Ingredients
This banana bread is a little unexpected. The white miso paste adds a subtle savoury depth that balances the sweetness of bananas and chocolate beautifully. Moist, rich, and perfectly balanced — it's a loaf you’ll want to slice into again and again.
- 250 g mashed overripe banana (about 2 medium)
- 150 g caster sugar
- 120 ml milk
- 80 ml olive/vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp white miso paste (about 20-30g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 175 g dark chocolate ( chopped into chunks )
Creamy Chai Spice Topping
- 400g icing sugar
- 200g cream cheese/mascerpone
- 50 g butter
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp chai spice mix
Cinnamon & Sel De Fleur Butter
- 100 g butter
- 1 tsp sel de fleur sea salt (any sea salt is fine)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan 160°C). Grease and line an 8×20 cm loaf tin with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, sugar, milk, olive oil, miso, and vanilla until smooth.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix gently until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the tin, scatter over a few extra chocolate chips if you like, and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Leave another 10 minutes before slicing.
Serving Tip: Best enjoyed warm while the chocolate is still gooey.
Creamy Chai Spice Topping
- Dollop the cream cheese/mascarpone and butter into a bowl, stir with a spoon, sprinkle in the chai spice and vanilla, and stir again.
- Sieve in the icing sugar until you reach a thick, spreadable, dolloping texture.
- When the cake cools, spread the icing on top and then garnish with a delicate sprinkle of chai spice.
Cinnamon & Sea Salt Butter
- Beat the softened butter with sea salt and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside until required.
- After a few days, if there is banana bread left, toast a slice of the banana bread and spread on a little cinnamon and sel de fleur butter.
10 Minute Time Plan
- Mash the banana with vanilla.
- Put all the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix
- Sieve in flour and dry ingredients, chop dark chocolate on board, with big knife, fold in chunks. Put into tin and bake.
- Icing, beat mascarpone with a spatula until soft and creamy. Sprinkle in spices, chat about those, then icing sugar. Dollop icing on a here's one I have made earlier, swirl deliciously and then sprinkle with a little spice.
- Slice the banana bread and offer a little of the cinnamon & sea salt butter ( talk about the butter, the depth of flavour from the miso, the tender crumb, the fact that olive oil in a cake doesn’t taste like olive oil, the mascarpone adding a luxurious richness, chai spice we probably have a lot of spices in the spice drawer already.
Top Tips for Viewers at Home
1. Use a very ripe banana. The blacker and softer, the better — that’s where all the sweetness and banana flavour come from. Overripe bananas make your loaf moist and rich.
2. Don’t be afraid of the miso. White miso adds a gentle savoury note that balances the sweetness perfectly. It won’t make your banana bread taste salty or odd — just more complex and delicious.
3. Olive oil keeps it tender. Using olive or vegetable oil instead of butter gives you a beautifully soft, moist crumb — and you won’t taste the oil at all once baked.
4. Mix gently. Once you add the dry ingredients, fold them in lightly. Overmixing can make the bread dense instead of soft and fluffy.
5. Go for chunks, not chips. Roughly chopped dark chocolate gives you those lovely pockets of melted chocolate throughout. It feels more indulgent and bakery-style.
6. Bake until just set. It’s ready when a skewer comes out mostly clean — a few gooey crumbs mean it’ll stay moist. Don’t overbake.
7. Cool before icing. Let the loaf cool for at least 10–15 minutes before spreading on the Creamy Chai Spice Topping — otherwise, the icing will melt.
8. Repurpose leftovers. After a few days, toast a slice and spread with the Cinnamon & Sel de Fleur Butter. It brings out new flavours and makes the loaf feel freshly baked again.
9. Keep it balanced. Talk about flavour balance — the umami from miso, the sweetness of banana, the richness of mascarpone, and the warmth of chai spice. That’s what makes it special.
10. Make it your own. Swap dark chocolate for milk if you like it sweeter or add chopped nuts or a swirl of tahini for a twist.
