To me, bananas and chocolate go together like peanut butter and chocolate. They are both such great flavor combinations! So when I recently received some Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks in the mail, I knew I'd have to use them to make a treat with either banana or peanut butter (or I could have made something with both!). Since I just so happened to have a couple ripe bananas that were perfect for baking, the bananas and chocolate combo won out. :)
As you can see from the bag, the Enjoy Life mega chunks are dairy, nut, and soy free. They are perfect for making treats for friends or family members who might have certain dietary restrictions (you can read the full ingredient list here). Since allergies and dietary restrictions are becoming more and more common these days, it's nice to have delicious, alternative options that work for everyone. In fact, all Enjoy Life products are gluten-free. Awesome!!
A few of these chocolate chunks just happened to fall into my hand and then into my mouth while baking (how did that happen?!), and I must say, they were delicious! I could have easily snacked on more than just the 3 or 4 chunks that I had... But, I knew I had to save them for baking so I practiced a little self-control. ;)
The recipe that inspired this banana chocolate chunk bread came from the blog, Framed Cooks. The original recipe for banana chocolate chip cake is posted here, and the ingredients I used are listed below. They are slightly different, of course! When do I ever follow a recipe exactly?! I chose to use both all-purpose and whole wheat flour, and I added some cinnamon to the recipe too. Finally, I increased the amount of chocolate chips (or chunks, in my case) from 3/4 cup to 1 cup. You could also easily make this cake entirely gluten-free by substituting a gluten-free flour and baking powder.
Ingredients:
-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-2/3 cup sugar
-1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1 egg
-1/2 cup melted butter (unsalted), cooled slightly
-1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
-1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium-large bananas)
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon with a whisk; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, milk, and mashed bananas. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until well-combined, but be careful not to over-mix. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 - 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 16 servings.
Love the ooey gooey chocolate-y goodness in this photo! The chocolate chunks melted a bit during the baking, and I tell ya, they made this cake oh-so-good.
The cake itself (other than being chocolate-y) was very moist. Gotta love a moist cake!
The only problem I had with this cake was deciding whether it was better suited for breakfast or dessert. Let's just say that I've tried it out each way and it works just as well for both. :)
In the same package that contained the Enjoy Life Mega Chunks was a bag of Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch Granola. Such an exciting package that was!
I don't know about you, but I love granola that is really crunchy. To me, this granola is the perfect, crunchy texture! Sooo good. And the chocolate flavor was just right too; it was perfectly chocolate-y but not overly sweet.
While baking the banana chocolate chunk cake, I decided to keep with the bananas and chocolate theme so I enjoyed a snack of some granola in a dish of banana-flavored yogurt. YUM!
The crunchy texture of the granola stood up well to the yogurt and it didn't become soggy, which was great (I don't care for soggy granola!).
It was the perfect healthy and filling snack!
The chocolate granola is nut and gluten free, so it's yet another great product for anyone with allergies or restrictions in their diet.
Thank you to Enjoy Life for sending me a couple of their fabulous products! They are sold at many different nation-wide grocery stores, so chances are, you can also find some Enjoy Life foods near you to try too. :)
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