Vegan Ferrero Rocher Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Ferrero Rocher Banana Bread is rich, chocolatey, nutty and subtly sweet, packed with chocolate hazelnut spread, and topped with a thick layer of chocolate yoghurt frosting. Serve this vegan, gluten-free and delicious loaf with tea or coffee for the best snack.

The banana bread of the month for October is here and it’s a really delicious one. It’s rich and indulgent but the ingredients are simple, mainly wholesome and easy to find. If you love Ferrero Rocher chocolate truffles then this is the loaf for you. I’ve made some Ferrero Rocher Protein Balls to go on top as well as being filled with chocolate chips, hazelnuts, chocolate hazelnut truffles, chocolate hazelnut spread and layered with more chocolate.

Why will I love this banana bread?

This banana bread really is the chocolate-hazelnut dream, it’s:

• Rich, chocolatey, nutty and delicious
• Sweet but not too sweet
• Packed with chocolates, hazelnuts and truffles
• With a hidden layer of chocolate hazelnut spread
• Made with wholesome ingredients
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free
• Easily nut-free
• Easy to make in one bowl
• Great for serving for friends and family

If you already love the sound of this Vegan Ferrero Rocher Banana Bread then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

The banana bread recipe is made with a few staple ingredients:

• Ripe banana: the riper the better for this banana bread as it’s sweeter, softer and better for a delicious batter. Always weigh your bananas as they vary in size a lot.
• Coconut sugar: for sweetness in the batter. I like the caramel-like taste and colour of coconut sugar but you can also use golden or regular caster sugar or light brown sugar, too.
• Olive or sunflower oil: for moisture and a healthy dose of fats. You could also try this with melted and cooled coconut oil.
• Smooth runny hazelnut butter: this adds to the Ferrero Rocher flavour and adds some richness, smoothness and nuttiness to the batter. You can use other nut or seed butter like pecan, cashew, almond or sunflower seed butter or tahini.
• Thick coconut yoghurt: the thicker the better for this loaf as it adds moisture and deliciousness. I like the one from Cocos Organic either the vanilla or natural yoghurts, as they are really creamy, but other dairy-free Greek-style yoghurts are great.
• Lemon juice: this helps the batter to bind.
• Vanilla essence: for flavour.
• Plain or gluten-free plain flour: this keeps the loaf nice and moist. If using gluten-free flour, use your preferred 1:1 baking blend. You could try this with wholemeal or spelt flour (although these are not gluten-free).
• Ground hazelnuts: these add to the chocolate-hazelnut flavour and add a lovely texture, much like ground almonds. To make your own ground hazelnuts, add them a blender and process to a fine meal/flour (stop before they start to clump and turn into hazelnut butter).
• Vegan chocolate protein powder: this adds a lovely texture to the loaf and a boost of protein. I love the chocolate hazelnut or rocky road protein from Macromike for these (and you can save with code AMB-AMY).
• Baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt: for rise and flavour.
• Dark chocolate chips: any dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate is great for this bake.
• Hazelnuts: chop up some hazelnuts for folding into the batter.
• Vegan Ferrero Rocher: I use the delicious truffles from Love Raw for inside the banana bread and they are just as good (if not better) than I remember. If you don’t have and of these, just skip these out or add some more chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
• Vegan chocolate spread: there are a few dairy-free and vegan chocolate hazelnut spreads. I use the date hazelnut and chocolate spread from KoRo which is delicious and so rich.

As for the frosting and decorating:

• Thick coconut yoghurt: as above, the thicker the better.
• Vegan chocolate protein: this adds the chocolate flavour and a thick, mousse-like texture. I use the chocolate hazelnut one or the rocky road flavour, as mentioned above.
• Ferrero Rocher Protein Balls: I love these protein balls and chopping them up to add on top, makes this banana bread even more of a showstopper.
• Melted chocolate: because more is more when it comes to chocolate. You can use any dairy-free chocolate, I prefer dark or hazelnut chocolate.

How do I make this loaf?

You can make this in one bowl:

• Mash the banana: until smooth.
• Whisk together all the wet ingredients: to a smooth batter.
• Add in the dry ingredients: and mix again until smooth.
• Fold in the chocolates, hazelnuts and Ferrero Rocher: until combined.
• Pour half the batter into the tin: smooth over the top.
• Drizzle over the chocolate hazelnut spread: and swirl through.
• Top with the rest of the batter: and some extra chocolate chips.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until cooked through: and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin then on a wire rack: until fully cooled.
• Stir together the yoghurt and protein powder: for the frosting.
• Spread the frosting over the loaf: and top with the Ferrero Rocher Protein Balls, more chocolate, hazelnuts and melted chocolate.

Can I make this nut-free and gluten-free?

This banana bread is gluten-free as long as you use your favourite 1:1 baking blend of plain flour with xanthan gum. To make this nut-free, swap the hazelnut butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter, swap the ground hazelnuts for extra flour or ground up sunflower seeds, change the hazelnuts for more chocolate chips and make sure that your Ferrero Rocher and chocolate spread are free from nuts. Also check that your yoghurt and protein powders are nut-free.

How long will this last?

This banana bread did not last long at home at all, but it will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge in a sealed container. You can also freeze the unfrosted loaf for 1 month, wrapped well and allow to defrost before decorating.

I love this banana bread, what else can I make?

I hope you are going to love this Vegan Ferrero Rocher Banana Bread and for more ideas, how about my:

• Snickers Banana Bread
• Biscoff Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
• Tiramisu Banana Bread
• Dirty Chai Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Vegan Ferrero Rocher Banana Bread so please leave a comment review and a star review above. If you do make this loaf, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Ferrero Rocher BB love x