Banana hazelnut chocolate bread by Jess Sepel

April 10, 2017
Banana hazelnut chocolate bread by Jess Sepel

The JSHealth community so adored the banana bread in my first book that I felt I really should include a variation of it in this book. And I have to tell you, it could be my favourite sweet treat in this chapter. A slice of this with a smear of almond butter and a cup of chai and I’m in heaven. 

Banana hazelnut chocolate bread

Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, including cooking

Ingredients

  • coconut oil spray
  • almond meal, for coating
  • 200 g hazelnut meal, plus extra if needed
  • 50 g LSA or ground flaxseed
  • 3 tablespoons psyllium husk (for a fibre hit, but optional)
  • 2 heaped tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 40 g hazelnuts, skins removed, crushed or chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 75 g roughly chopped dark chocolate or raw vegan chocolate chunks
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3 eggs
  • 90 g medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of your choice), plus extra if needed
  • 2 tablespoons virgin organic coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons stevia granules, raw honey or maple syrup
  • ½ banana, extra, sliced
  • almond butter, raw honey and raw cacao powder,extra, to serve

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas 4). Lightly spray a standard loaf tin with coconut oil and coat generously with almond meal, tipping out the excess.

2

Combine the hazelnut meal, LSA or fl axseed, psyllium husk (if using), cacao powder, hazelnuts, cinnamon, baking powder and chocolate in a large mixing bowl.

3

In a jug, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, dates, milk, coconut oil and sweetener.

4

Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

5

If the batter is too wet, add extra hazelnut meal; if it is too dry, add more milk.

6

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and decorate the top with the sliced banana.

7

Bake for 45–60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

8

Remove and allow to cool in the tin.

9

Gently tip the cooled loaf out of the tin and cut into slices. This is delicious served with almond butter, honey and a sprinkle of cacao powder.

10

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or wrap individual slices and store in the freezer for a month.

Living the Healthy Life by Jessica Sepel is out Thursday (6th April), published by Bluebird, £16.99. Images by Rob Palmer.

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