Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Banana Bread

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Calling all Nutella and banana bread lovers! This chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread has your name written all over it! This soft, fluffy banana bread is baked to perfection with a swirl of chocolate hazelnut spread throughout. It’s topped with an additional swirl of chocolate spread and speckled with chopped hazelnuts on top. 

This delicious bread is a yummy treat year-round. Great for having out for when friends come over, snacking on throughout the week, or making for a friend or neighbor. I mean, who doesn’t love a freshly-baked loaf of chocolatey banana bread!

Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread

• It has a super soft and moist crumb. The bananas in the batter will automatically create a denser texture, so it’s important to add leaveners and the right balance of ingredients to make a delicious crumb. And it’s safe to say we hit the sweet spot with this one! Each bite has an irresistibly soft crumb that will keep you coming back for more.
• Perfectly sweetened! You’d think that the chocolate hazelnut spread would add a lot of sweetness to the bread, but it actually balances well and adds a bit of nuttiness to the loaf.
• Swirls of hazelnut spread throughout! We did not skimp on the hazelnut spread! We wanted to make sure you tasted the chocolate spread in each bite, which is why we swirled a layer in the middle of the spread and on top of the loaf! Sooo delishhh!

How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread, Step by Step

Step 1. Preheat the oven and grease the loaf pan with butter.

Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF that way, your oven is heated by the time you’re done making the batter. 

We also recommend greasing your loaf pan and lining it with parchment paper (for extra measure) before you start making the loaf. That way, you don’t forget to grease it later.

Step 2. Mix dry ingredients together. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until they are incorporated. This way, when you mix the dry mixture into the set, the ingredients will be evenly blended together. 

Step 3. Mash bananas and mix in eggs, butter, sugars and sour cream.

In a separate bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas. You want to mash them until they are smooth. Making sure there are no large clumps. Gently mix in eggs and sugar into the pan. Next, mix in melted butter and sour cream until you have a smooth creamy mixture. 

Tip: Make sure your butter is melted, but not piping hot. If your butter is too hot, it could cook the eggs.

Step 4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. 

Pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Gently mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until the ingredients are incorporated. Check for any loose flour clumps and make sure those are mixed in. 

Be careful not to over-mix the batter. If you do, it could lead to a tough texture, and you won’t get that soft crumb.

Step 5: Assemble your chocolate hazelnut loaf. 

Pour half of the batter into the pan and spread it in an even layer at the bottom. Next, add 3-4 large spoonfuls of chocolate hazelnut spread. Gently spread with a knife to make sure it covers most of the batter.

Next, pour the last half of the batter over the hazelnut spread. Once again, spread in an even layer and add several large dollops of hazelnut spread on top. This time, take a butter knife and gently swirl the hazelnut spread into the top of the loaf. 

Before you bake, sprinkle the top of the banana bread with chopped hazelnuts. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until baked through.

How to know when your banana bread is done…

Testing for doneness to make sure your cake is cooked through. 

Poke the center of the loaf with a fork or toothpick. If it comes out clean, your bread is done. If there is uncooked batter on the utensil, it needs more time to cook. Pop it in the oven for 5-minute increments until it comes out clean.

How to easily remove the banana bread loaf from the pan

It all starts with good pan prep! That means: greasing all sides and corners of the pan and lining it with a “sling” of parchment paper. The butter is there to keep the loaf from sticking, and the parchment paper is there to easily remove the loaf after baking. 

How to make a parchment paper sling: 

1. Cut a piece of parchment paper long enough to lay across the bottom of the pan lengthwise. Make sure there is about 1-2 inches of parchment paper hanging over the edges of the loaf pan.
2. Once the bread loaf is baked and cooled, loosen the edges with a knife and slowly pull up on the parchment paper handles on either side to lift the loaf out of the pan. 

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