First of all, I promise you these are so much more chocolatey than you expect! These Chocolate Banana Squares have the consistency of chocolate cake, but the banana and almond flour give them a much deeper flavour and an intense chocolatiness - they're a real treat!
I'm not going to call these 'healthy', but they are better for you than a traditional slice of chocolate cake or a brownie, as some of the flour is replaced with almond flour and a huge part of the sweetness comes from the banana. Also, they use dark chocolate which is better for you in general. And you certainly aren't compromising on taste by choosing a Chocolate Banana Square!
What do they taste like?
Super chocolatey. That's the first thing to note. I was surprised when I first tasted them as I thought they would taste somewhat... healthy? But these could easily fulfil any chocolate craving!
Bananas are obviously a key ingredient in these Chocolate Banana Squares, but they aren't an overpowering flavour. You can certainly taste the banana but it's more of a 'banana flavoured chocolate cake' than a 'chocolate flavoured banana cake'... if that makes sense!
Ingredients in Chocolate Banana Squares
All purpose flour - just regular flour helps to give these squares their cakey texture
Ground Almonds - also known as 'almond flour'. This makes the squares a little more dense and adds an extra layer of flavour
Sugar - I used white sugar, but you could mix it up and use golden or brown sugar in this recipe instead for a little caramel flavour
Bananas - make sure your bananas are ripe and a bit brown - they will mash up easier and blend into the batter more easily. The mushier your bananas the more flavourful your chocolate banana squares will be!
Cocoa Powder - the cocoa powder goes a long way here, mixed with the banana and almond flour these are super chocolatey. For beset results try to get Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder
Eggs - make sure your eggs are room temperature before you begin so mixture all comes together nicely
Cinnamon - the cinnamon is optional, but I find you don't really taste the cinnamon in this recipe, it just adds another layer of flavour and enhances the other ingredients in the chocolate banana squares
Butter - use salted or unsalted, whichever you prefer. If using unsalted, just add a ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe. Make sure the butter is melted but not hot before adding to the mix
Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk to hand you can just replace with regular milk here. We aren't using the buttermilk to react with baking soda or anything so regular milk will do just fine - I just like the flavour that buttermilk adds!
Dark Chocolate Chunks - I like this best with dark chocolate, but you could do with any chocolate you like, I just think the dark chocolate offsets the sweetness of the banana really well.
Want more Banana recipes?
Check out my Banoffee Pie or Nutella Stuffed Banana Muffins!
Chocolate Banana Squares
Equipment
- Square Cake Pan
Ingredients
For the Squares
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ cup Ground Almonds
- ¾ cup White Sugar
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Bananas ripe and mashed
- 2 tablespoon Buttermilk
- 1 stick Butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks
For the Glanache Topping
- 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate chunks or chopped
- ¾ cup Whipping Cream
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Banana Squares
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180 °C and line a line a square baking pan
- Combine the flour, sugar, ground almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl
- In another bowl, mix together the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer
- Add in the chopped chocolate or chocoalte chunks and mix through
- Pour into the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes
- Allow to cool completely before decorating or slicing
Make the Ganache
- Heat the cream on low in a saucepan until just starting to simmer
- Pour over the chocolate and stir until all combined and glossy
- Allow to cool before spreading on the squares
Andrea
I had never heard of chocolate banana brownies! These were sooo delicious