Marbled Banana Bread
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With a gorgeous ribbon of chocolate running through it, this marbled banana bread is as impressive as it is delicious.
I haven’t been shy about offering up banana bread recipes on this site (pick your flavor: chai-spiced banana bread, chocolate banana bread, or coconut banana bread) but this one is such a beauty, I couldn’t resist adding one more. Tender and sweet with a gorgeous ribbon of melted chocolate running through it, marbled banana bread is as impressive looking as it is delicious. Plus, it’s fun to make: you spoon the banana and chocolate batters into a loaf pan alternately, then artistically swirl the two together with a knife.
Table of Contents
“I am pretty sure that my kids beg me to buy bananas at the grocery store, only to let them go brown, so that I have to make this banana bread. So delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Marbled Banana Bread
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, baking soda and salt.
Whisk to combine.
Set aside, then cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Beating well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat on low speed to combine.
Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Place the chopped chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave in short intervals, stirring in between so the chocolate doesn’t scorch, until the chocolate is almost melted. Stir, letting the residual heat melt the chocolate completely, then stir in the cocoa powder.
Add one cup of the batter to the melted chocolate.
Stir until well combined.
Spoon the two batters alternately into a greased loaf pan.
Then swirl with a knife. Don’t over-swirl or the colors will get muddled—four or five times up and back should do it.
Bake for about an hour and ten minutes.
Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for about ten minutes, then remove and cool completely.
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Marbled Banana Bread
With a gorgeous ribbon of chocolate running through it, this marbled banana bread is as impressive as it is delicious.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (a heaping ½ cup)
- 2 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan generously with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high power in 20 second intervals, stopping to stir in between, until about 80% melted. Stir until smooth, letting the residual heat in the bowl melt the remaining bits of unmelted chocolate. Add the cocoa powder and stir until dissolved. Add one cup of the banana bread batter to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined.
- Spoon the plain batter and chocolate batter alternately into the prepared loaf pan. Swirl the batters together with a knife (don't overdo it or the colors will get muddled -- up and back 4 to 5 times should suffice). Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and set on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 276g
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Sugar: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 246mg
- Cholesterol: 56mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I tried it and it worked out delicious! I had to cover my mold on the last ten minutes of baking since it wasn’t done yet and it didn’t want to over bake it. I covered it with aluminum foil and it was perfect.
Probably my oven wasn’t hot enough or just the conversion F/C did not go well. It’d be amazing if you could also add it to your recipes.
I changed the milk for almond milk for the buttermilk (made it with lemon myself) since I am lactose intolerant. I also did not include the chocolate bars since the ones I found here in Germany contain butter. I also changed the butter for vegetable fat (I know, it’s horrible due to palm oil but after making the cake for the first time I realized I have this condition and had to try it again since it was too good).
I wish we could see in your recipes some alternatives for these problems.
The bread stayed moist for almost a week, even after been on the fridge for a couple of days, so I guess It does really work.
Should you use dutch cocoa or regular in this recipe?
Also I would like to make minis for the holidays. How many mini pans would I use to replace the one 5×9 pan?
Many thanks!
Hi Alice, I’d use regular cocoa powder for this and while I haven’t made mini loaves with this recipe, I would guesstimate that you’d get 3 to 4 loaves from the batter. Bake time will be less, so keep a close eye on them. Hope you enjoy!
So delicious!! Every person who has tasted it always comes back for seconds and thirds. I like to give my children’s teachers home baked gifts for the holidays and I think they would all love this one! I was wondering what you think the cooking time would be if I did small individual loaf pans?
Hi Jenine, I would guesstimate that they’d take about 45 minutes, but keep a close eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out as minis!
I have tried many marbled loaf recipes and none of those recipes had ever impressed me. I had given up on trying to find a great recipe for marbled loaf but I am so happy that I found this one and it turned out perfect the very first time! I love the bananas, it makes the loaf moist and has a nice sweet banana bread texture. The chocolate/marbled part of the loaf has a nice deep rich chocolate flavour and I enjoy the balance of tang from the sour cream. Thank you Jenn for sharing this recipe! All your recipes become family/friends favourites! My belly (and family/friends) are happy that I hadn’t given up on the perfect marbled loaf!
I made this the other day and normally I am not really a banana bread fan, but making it marbled with chocolate, Oh My!! So good! This will be the only way I make it. Thanks for the recipe!
Unable to post a pic as it has all been eaten. Next time. 🙂
Can I use cake flour instead please?
For best results, I’d stick with all-purpose flour here — sorry!
For what it’s worth, I made this recipe with French all-purpose flour, which I understand is similar to cake flour. It turned out amazing! I mean, maybe it would be even better with American all-purpose flour, but we are blissfully ignorant for now!
Thank you Jenn,
Best chocolate banana bread ever!
Everyone loves it, family and friends.
Hi Jenn, I made this last night. It was very delicious although my marbling technique could do with some work as I over marbled. However, the recipe had only cup measures and I live in the UK, I tried my best to convert it using your other banana bread recipes but I was wondering if you add the metric measurements as I will definitely be making this again. Still planning on making the tres leche cake😋
Hi Nenny, Glad you enjoyed this (and the marbling technique gets easier with time). I just added the metric conversions for this. Hope you find them helpful!
Definitely very helpful. Many many thanks Jenn 😊
I made this again using the metric measure, it was so much better than the first one, not as dense, I converted erroneously and used more flour the first time and my marbling is getting better. Thanks.
I made this yesterday and it’s the best banana bread I’ve eaten!! My son exclaimed it too after he ate way too many pieces! The recipes is simple, stress-free and it came out perfectly just like the picture! The marbled chocolate in it makes it over the top delicious! Jen, thanks so much for your wonderful recipes; your website is definitely my go -to whenever I want to make something good and not fail!
Sarah
Best use of bananas ever! I have even made these in a muffin pan too. My kids love it!
This is wonderful! So moist and delicious. Everytime I make this I double it because it disappears so quickly!
After making Jenn’s Chai-Spiced Banana Bread countless times, I finally realized that I should try a new banana bread recipe of hers. Surely, it would be a variation of perfection? Yup, it was. My marbling skills suck, but the banana bread was utterly wonderful. The only change I made was that I used instant espresso powder in place of cocoa powder, which I didn’t have. I feel as if I’m cheating on my beloved chai-spiced banana bread, but this marbled version might just be my new favourite!
The kids and nanny want to make their Army dad a camo cake but he’s on a diet – I’m thinking this might be the perfect middle ground. 🙂 If I wanted to add green food coloring to the non-chocolate half of the batter, would you suggest I use liquid or gel food coloring?
How cute! I think you could get away with either liquid or gel food coloring. Hope he enjoys it! 🙂
If I wanted to bake this in smaller loaf pans what would the adjusted baking time be?
Hi Lisa, I’d start checking them at 40 – 45 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
If I used this recipe to bake muffins instead, what would be the baking time?
Hi Kate, Should be 20 – 25 min. Enjoy!
Hi!! Why sour cream in this recipe and not the normal banana bread one?
Hi Shannon, No reason — just two different (but equally delicious!) recipes. 🙂
Can I substitute Nutella for semi sweet chocolate?
Hi Din, I worry the consistency will be too thick to easily incorporate with the batter. You might heat it up to see if it liquifies a bit.
This is hands down the BEST over-the-top banana bread I’ve ever made! Just wait until your next bake sale and you’ll be a star!
Finally found my go to banana bread recipe. Simple, easy and delicious! Thank you
I have shared this numerous times and people love it so much. Can’t get enough of your recipes. Thank you for making them available! Yes I need to purchase your book too.
So glad you enjoy the recipes, Ann! 🙂
One of my 3 yrs old favorite and she loves helping me making it! Not overly sweet and great balance between the chocolate and the banana
Hi Jennifer,
Can I add chocolate chip? Or it will change the consistency?
Thank you dear
Sure, Erlina, it would be fine to add some chocolate chips to the batter. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, I am making this in Sponge cake pan, I don’t have the other kind. How long should I cook it? Looks yummy
Hi Lora, It’s a little hard to say but I’m guessing the cook time will be about the same.
Hi can I substitute the sour cream with plain yogurt?
Sure, Karen – that will work. 🙂
I substituted sour cream with 2% Fage yogurt and bread was delicious.
Jenn. this was wonderful. I am nibbling away at it…Have to practice my marbling, I tended to under marble it. After 50 minutes I covered with foil and then another 10 and it was beautiful. After adding the dry ingredients, I folded in the banana and sour cream. If I added the banana and sour cream before the dry ingredients, it would look curdled, but would be fine, wouldn’t it. All your recipes a are so great. My favorite food blog!
I am new to your site and would like to ask two questions: 1. Why “spoon in” the flour to a measuring cup ass opposed to “scooping” it out with the measuring cup? 2. Why add eggs one at at time instead of all together? Thanks for your time. I am going to try the chocolate marbled banana bread recipe.
Hi David, Regarding the flour, I use the “spoon and level” method to ensure an accurate measurement. Scooping the flour out of the container with your measuring cup packs the flour down and you’ll end up with more than you need. And the reason for adding one egg at a time is because it’s best to add any liquid ingredients slowly to give the mixture time to thicken and emulsify. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the bread!
I love this recipe so much, the kids have now started cooking it and they love making the swirly patterns! I have to say, it doesn’t normally get to cool as it is so delicious warm.
Everyone loves this recipe. It is so moist and delicious! I put strips of foil around the edge towards the end of baking so they don’t get overly brown.
I’m planning on using this recipe tonight. Can I substitute the sour cream with cream cheese? Thank you!
Hi Noor, Unfortunately that won’t work – sorry!
You can substitute the sourcream with a combination of buttermilk and butter. I know to get 1 cup of sourcream, it’s a combination of 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 1/4 cup of butter. This recipe requires half a cup of sourcream so I guess you will have to put some maths skills to use in order to work it out. Good luck
Is it possible to swap greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Yes – that will work. Enjoy!
I just made this loaf step by step……after an hour and 20 min. let it cool and still raw in middle???? this is twice now………so frustrating!
I’m sorry you’ve had a problem with this! Have you made any changes to the recipe or pan size? Is there any chance that you’ve mismeasured something?
Can I use bittersweet chocolate chips, same brand? Love your recipes.
Glad you like the recipes, Janice! Chocolate chips have less cocoa butter than chocolate bars in order to maintain their shape when heated. For best results, I’d stick with the chocolate in bar form for this -sorry!
Wonderful recipe! Tried making it today and my cake is super moist and with the right amount of sugar. I love it! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
May I use melted semi-sweet chocolate chips instead? If so, what would 3 oz. be in measuring cups?
Hi Jo, for the best results, I’d stick with the chocolate in bar form. Chocolate chips have stabilizers to help maintain their shape when heated, so they’re not optimal for a batter like this. Sorry!
Hi Jen; thinking of making this recipe as part of Sunday brunch. Instead of in a loaf making muffins.
Do you think it will make it less moist? Obviously, will but back baking time.
Also , do u think I can use rip bananas that I froze, or will it be too watery?
Love ❤️ EVERY recipe I have made, which are many!! Thanks
Hi Jenny, This will definitely work as muffins with a shorter baking time (and they won’t be dry). And frozen bananas are great – they’ll be watery when you defrost them but it won’t make any difference in the end. Enjoy!
What a great combo of bananas and chocolate. This bread was moist, flavorful and easy to make. Very well received at a local coffee. Will make again.
I made this for a party. I love baking and knew it would be a hit. My friends loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I’ve made this twice already and it always comes out great! I stick to the recipe and even use the same chocolate but I have added a pinch of cinnamon just because. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
thank you for the recipe. i just made it and it’s too salty. 1/2 tsp should be enough 🙂
Seriously delicious cake which my daughter made for us today … nearly all went before it was cold!
Does it need to be stored in the fridge as it has sour cream in it? Also, is the UK equivalent of semisweet chocolate plain or milk? Thanks!
Hi Kat, this can be stored right on the counter. The UK’s equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate is plain. Hope you enjoy!
Wonderful. My family likes this even better than the buttermilk banana bread recipe I’ve been making for years. I’m at 4,800 ft above sea level and no ingredient changes were necessary whether making 1 9×5 or 2 8×4 (I baked the 8×4 loaves for 50 minutes).
What is the material for this loaf pan?
Can I use pyrex or a metal pan?
Are you using non stick?
Thanks so much, Ellen
Hi Ellen, I use metal nonstick pans. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen,
I absolutely love all of your breads, so I decided to give this one a try. A lot of the reviews talk about how moist the bread is, but mine turned out a little dry. The flavor is delish, but could I have overbaked it (1 hour in gas oven)? Any advice?
Thanks!
Mary
Hi Mary, if it was dry, I suspect it was a bit overbaked. I don’t know a ton about gas ovens, so it’s hard for me to say for sure that it would cause an issue (but it sounds like you’ve used it for other breads of mine without a problem). Do you use the spoon and level method for measuring flour? If not, perhaps there was a bit too much flour which can cause a bread to be dry.
Delicious! So moist and just the right amount of chocolate and sweetness! I have tried 4 of Jenn’s recipes, and all are wonderful! My husband pre-ordered her cookbook for me as a Xmas gift — can’t wait!
I’m going to double the recipe- suggested baking time?
Also, I might make a batch as muffins… can you suggest a baking time?
Your recipes are awesome- thanks for making me look like a rockstar!
Hi Chitra, Glad you like the recipes! 🙂 For doubling the recipe, assuming you’re using two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, the baking time doesn’t need to be adjusted. For muffins, I think they should take about 30 minutes, but keep an eye on them!
How come the marble banana bread doesn’t call for baking powder?
Hi Heather, the recipe contains baking soda and, combined with acidic ingredients like the sour cream and cocoa powder, it provides ample leavening. Hope that clarifies!
Just made this bread and it was delicious, I made it for a fundraiser and now can’t wait till I have more ripened bananas for a loaf to keep home. I usually make a banana bread with mini chocolate chips but like the smoothness of mixing the chocolate into the batter. I also only had 1/3 cup sour cream, but it didn’t seem to matter. This recipe is a keeper and I wouldn’t change a thing about it!
This is now one of my go to recipes for a quick and sweet treat for my kids! I did make the following few tweaks to make the bread a slight bit more healthy and decadent with a less dense texture, and the kids still loved it: (1) Used whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, (2) Used 3/4 cup of Organic Cane sugar instead of a cup of white sugar, (3) Used 5.3 Oz of Plain Icelandic Yogurt instead of sour cream, and (4) Used 1 cup of Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chips (60%) which definitely added to the richness of the chocolate taste and texture of the bread. My kids couldn’t get enough of this delectable treat!
This banana bread is amazing. A new family favorite!
In trying to get ahead of the upcoming Jewish holidays, I would like to bake and cook a couple of things in the next few days and freeze everything. The holiday is about 2 weeks off. Does the Chocolate Marble Banana Cake and the Chicken Marbella freeze well?
Yes, Michelle, they both freeze nicely!
Do you think dark choc would be too overpowering?
If you prefer the taste of dark chocolate, I think it would work here. Hope you enjoy!