

The banana bread - it's amazing. And, if you ask me, best served on a picnic table. There were a couple tiny tweaks I made to Melissa's recipe (it's one of about a dozen recipes I tagged from her new book, Cook This Now). Instead of using a loaf pan, I couldn't resist baking it in the bundt pan I recently picked up in an antique store. And, because I love the flavor combination of lemon and brown sugar, I worked some brown (muscovado) sugar into the icing. The icing sets up firm, and wrapped in paper (and taped or tied), slices won't mess up your purse (or suitcase). The cake is made with a good amount of whole wheat flour, generously chocolate-studded, with a good zing of lemon in the cake itself (and from the icing).
Best Banana Bread Recipe

 

Best Banana Bread Recipe

Congratulations Oliver & Naya, it was incredibly special to be part of your beautiful celebration - and (!) to finally meet Alana in person. And thank you Melissa, for a recipe I look forward to revisiting regularly. - h

Related post: Glazed Lemon Cake

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Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread

4.23 from 27 votes

Melissa's recipe instructs you to coarsely chop the chocolate. My advice? Leave a good amount of sizable chunks of chocolate. They become big, melty, chocolate goldmines streaked throughout the cake. I used a more intricate shaped pan (when compared to a standard loaf tin), and both butter and floured it to help deter sticking.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125g all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup / 5 oz / 140g whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup / 4 oz / 115 g coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
  • 1/3 cup / 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups / 12 oz / 340 g mashed, VERY ripe bananas (~3 bananas)
  • 1/4 cup / 60 ml plain, whole milk yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
  • 1/2 cup / 3 oz / 85 g sifted dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55g confectioners' sugar
  • 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F, and place a rack in the center. Grease a 9- by 5- inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan, or equivalent.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate pieces and combine well.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, zest, and vanilla. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. You want to get that beautiful color on the cake, but at the same time you don't want to bake all the moisture out of it. So the minute you're in that zone, pull it. Erring on the side of under-baking versus over.
  4. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.
  5. While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the sugars and the lemon juice until smooth. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top of the cake, spreading with a spatula to cover.
  6. Serves 10.
Notes

Adapted from Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make, Hyperion, October, 2011

Serves
10
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
 
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Comments

I made this last night and it turned out deliciously! The lemony glaze is a nice twist on the banana bread. I love sharing your recipes and can't wait to pass this along!

Rebecca

The bread looks ruggedly handsome in the photo and the recipe intrigued me. So I made it for a dinner with friends. The general impression, with which I agree, is that the bread was a little dry (perhaps a loaf pan would have been better than a bundt pan), and although the banana, chocolate, and brown sugar were fine companions, the lemon was not. The lemony flavor was too bright a note for the earthier tastes. I used a real lemon, so perhaps a Meyer lemon would have been more mellow.

Guy

I commented a couple of weeks ago that I made the bread and loved it and froze half of it. Well, the frozen half came out of the freezer this week, and I'm here to report that it's just as delicious post-freeze. We wrapped it really well (parchment so the glaze wouldn't stick, plastic wrap and foil!) so I'm sure that helped. I'll definitely be making this again and I might even try some variations. Cheers. :)

Mary Katherine

Mmmm this looks good! I'm an olive oil fiend so this is perfect for me.

JQR77

Really fabulous! I thought the glaze was weird tasting in the bowl, but perfectly compliments the bread - a little bite of chocolate and then a zing of lemon. I added walnuts to the cake recipe; It begged for them. And I was not disappointed. It was perfectly done at 55 minutes. Love this recipe. I rarely make a recipe twice - too many new ones to try - but this one I will definitely make again. Thank you.

suzanne

Gorgeous banana cake, the lemon twist is just perfect. Came out of the oven 1 hour ago... 2 slices down... Thank you Heidi :)

Estelle

I am going to try this recipe soon, thank you! But can I just add chopped walnuts without changing anything else? Thanks!

mrsshukra

Hi Heidi! Thank you so much for your response...you were right on target, it WAS my baking soda :( ....Its so easy to overlook the expiration of something like baking soda...thank you once again, I will give it another try this weekend :) Svetlana

Svetlana

Very good bread base, but the lemon icing was not necessary IMO. Too sweet and acidic for my tastebuds. The bread itself was delicious however. Will definitely make it again! Also, It took way longer than 50 minutes for my bread to not be totally raw in the middle. Ended up baking for 1 hr 10 min!

Sharon

Oh my this is amazing. I have used walnuts instead of chocolate and added a few more spices but it's such a tasty cake - top of the favourites list for me! And that glaze.... well...

Lisa

Made this last wkend-YUM! Used Oranges bc I didn't have lemons in the house-YUM! Enjoy your blog-YUM!

Tracy

It's just beautiful!

onionchoco

i forgot to add... i didn't have vanilla but thought what the hey!and added almond in it's place..it worked (i think?) also substituded dark sugar for light brown (my cupboard was bare!|).Anyways, a lovely lipsmackingly good cake so ta! x

sal

This bread turned out ACE!!!!! thanks Heidi for a great website.

sal

Saw the bread post at 2:00 a.m. while perusing blogs. Made the bread at 8:00 a.m. when I got up. I am eating gluten and dairy-free so I had to make some substitutions. My bread turned out great. Its moist and flavorful. Not too lemony. So glad I had trouble sleeping last night. Substitutions: 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 Tapioca flour, 1/2 oat flour and 1/4 brown rice flour. I did add a heaping teaspoon of xanthan gum. For the yogurt I used soy milk with a teaspoon or so of lemon juice. I will definitely make this again! Thanks.

Carol L Daubenmire

I made this recipe today. I followed the recipe to the letter including using the bundt pan and leaving some larger chunks of chocolate. It is an absolute work of art. Mine looks even better than the one in the picture. Could be that my palatte isn't sophisicated enough but there were too many flavors fighting each other: Lemon, chocolate, vanilla, banana. I would recommend using semi-sweet chocolate rather than bittersweet chocolate.

linda

I made this recipe last week and can I just say it was DIVINE! The lemon icing with the banana bread, lemon zest, with chocolate pieces was a perfect, delectable combination. I baked mine in a bundt pan, it was beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I will be baking this often!

Kathy B.

I love your recipes - thank you so much! I tried this, but it was a little dense for me. Any suggestions from anyone on how to "lighten it up?" Maybe I should add more banana?

LK

I think I have a general banana bread question. I tried baking this last night, but used the wrong size pan (I used a 8 X 3 3/4 X 2 3/8 " foil loaf pan). While baking, the top became very browned, but the bread split a bit, exposing the mushy insides but never really cooking them. I wrapped it all in foil and dish towels afterwards, which seemed to help solidify the insides a bit. This isn't the first banana bread that has gone wrong in this way...Aside from the using the correct cake pan size, what other suggestions do you have?

Jamie T

Never thought of combining bananas and chocolate into a bread! Can't wait to try this. Yum!

Mel V

Hi, I tried out this recipe pretty much word for word and totally loved it, except my bundt pan wasn't big enough and I wanted to make a big loaf of bread. Thank you for posting this. Really liked the pics too.

Amoolya

Great recipe, Heidi! I have been on the hunt for a good banana bread recipe--specifically one that doesn't come out like a heavy dough brick, doesn't call for a block of melted butter and isn't too sweet--and this totally fit the bill! The crumb was nice, light and not too heavy, and though I'm not normally a fan of lemon and chocolate together the zest adds a bright and interesting little undertone to the flavour. Every single person who's had a piece has asked what exactly the 'secret ingredient' is :) I used a bar of 71% bittersweet Camino organic chocolate and it it worked quite well. I skipped the glaze, but next time I make this I think I will definitely try it in a bundt pan and give the frosting a go as well. I was trying to avoid cloying sweetness and worried the glaze might be too much, but what's nice is that this bread isn't overly sweet. All in all a great recipe and I will definitely use it again! Cheers :)

Lynne

I love the recipe and overall I love that used olive oil. I think makes the difference in flavor. Great photos!

tafino

My husband is wheat free so I made this with 1 cup rye, 3/4 cup white rice, and 1/4 cup tapioca starch. The texture of the cake turned out nicely, although I didn't have very ripe bananas on hand -- i think that's a must b/c the greenish banana flavor with the lemon was a little odd. I bet this would be easy to make gluten free by substituting buckwheat flour for the whole wheat and perhaps a tsp of xantham gum or a tbs or 2 of ground flax to increase protein content. The glaze was REALLY yummy!! Thanks Heidi

realfoodieness

I made this over the weekend... divine!!! I love that it tasted great w/o the butter :)

sarah

I made this cake on the weekend. I added a cup of walnuts and used no-fat yogurt, but otherwise faithfully followed the recipe. This is a beautiful banana bread, not too sweet, and notwithstanding the gooey, wonderful chocolate, it has a lovely lightness that is enhanced by the lemon zest. I took your suggestion and made mine in a bundt pan, which definitely adds the the beauty of the presentation. With the centre hole of the bundt pan providing greater air circulation, the cake baked more quickly for me so I'd suggest you check it at 40 minutes. It's done when a thermometer reads 180 to 190 degrees, in my opinion.

moles

I love banana bread thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I've seen anyone put in so much detail before when baking this.

Bill

as salaamu alaikum! masha allah ! the dish sounds very tasty... lemon and olive oil and banana - perfect blend of my favourites! have to try it someday, insha allah!

sana tarannum

I made this last night and made it *accidentally* vegan by forgetting to add the eggs and using soy yogurt. guess what- it was still delicious, and the texture wasn't compromised as far as I could tell! We already ate it all up, so I am going to try again tonight with the eggs :)

megan

Not only does it look delicious and yummy, it is delicious and yummy! I baked it in a tradition loaf pan for less than the 50 minutes.to assure a moist cake, I used spelt rather than whole wheat and poured the icing over warm cake where is dissolved perfectly.

Jean

This Banana Bread looks amazing!! I am definitely making this on the weekend..

Honey For Jam

Oh yum!! I'm adding this to my recipe collection!

Elle

this looks so yum! can you use normal olive oil instead of extra virgin olive oil?

Grace

Sounds really good.

Eden

dark muscovado? i have never heard of this. thanks for this recipe - sounds delish! olive oil makes everything better.

Caitlin @ LiveLoveNYC

Wow...looks amazing! I've always put chocolate in my banana bread BUT I've never made it with lemon or icing or a bundt pan...I can't wait to try it!

Lori-Vancovuer BC Airbnb Superhost

It looks like it was a beautiful wedding, and that cake looks utterly divine!! I love the Northern California landscape, too! Living there for the past 4 years, and now being away from it kind of makes my heart ache a little!

Ann P.

If the smell is any indication of how this is going to taste, I can't wait. It's been a gray rainy day in London and this is the perfect antidote! Thank you Heidi.

Jenni

Fabulous idea--lemon seems to liven up anything but I'd never dreamed of trying it with banana bread. Thanks again for the inspiration!

Jessi

Thankyou so much!! All your recipes are amazing!! Finally I have found a vegetarian blog that cares more about food than being vegetarian; there are so many new things to try my heart leaps up!

Noni

I love recipes like this that take something very classic and familiar and give it a surprising, unique little twist. And I have to agree with you re: brown sugar and lemon. Excellent combo!

Kathryn O

Great banana bread recipe. It's always nice to have another in my stash of quick breads. My only con is that I was not a big fan of the very lemony glaze over this particular bread. Liked the lemon zest in the bread, just not the glaze. But isn't this what makes cooking, and life, so great ... differing tastes and opinions?! Thanks, Heidi. You always inspire me to try new recipes/cookbooks and my family (and coworkers) love reaping the benefits.

Amy

I love Melissa Clarke's pie crust recipe and there are a few other NYT's articles of her's i have saved over the years. I am sure I am going to love the bright, cheery lemony flavor, along with the fruity olive oil. Bananas stocked away in the freezer for an occasion like this...coming upon a fresh, exciting recipe! Thank you, as always! Audra

audra

I made this is a traditional loaf pan on the weekend and it is lovely! The glaze turned out a bit thin and definitely more grainy than smooth, but once it hardened I scraped it up off the wooden board I had placed the loaf on, and spread it over the top again. I totally love the lemony taste it gives. I am also thrilled to find a banana bread recipe that doesn't use butter. Thank you!

Lisa

Hi Heidi, This looks fabulous. Do you happen to know what the capacity of your bundt pan is (6 or 12 cup)? I love the way it looks with the fluting - making this for a potluck and I think it would make it a little more festive than loaf pan. Cheers, Linda

Linda NYC

Wow! What a wonderful post to wake up to today. It looks amazing, and definitely something to bring to family and friends over the holidays. Thank you for sharing! Baking with olive oil turns yummy into spectacular!

Kirsten

This sounds great! I think I'll take a hiatis from my diet and give this one a try. Besides, aren't banana's good for you?

William

I grew up in Salinas -- judging from your description, you were close to that neck of the woods as well. Love using olive oil in brownies. Must try this recipe too.

Gandhimom

Looks delicious and an interesting twist on banana bread for a change of pace.

Cindy Rosen

I have a question: is the glaze supposed to be sugary and grainy, or smooth? I used dark brown sugar and tried to warm it up a bit to get the sugar to dissolve but it didn't work and i felt the grainy glaze took away from the cake somewhat.
HS: Hi Margaret, It should be pretty smooth. Sifting it ahead of time helps. Also, you can make it w/ powdered sugar, and no brown sugar.

Margaret

My husband thought I was crazy with the olive oil cake in Kim Boyce's book, but we all ended up loving it. This looks delicious too!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance

Well not only is this visually stunning but a no brainer to try as soon as possible. Thank You!

Larry Ruhl

Beautifully scrummy looking cake - loved the vintage tin! I do a similar banana cake with olive oil, chocolate and yogurt, but with a Swedish twist of cardamom and black peppe . Must try this version - and find a pretty tin to bake it in. Admiring Minda and Molly's perseverance despite the lack of what we consider essentials.

kellie@foodtoglow

After reading this post I went out and finally got a bundt pan. The cake is delicious. It is a new fave. There is no doubt this is going to be a regular at our place!

Ayesha

The scent of your lemony olive oil banana bread is filling my home in this cloudy autum evening! Thanks Fran

Fran

Heidi...did I miss something? I'm making the cake now and I can't find where the lemon zest goes... HS: Hi Christina - it's in there along with the yogurt.

Christinabella

we made this this afternoon in rural rwanda without measuring cups or spoons and no temperature dial on the oven- and it still turned out AMAZINGLY well! we used all all-purpose flour and it was fine- fluffy and moist. also skipped on the chocolate as good chocolate is hard to come by here. :) thank you for the perfect sunday afternoon treat, can't wait to make it again!

minda & molly

I made this bread the night after I found it.. I love it! The lemon zest in the bread itself (sans the glaze) is beautifully balanced and I actually like the crunchiness of the glaze (from the brown sugar). I looooooooove to make banana bread and I was getting sick of my regular recipe. This is such a nice twist!

Sonja

Cookbooks still packed, too ripe bananas thrown in the fridge, and a wet cold night. Wondering what banana bread recipe I might find online, then I remembered seeing this one come into my inbox earlier this week! Perfect combination of events :)

Jess

Made this cake today, the flavors are a delight. The olive oil is fruity and delightful with the freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon rind from my Myer lemon tree. Another delight, thank you for sharing. Cant wait till tomorrow, mug of coffee and a nice wedge of this bread.

Lynn

I've made a lemon olive oil cake before, but adding banana to that combination would never have occurred to me. Sounds intriguing!

Emily @ The Divine Carrot

This was divine intervention. I just clicked onto your blog as I was looking at three very ripe bananas that nobody in my house will eat, and I was motivating myself to make banana bread. For once procrastination has served me well!

SallyHP

Ohmygooooodness, this masterpiece looks beyond mouthwatering. I love banana bread and I just happen to have four VERY ripe bananas on my kitchen table that need to be used or tossed today. I'm gonna take this recipe for a spin tonight using farmstead Goat's Milk Caramel sauce homemade on my family's farm in Vermont (Fat Toad Farm) for the topping. I think it will be delish! Thanks so much for posting!

Hannah

From the looks of it, this could be the quintessential banana bread and I don't say this lightly. Lemon, olive oil, bananas, chocolate plus a tender crumb. I think I know what I'm baking today. The wedding looks like it was lovely too.

art and lemons

Gorgeous cake! I love anything comes with banana and lemon. Perfect for potluck! I would be so happy if someone bakes this cake for me as a gift.

forestlily

I just made it and it's AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Margherita

just put this in the oven to eat for breakfast. i can't wait! thanks for the recipe!

amanda

Just made it this morning - and the whole family loves it!

Annemarie

Just made this last night - it was delish! I did notice that the lemon zest in the ingredients is never mentioned in the directions. I included them in with the wet ingredients, hope that was right. Turned out great in any case. But FYI, you may want to edit.

Ann

Oh my goodness and dang it all, this looks so good! I need to bring something to a potluck on Sunday... thanks to you, I now know exactly what I'm bringing! Yay!

Stephanie

Have just made it using buckwheat - looks fantastic - will eat it soon when neighbours come over for drinks!

Joan

I like the idea of mixing olive oil with a sweet bread, rich and aromatic. Your photos are fabulous as usual. GG

Glamorous Glutton

This looks amazing! Heidi, you drive me absolutely crazy - in a good way - the way you come up with or discover such inspiring recipes that I always want to eat (right now!) week after week. Whenever I'm starting to feel blase about cooking, I can come here and reliably be rejuvenated. It's just awesome.

Emily

Gorgeous pics, and the yellow dress is awesome. I have a yellow dress that is dubbed my "warm weather wedding dress" - have probably worn it to at least 3 or 4 weddings (all invovling different ppl so no one ever knows... ha ha). love the bundt pan. do you ever go to "cookin'" on Divis? that store is so LOADED with stuff. I feel like I'd need a good 2 hours to get through it ;)

heather @ chiknpastry

Wow!!. I make banana bread all the time but have never thought of adding lemon. Looks good will have to try this,

jodie

Cooler weather has finally arrived in Houston. This will be perfect tonight with some hot tea in front of the fireplace. Going to get to now before kids come home! Thanks!

A.W.

lovely recipe and use of lemon in banana bread.

Urvashi@BotanicalBaker

Do you think this could be made with applesauce in place of the eggs?

Veggie Vikki

Beautiful shots and lovely recipe.

Oana from dishchronicles

Hi BANANA BREAD where have you been, Do you really know that I am very hungry?You are the best of them all.Come, come feed myself with your delicious body. YUM,YUM.

Abumeria

Can I substitute whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour for the whole wheat flour? If yes, do I need to add anything else? Thanks, Rana

Rana

I am looking for guidance... my daughter has recently been diagnosed with gluten issues. What flour can I use for this recipe that will not bother her. She loves banana bread.

Edie

Oh my gosh! Heidi I admire you so much for you fantastic way of cooking. This bread was so amazing :) thank you!

Lindsey

Compelling enough to find me whipping it up at the end of a long work day before we head to big sur on a camping trip this morning. We dug in while it was still warm, chocolate gooey and lux. Divine! As always, thank you.

Adele

that is the most glamorous banana loaf i have ever seen! my next will be in bundt form--striking

tawc

Gosh darnit! I wish I would have seen this a couple of days ago. I wanted to make my friend some banana bread (her fav) but was out of butter so I had to freeze the bananas until I felt like trekking to the store. ;) This looks much better anyway!

Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily

Excellent recipe!! What a beautiful time you had there :)

Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

This recipe looked so yummy to me, but I am gluten and dairy free so I decided to try it with what I had here. I used millet and gluten free oat flour and coconut yogurt. I sprinkled some flax seeds in as well and used orange dark chocolate. The bread came out a bit dense, but wonderful. The lemon glaze really balanced out the rest of the flavors and was nice with the orange in the chocolate. Next time I will try this with a lighter flour like chestnut. Thanks...just wonderful!!

Jan

That truly looks and sounds amazing! E.A.T.

Tim Vidra

ohhh, looks amazing. I'm definitely going to try this one. Your bundt pan is gorgeous too.

Stupendous Joy

This looks so rustic and comforting and I must say that if I could get my hands on that ancient and charming bundt pan you would probably never see it again!

theamericaine.blogspot.com

I love Banana Bread and have been looking for a good recipe (moist, flavorful and wholesome). Butter is great, but if I can get away with not using it, I just feel better. Will be making this soon. It looks really good. Thanks Heidi!

Jayne

I love the lack of butter in this recipe! Olive oil + plenty of banana must make this delicious! I recently posted a honey banana bread ;)

DessertForTwo

Beautiful, Heidi. I'm planning a little cruise down that way in a few weeks...and have big plans for Melissa Clark's book (hello, snacking cake!)

Megan Gordon

I am so, so excited to try this with the lemon-muscovado glaze and "chocolate goldmines"! It's my favorite banana bread recipe. Sometimes I use barley flour instead of the whole wheat.

noelle

Sounds delicious! I would not have thought to combine banana bread with either lemon or olive oil, but now it seems perfect. Also, the paper lanterns in the trees are just lovely.

Becky @ Skinnyfat Girls

That does look good.. My oven isn't very good at baking, and my daughter is always on the lookout for good banana bread recipes, so I'm forwarding it to her. Thank you for translating your measurements - I've just been moaning to a friend about how inaccessible I find American recipes, and now here is one that isn't!

Annabel (Mrs Redboots)

This has to be the prettiest banana bread I've ever scene! And the shot of the ping pong table takes me back to my wedding!

Jacqui

Love the idea of making banana bread in a bundt pan - this recipe looks to die for!

Emily

Oh...this post makes me miss California. I lived there for 8 years...had my son there...miss the light, the landscapes, the warm days and cooled-down nights...and the attitude. The cake looks and reads so amazing in that not-too-sweet way I like cakes to be. I make a Roasted Pear and Rosemary Upside Down Cake with cornmeal that I've posted that fits in this category...I love it...I think you would too...

Rachel@FoodFix

This sounds delicious and I was delighted to see a recipe that doesn't include nuts, as I am allergic. However, I noticed it contains 1 c of chocolate (to which I am also allergic). Do you think it would be alright to just eliminate the chocolate or should/can something else be substituted? Thanks!

Annie

I'm collecting bananabread recipes-- this is going on this list right after I've had a bash at Nigel Slater's (which has ground hazelnuts in) as a change from my usual (with spiced rum and muscavado sugar.

Hebbyn

Banana + Chocolate + Olive Oil + Lemon = Yum!!! Sounds like such a good combination.

Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence

How lovely! Those wedding pictures are so beautiful. What a nice twist on banana bread -- a nice change. Am invited to a birthday party in 2 weeks in CT and will hope to make this.

Nirvana

this looks like the perfect holiday treat. an inventive mix of all the best flavors! do you think coconut yogurt would work in place of the whole milk? egg replacer? trying to make it vegan. peace! happy holidays!!

andrea

as a Greek, olive oil is an essential part of my baking repertoire. recipients of my olive oil cakes always looked at me like i had 3 heads when i told them what the cake was - but then the moist deliciousness changed their skeptical minds. BRAVO to you, Heidi, for making olive oil safe for the masses! my ancestors are from Kalamata. olive oil in all cooking is kind of a major component of my life

theresa k.

I'm most interested in your glaze, which might have applications to other recipes. I don't eat banana bread anymore. And if I did eat it, I would not want chocolate in it -- I'm kind of a purist...

Sharyn Dimmick

This is totally off topic, but is there any chance you know where that yellow dress in the second picture is from? It's stunning! Also, btw, the banana bread looks stunning too, esp. in the bundt pan!

H

I have a very 'green' tasting olive oil that I'm using at the moment, and I wonder what it would be like in this banana bread? A very interesting idea...

Pam

was just asked to bring something to a potluck - now i know what!

lynn @ the actor's diet

See that hole in the middle of the bread? I'm about to get inside that hole and freaking dance like a little girl. And then eat the bread.

Bev Weidner

i am absolutely making this this weekend! looks amazing.

laura @ glutton for nourishment

I'm intrigued by the combo of flavors-lemon, banana, and chocolate. The icing looks so good!

la domestique

a monterey native living on the east coast - the color descriptions, magic of that area, all of the changes just driving 10 or 20 will unveil make me very very homesick. great photos and lovely recipe.

jen

It looks and sounds wonderful but I would appreciate any feedback that anyone might be able to provide on which gluten free flours would substitute best for the all-purpose and whole wheat. Thanks.

Lynn

Thank you for posting this recipe! Usually there are ALWAYS some ripe bananas in my fruit basket. I wonder though - since usually you use nuts often in your recipes, wouldn't some walnuts be a great addition to this recipe? Just a susggestion :)

Joanna | Crock Pot Recipes

This looks great, have you any ideas for a dairy-free yoghurt replacement?

Jessica

I am not a banana person but I am pretty sure I would love this bread. Chocolate, lemon, icing...yum.

Kathleen

This looks and sounds absolutely fabulous! You also make me want to move to California. I would love more sweet recipes using olive oil. Will look into the Rosemary Olive Oil Cake posted also.

Theresa Nash

I just love these photos and the delightfully squat pumpkin-ish shape of the bundt.

deb

I love this post ! Love the photo's, printed out the recipe, ordered "Cook This Now" and signed up to receive Alana's blog. Very productive. As always thanks for sharing !

yvonne

I am so, so excited to try this with the lemon-muscovado glaze and "chocolate goldmines". It's my favorite banana bread recipe. Sometimes I use barley flour instead of the whole wheat.

noelle

wow, I have to bake it this wekend, these ingredients are just delicious! :)

Zielenina

Your photos from the wedding are beautiful! This cake has many of my favorite flavours, but I've never put banana with lemon before. How yummy!

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

wow! what a great bread!

Simply Life

My 3.5 year old and I love to make your recipes, just finished making the chocolate zucchini cupcakes - YUM! Now I know what we're going to do next with my ripe bananas. What I love about your recipes is that everything in them I don't mind my little "sampler" trying - it's so gratifying! Thank-you Heidi! ps. It's snowing outside my window in BC where I live - brrrrr!

Elana

Such a beautiful bread! I must try this with a "flax egg" and maybe a coconut milk.

JL goes Vegan

This banana bread looks delicious. I was already hungry when I read this, but now I really want to have a slice of this bread. Can't wait to try it!

Lena

Heidi, FINALLY, a breakfast loaf that doesn't call for 2 cups of sugar! Thank you this looks delicious!

Shelli

This bread looks fabulous. It will be a great treat for our hiking club. BUT what really inspired me to comment is I love the ping pong picture from the wedding! That golden ring is so fresh and new and hopeful. So romantic.

Pat G

WOWZER... this... looks... AMAZING!! Looks like I know what I'll be making tomorrow :o)

Lindsay

This looks scrumptious! As always the pictures look stunning and love the way you write.

Vandya

Anyone have a vegan version of this?

minicooperannie

To fellow vegans out there -please post your subs and results.

MrsMoose

Beautiful Heidi! Is that bundt pan ceramic? It appears to be. I have a ceramic one from Germany I bought on our honeymoon in 1983. Thanks for the inspiring recipe; I will be trying it just as soon as I can darken some bananas.

chef_ub

The bread is baking in the oven right now, but I have a question. The batter seemed really dry when combining wet and dry ingredients, and I ended up adding more yogurt. Could this dryness be the result of not ripe enough bananas? My bananas were just browning, but not very yucky yet. Thanks for the recipe!

Sierra

You are so right about the weather. I'm in Pacific Grove, and it would seem our summer finally arrived a few weeks ago. The forecast is for cooler, wetter days soon, so I'm getting out to enjoy this bliss while it's available. I've been working on banana cornmeal bread and muffin recipes recently - wonderful with added pecans, cranberry or chopped dried apricot. Oh, and back to the area: did you see the Monarch Butterflies? On warm days they have been out in droves. I've counted as many as 35 at a time sipping the nectar of our Pride of Madera flowers. As the weather cools they'll be back in clusters in the sanctuary, but for now their out and about. Really a lovely time of the year.

Laurie

your banana bread looks to die for. since i'm lactose intolerant, do you think i can replace the yoghurt with soy yoghurt? i know it'll change the flavour a bit...

susanna

Ooop-- saw that you responded to someone else with basically the same question. Thanks!

Barb

Heidi -- I love the pan you used. Reminds me of a kuglehopf pan, but flat on the bottom. Is that smaller than a regular bundt pan (ie., fits the same amt of batter as a 9x5 loaf)? I like using a bundt style pan for quickbreads -- more edges!! Usually, tho, I find I have to increase the recipe.

Barb

Banana bread!!

Sini

It's not even 9am here in England.I've not even had my breakfast....but what I do want right now is that banana bread... It sounds divine ..but i have no bananas in the house.That will be remedied as soon as possible. But Heidi....you've just put me off the boiled egg and soldiers I was just about to prepare....now all I can think about is that bloody banana bread!

Bridget

This looks delicious! And I love the bundt pan idea. Question- did you increase (double?) the recipe for the bundt pan? Or just use the same amount? Can't wait to try the recipe!!
HS: Same amount Kris - my bundt pan isn't particularly large though. I don't know how many cups offhand, but it's a solid "medium"...

Kris

Your photos are really awesome and I really enjoyed the narrative that accompanied the recipe. The combination of photos, narrative, a different twist on banana bread, even the font you chose for your headings made the whole piece sumptuous. I can't help but make the recipe. Thanks!

Colleen

Mmm, looks delicious. Would be great with a cup of coffee.

Andrea @ Roadhouse Roast

so nice

biberjstin

This looks sooo good. I just have some very ripe bananas and now I know what to do with them! Great recipe, hope I'll be good enough to make it right! Peace Mike

Mike @TheIronYou

We'll try this as soon as we get back from India (February!) and get an oven back again. I think that's the one thing I miss the most here - that and proper bread (naturally related)

yogi kitchen

Is there really anything better than freshly baked banana bread with chunks of chocolate? I love the idea of baking banana bread in a bundt pan and will certainly do the same next time! This recipe looks like a keeper. Yes to olive oil in cakes.

Sasha

Natasha@foodonpap: I totally agree. Coming from Canada where bananas are just 78 cents/ lb (about $1.70/ kg) it's a little hard for me to justify. I've just moved to Sydney btw... The prices seem to be going down gradually.

Lisa

One more reason I can't help but check your blog even in my absurdly busy life. I am ALWAYS surprised at the new way to look at a recipe. Large chunks of chocolate-just leave them! Of course. Doubt I'll do it any other way again.

Gretchen

I LOVE banana bread - adding lemon, chocolate and olive oil probably just makes it infinitely better. Thanks for the recipe!

Anjali Shah @ The Picky Eater

Banana bread with lemon + chocolate + olive oil? This idea sounds lovely!

jillian

OHHHHMYGOD! This looks divine. I have a whole bundle of bananas just waiting to be turned into something as spectacular as this! can't wait. xxo

pushups with polish

this looks soooo yummy! Can't wait to test this one out :)

Ami @ parsnips and pears

I am not into banana bread but I know someone who will just adore this recipe (my dad LOL). Thanks !

Joy

Ok you're the second blogger who's recipes I really TRUST who has made a sweet item with olive oil in the past 24 hrs that I've come across. The other lady made brownies. You have me convinced to try olive oil in sweets!

Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

Oh my, this looks incredible! I have overripe bananas stashed in the freezer, and am headed out on a little road trip this weekend, so this looks like the perfect treat to bring along! Looove that bundt pan!

charlotte au chocolat

Looking forward to the lemon kick. Thanks!

Denise | Chez Danisse

Wow, this looks so delicious!

Katarina

I love banana bread!! I haven't been able to make it in months because the cost of bananas in Australia is just ridiculous..

Natashia@foodonpaper

OMG. As soon as my bananas start to look less than appetizing, this is what I'm making with them!!

Kathleen

That bread is STUNNING!!! STUNNING! Making me hungry.

Belinda @zomppa

I love anything with lemon in and this cake is no exception especially when combined with brown sugar. Just wonderful.

Kathryn

I recently started using olive oil in place of regular oil in my quick breads and I really like the flavor. Must make today! Thanks!

lovelymarie

Heidi: (1) Is it ok to substitute all-purpose flour for the whole-wheat flour? Same ratio? (2) Usually I pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Here you do the opposite. Does it matter? Thanks. Love your site.

Wietje

Was the wedding held at Asilomar? I've been to a couple meetings there, always held in May. The weather is pretty chilly then (at least for an Arizona girl).

Stephanie

I was just going to search for a recipe to use up some bananas, and the second your page loads, it was calling for me. "Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread". It was meant to be. I recently started using olive oil in place of regular oil in my quickbreads and I really like the flavour. Must make today! Thanks!

Lisa

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