I make - Cocoa Tahini Banana Bread

Man, I have yet to make one thing from Nigella which I don't like this year. It's not just good, every time it's been wow. This time is Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread. It's gluten free and with low flour content. The taste is light, chocolaty (especially so after a day of resting) and not overly sweet nor banana-y. it just hits the right spot for me. Some readers commented about (the fondness of) fudginess. Yes, there is a feel of fudginess in the middle part of the loaf, not in the brownies type of way though. To be honest, I prefer the end parts of the loaf but we are nitpicking here. This is a great version of banana bread, more for the adults, perfect for me. Although Nigella is not specialized in gluten free baking, I have to say that all her gluten free recipes have impressed me. Would love to see her publish more gluten free recipes.

In my version, I used butter spread, teff flour (instead of rice), skipped the chocolate chips and scattered some crushed biscoff on top. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and the method. This is how I will bake my banana bread from now on!

Cocoa Tahini Banana Bread, adapted from Nigella Lawson

2 large ripe or overripe bananas (approx 250g weighed with skins on / ¾ cup mashed)
60 millilitres vegetable oil (~50 g or 1/4 cup)
50 grams tahini (1/4 cup)
1 large egg (at room temperature)
50 grams caster sugar
35 grams soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 grams rice flour (or plain flour if you don't need this to be gluten-free)
25 grams cocoa
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100 grams dark chocolate chips
1 - 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (to sprinkle on top)

Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/325°F. Put a paper liner into a 1lb/450g loaf tin (mine measures 21cm x 10cm x 6cm/8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches, just to give you a steer) or grease and line with baking parchment.

Peel the bananas, and, either by hand or using an electric mixer, mash them, then beat in the tahini, followed by the oil, then the egg, and finally the sugars and vanilla.

Whisk or fork together the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt and slowly beat into the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Add the batter to the prepared tin, smoothing the top, and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Cook for 45-50 minutes (35 minutes at 180C did it for me) until risen and firm to the touch, or until a cake tester comes out almost clean; some chocolate chips may make it a little sticky in parts. The loaf may have – indeed, will probably have - cracked on top, but this doesn’t matter.

Let it cool completely in its tin on a wire rack and - if you can bear to wait - once it’s cold slip it out of the tin and wrap it in parchment then foil and leave it for a day before slicing and eating. I understand if this is too much to ask; I confess I don’t always manage to wait.