This chocolate tahini banana bread with sour cream is covered in sesame seeds and is so soft. I love baking this banana bread because of the chocolate swirl that you get when you slice it! It only takes 15 minutes to prepare this delicious banana bread.
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I had so much fun baking my marble loaf cake and knew I wanted to have that same effect but with banana bread. This banana bread recipe is based off of my cinnamon crunch banana bread, but half of the batter is flavored with tahini.
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- This chocolate tahini banana bread is made using the creaming method. Butter and sugar is whipped together until light and airy, before adding dry ingredients and sour cream in three additions
- Sour cream is used to give lots of moisture in this loaf! You could always substitute the sour cream for yogurt though.
- The banana bread batter is mixed with tahini which is a sesame paste. You usually find it in savory dishes (like hummus!) but you can also find it in sweet things like halva. It pairs up so nicely with chocolate.
- The loaf is sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds just before baking, but you could also top it with ganache!
Ingredients Needed
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post
- Bananas: Of course you are going to need bananas for this! Make sure your bananas are ripe with several dark spots on them, this will make them easier to mash and also they'll be much sweeter.
- Sour Cream: The sour cream makes the banana bread super moist! You can substitute it for full fat yoghurt if you don't have sour cream.
- Butter: I always use European style butter in my recipes. European style butter, like KerryGold, has a much higher butterfat content which makes the butter richer and creamier.
- Cocoa Powder: You'll need a bit of cocoa batter to mix with half of your banana bread batter, this is going to give us those swirls and marbling effect.
- Tahini: This Middle Eastern sesame paste tastes so delicious in baked goods! You can find it in most grocery stores.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Mash your bananas with a fork or potato masher. Set aside.
Step 2: Beat your butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add in your sugars and beat again.
Step 3: Whisk together your baking soda, salt and flour in a medium bowl.
Step 4: Add your vanilla extract, egg and tahini to your butter mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn the speed to low and add your mashed bananas - it is going to be slightly lumpy which is fine.
Step 5: Add your dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream. Make sure you begin and end with the dry ingredients.
Step 6: Take out about half of the banana bread batter. Pour in cocoa powder to the remaining batter and fold until it is evenly incorporated.
Step 7: In a 8.5x4.5" loaf pan that is greased and lined, use an ice cream scooper or large spoon to scoop out the plain and chocolate batter into a checkerboard pattern. You will have enough batter to do two layers of this.
Step 8: Use a butter knife to swirl the two batters together, I find it easiest to do a few figure-8 shapes. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients (including the sour cream!) before you start baking.
- Use a light metal pan for this recipe. A dark metal will scorch the sides of the loaf.
- Be sure to allow your loaf to cool completely before slicing into it, otherwise the loaf will fall apart when you cut into it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you really need to get things going, make sure your bananas are in a warm area in a paper bag for a day or two. I have seen 'hacks' for cooking your bananas to make them ripen faster but this won't give you the same banana taste!
Wrap up your banana bread in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap up each slice in foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
I'm using a 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan. If you use a 9×5, while that doesn't seem like a huge difference, will make your loaf a lot flatter and won't need as much time in the oven.
Try these loaf recipes next!
Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Tahini Chocolate Banana Bread
Equipment
- 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 192 grams (¾ cup) bananas
- 180 grams (1 ½ cups) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter room temperature
- 99 grams (½ cup) sugar
- 106 grams (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 113 grams (½ cup) sour cream room temperature
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Topping
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease and line a 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan.
- Mash your bananas until smooth, set aside. You can use a fork or a potato masher to mash them.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside
- In your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add your sugars and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes
- Add the vanilla, tahini and the egg, then beat well to incorporate.
- Turn the speed to low and add your mashed bananas, your mixture might be lumpy which is fine!
- Add the dry ingredients in three additions on low speed, alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients
- Scrape out half of the batter into a separate bowl. Fold in your cocoa powder and mix until it is evenly incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon, scoop out the plain and chocolate batter into a checkerboard pattern. You will have enough batter to do two layers of this. Use a butter knife to swirl it together, making sure your knife reaches the bottom to swirl those layers together. Be sure not to swirl too much or it will become muddy!
- Tap the pan on your counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Sprinkle over your sesame seeds if using.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, a toothpick inserted will come out with a few crumbs. If it is browning too quickly, place some foil on top
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anna says
"Scrape out half of the batter into a separate bowl" is there a measurement in grams for how much batter is half?
"Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon, scoop out the plain and chocolate batter" could you explain what size of a scoop? like 2tbsp or 3tbsp? the amount of layers and how much of a swirl you get depends on the measurement of half the batter as well as the size of each scoop
It would be a lot more clear instructions
anon says
Hi, I was wondering can I make this without coco powder? I don't really see why I couldn't given it's a dry ingredient but I wanted to make sure
Ella says
Hi there! I haven't tested this recipe without cocoa powder unfortunately! If you're looking for a regular banana bread, I recommend checking out my chocolate chunk banana bread recipe.