I am head over heels for the marriage of raspberries and chocolate. I adapted gluten-free recipe to play up my favorite seductive flavor combination in a dark, decadent swirl. 
I love the subtle crunch of raspberry seeds in the thick of the banana bread's soft crumb and the sunny tang of the fruit cutting through dark bittersweet chocolate.
The moist, tender quality of the bread comes from coconut flour, a popular ingredient in the gluten-free baking world that is now widely available at many well-stocked grocery stores. Aside from the sugar in the dark chocolate chips, there is no added sugar in this recipe. The bread relies on the natural sugars that develop in overripe bananas, so for best results be sure yours are very brown before baking.
Raspberry-Chocolate-Swirl Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe medium bananas (about 1 pound, peeled)
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup unsweetened almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup raspberries, room temperature
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9-by-5-inch metal loaf pan with coconut oil, butter or canola oil cooking spray.
- Combine bananas, eggs, butter, almond butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir or blend (an immersion blender works well here) until mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Combine coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate small bowl and stir well with a whisk to break up any clumps. Add flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring until totally combined and no lumps remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
- Next, in a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave on medium power, stirring every 30 seconds until mostly melted. Chocolate will continue melting after removed from microwave, so a few small remaining chunks are okay. Add cinnamon and raspberries and mash with a fork into the melted chocolate. If the chocolate becomes hard, warm again briefly in the microwave.
- Spoon the raspberry-chocolate swirl in little dollops on top of the batter and use a butter knife to swirl into the mixture throughout the loaf.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. Keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
