Hot Chocolate Banana Bread (Vegan Gluten-Free)

Here I share my favourite vegan recipes that are not only delicious, but they are vibrant, wholesome and designed to nourish you from the inside out with vegan and vegan curious followers.

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sweets & snacks

This Hot Chocolate Banana Bread aka chocolate, marshmallow and (coconut) cream banana bread is rich, fudgy and so delicious. A moist and cake-y double chocolate loaf topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and more chocolate, plus it’s easily gluten-free, too.

I am back with the first banana bread of 2022 and it’s a good one. As always, I have the year planned out, with one or two months with multiple ideas so we shall see what comes about, but to kick start the year, it just had to be something cosy, delicious and enticing. You can watch how to decorate it here.

Sprinkling chocolate over a loaf of Hot Chocolate Banana Bread — Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

How delicious is this Hot Chocolate Banana Bread?

It is pretty special if you ask me, my family and my friends who all love it. This banana bread loaf is:

Rich and chocolatey
Fudgy and indulgent
Made with simple wholefoods
A one-bowl recipe
Packed with gooey marshmallows
Topped with light and fluffy vanilla cream
Decorated with more marshmallows and chocolate
Sweet but not too sweet
A great dessert of afternoon tea delight
Naturally vegan and nut-free and easily gluten-free

I am so excited for you to try this one, and if you want to make this right away, skip ahead to the recipe card and make sure you read the full method before getting started. First, let’s discuss the ingredients in more detail.

Close up of Hot Chocolate Banana Bread — Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

What ingredients go into this loaf?

I based this brand new bake on my beloved Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Banana Bread as it’s so rich and delicious. The base is:

Bananas: the riper and better and always weigh them out as bananas vary in size so much. If you don’t like bananas, you can swap this for sweet potato or pumpkin puree, too.
Plant-based milk: any milk is great here like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from a carton).
Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar: this reacts with the milk to curdle and form a buttermilk which is great at binding batters. You will see there is no direct egg replacement as this works as it is.
Coconut or caster sugar: for a richer caramel-like flavour I love to use coconut sugar but white or golden caster will also be great.
Sunflower or coconut oil: if using sunflower oil, just use it straight from the glass or if using coconut oil, make sure to melt it fully and then allow it to cool. It needs to be liquid but if it is too hot, it will harden when it meets the milk.
Vanilla: for the flavour.
Plain flour: or use gluten-free plain flour with xantham gum. This keeps the loaf light and springy while still being moist and cake-y.
Hot chocolate powder: to make this Hot Chocolate Banana Bread really hot chocolate-like, I’ve used hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa/cacao powder. It adds a bit more sweetness and mine was slightly spiced which added more flavour. You can just stick to regular cocoa or cacao powder, though.
Bicarbonate of soda: for the rise.
Salt: for the flavour.
Chocolate chips: for inside the loaf. Or you can just chop up a bar of chocolate.
Mini marshmallows:these melt and turn gooey as they bake which is the dreamiest, it keeps the loaf really moist. Make sure these are vegan and gelatine-free, I used the mini pink and white ones from Freedom Mallow.

Now onto the decoration. As the loaf is quite sweet from the hot cocoa powder and the marshmallows, I kept it simple on top with a light coconut frosting:

Thick coconut yoghurt: the top-quality coconut yoghurts are thick and have a very high percentage of actual coconut cream, so they work in the same way. You could use another really thick Greek-style yoghurt that’s dairy-free, too. You can also use any other dairy-free whipped cream like coconut whipped cream from a can.
Vanilla: the yoghurt I used was vanilla so this added enough sweetness, but if you are using plain cream/yoghurt, add ½ – 1 tsp vanilla essence.
Marshmallows: for the top I used mini and regular sized marshmallows.
Chocolate: melted chocolate and chopped/grated chocolate add the finishing touches to this Hot Chocolate Banana Bread.

Pouring chocolate over a slice of Hot Chocolate Banana Bread — Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

How do I make this banana bread?

This one is so simple to make and comes together in one bowl (or I do like to use a blender so it’s one bowl and one blender). Take a look at how to decorate the loaf here.

Method 1 using a blender: add the banana, milk, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, sugar, oil and vanilla to a blender and blend till smooth and pour into a large bowl.
Method 2 without a blender: mash the banana in a large bowl until really smooth and then stir in the milk, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, sugar, oil and vanilla.
For both methods: into the wet mix, sift the flour, hot chocolate powder and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk until smooth (and I do always use a balloon whisk).
Fold in the chocolate and marshmallows: until evenly dispersed and pour into a lined loaf tin.
Bake until risen: and smelling amazing. Lift out the tin after 10 minutes and then allow to cool fully.
Whip up the coconut cream: until really fluffy. I used an electric whisk to make this quickly and airy.
Decorate the loaf: with the whipped coconut cream, extra marshmallows and chocolate.

Is this banana bread gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, this is easily gluten-free if you use a gluten-free flour blend (all blends vary so use a 1:1 baking blend that you like and that contains xantham gum). This recipe is naturally nut-free, just check that your plant-based milk and chocolate are nut-free where needed.

A slice of Hot Chocolate Banana Bread on a plate — Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

How long will this loaf last for?

Not long in my house, but you can store leftover banana bread in the fridge for 3-5 days in a sealed container, although the marshmallows on top do turn slightly squishy over time. You can freeze the un-decorated loaf for up to1 month in the freezer and de-frost at room temperature before decorating.

What other banana bread and loaf cakes can I make?

I hope you will love this Hot Chocolate Banana Bread and if you are looking for more banana bread and loaf cake, how about my: