Black Forest Chocolate Quick Bread
Black Forest Chocolate Quick Bread is a straightforward, quick bread that you can whip together in fifteen minutes, yet it tastes like you slaved all day over it. It has all of the ingredients of a black forest cherry cake or a banana split. The whole family will love this easy loaf.
Quick Breads are super easy and one of my favorite baking projects because of this fact. The preparation takes the longest, but it is still fast and easy to get it into the oven.
What you Need
- Flour: All-purpose flour. When measuring flour, lightly spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup until it is overfull. Use a bread knife or a similar flat tool to level the flour off.
- Baking soda: Similarly, measure baking soda as the flour in a teaspoon.
- Salt: Adding a little salt to the dry ingredients increases the flavor of the bread.
- Bananas: Use ripe bananas, preferably ones that have been frozen at least overnight. Freezing brings out the natural sweetness of the banana.
- Oil: A mild oil like vegetable oil.
- Milk: You can use any milk that you have on hand.
- Eggs: Use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa powder adds a deep, rich chocolate flavor without the extra cost or calories of real chocolate.
- Sweet Cherries: Halved and pitted fresh sweet cherries, or you can use canned sweet cherries and let them drain very well.
- Nuts: Use walnuts, pecans or almonds.
How to make Black Forest – Chocolate Banana Bread
I use frozen bananas if I have them. Freezing the bananas intensifies the sugars in the bananas and provides a deeper banana flavor. If you don’t have frozen bananas, use a pastry blender, a large fork or a potato masher to mash the bananas.
Measure the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.
Pit the cherries. I use a paring knife to cut the cherries in half. Twist the two halves. One of the halves will hold the pit. Cut the half with the pit in half again and twist. Then, you either have to cut the pit out of the quarter that it stuck to or use your finger to pry it out. Warning! It may take you 3 days to get the cherry juice off of your hands! Everyone who has tried this bread agrees they like the large pieces of cherry. I don’t cut them any smaller than the halves and quarters. If you’d prefer smaller chunks, you can always chop them a bit.
Coarsely chop a heaping 1/2 cup of pecans. (You could substitute walnuts)
At this point, preheat oven to 350°F. Break the eggs into your measuring cup. You always want to break the eggs into something else in case you get an eggshell. Add them to the bananas in the mixing bowl.
Add the oil and milk to the mixing bowl.
Beat the bananas for about 2 minutes. There will be some small chunks of banana, which is fine.
Beat in oil, vanilla, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder and milk for about 2 minutes until nice and frothy.
Add the dry ingredients, about one cup at a time, and mix just to incorporate.
Add the cherries and nuts and mix them in by hand.
Spray baking pans with no-stick spray. Or prepare pans with butter or margarine and then flour. Shake off excess flour.
Pour the batter into the pans. Fill them about ⅔ full. Will make approximately five mini loaf pans or two large loaf pans.
Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes to 1 hour for the mini loaves (start testing at 45 minutes) or 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes for a standard loaf pan. Test by sticking a toothpick, cake tester or small knife in the center of the loaf; if it comes out clean, they are done!
Origins of Quick Bread
Quick bread originated in the United States sometime in the late 18th century. It is believed that the lack of skilled bread bakers and the recent introduction of leavening agents, such as baking powder and baking soda, coupled with the demand of the military during the Civil War, precipitated the need for breads made quickly and quick breads were born.
How to Store Bread
Store bread wrapped in aluminum foil on the counter for 5 days.
This bread freezes well for up to six months and probably beyond, but it will never last that long! To freeze the bread, wrap it in freezer paper as you would wrap a gift. It can be stored in plastic freezer bags, but it tends to get soggy.
If you’re a chocoholic, too, try these Triple chocolate muffins! Yummy!
I hope you enjoy the Black Forest – chocolate quick bread recipe today! If you give it a try, tag #binkysculinarycarnival!
Tools I Use to Make Chocolate Quick Bread
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Black Forest Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup oil
- ¼ cup milk (any milk will work)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 cup pitted sweet cherries (about ¾ of a quart of fresh or frozen cherries)
- heaping 1/2 c. nuts (I used pecans)
- non stick spray for pan
Instructions
- Either hand mixing or an electric mixer work equally as well for this recipe.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Prepare the cherries next because they take the longest. Cut them in half lengthwise and twist the two halves apart. One of the halves will still have the pit attached. Cut the half with the pit again lengthwise. One of the quarters will easily fall away from the pit. The other may take a bit of coaxing with your paring knife or fingernail. Be advised they WILL stain your fingers, clothing, etc., etc! Set the cherries aside.2 cup pitted sweet cherries
- Once the cherries are done, you’re home free!
- Preheat the oven at this point to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Spray baking pans with no stick spray. No need for butter and flour!non stick spray for pan
- Peel and mash bananas with a pastry blender or potato masher. I like to leave a few larger chunks.4 mashed very ripe bananas
- Break eggs into your mixing bowl. Whisk.2 eggs
- Add oil and milk and mix thoroughly.½ cup oil, ¼ cup milk
- Add sugar and fully incorporate into the wet ingredients.1 cup Sugar
- Add bananas and vanilla and fully mix again.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Next add the flour mixture just until the flour is moistened. then add cocoa and mix again, just until moistened.½ cup Cocoa powder
- Scrape the bowl thoroughly. At this point, remove from the power mixer and mix the cherries and nuts in by hand.heaping 1/2 c. nuts
- Fill prepared pans about ⅔ full.
- Bake for 45 minutes for mini loaf pans and 1 hour for large loaf pan. Test with a cake tester for doneness. If tester comes out clean, it’s done.
- Carefully remove from oven to a cooling rack. Let cool in pan for at least 15 min.
- Loosen edges with a knife and turn pan over with your other hand ready to catch the bread. It usually pops right out. If it doesn’t and it’s still hot, let it cool a while longer in the pan.
- If you forgot about it and it’s cold, coax it out with a spatula.
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Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published 8/17/2015. Updated February 2, 2025.
Hi Beth
If using frozen cherries should I thaw them out first and dry them off first what about coating them in flour?
Yes, I would definitely thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, in a colander over a large bowl to catch drips. Dry them with paper towels. A quick flour dredge will definitely not hurt. Just shake off the extra flour. Let me know how it goes, Ivan.