Black Forest Banana Bread

This Black Forest Banana Bread is a rich, chocolatey twist on classic banana bread, loaded with sweet cherries and melty chocolate chips. Moist, flavorful, and easy to make, it’s the perfect dessert loaf for chocolate and banana lovers alike!

At a Glance: Black Forest Banana Bread

👩‍🍳 Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate
🥄 Flavor Profile: Moist banana bread with rich chocolate and bursts of cherry
🧁 Options Included: Loaf or mini loaves, with or without chocolate drizzle. Can also be turned into muffins
🎯 Best For: Chocolate-banana lovers, brunch spreads, or a fun twist on classic banana bread

What is “Black Forest” anyway?

No doubt you’ve eaten something with a chocolate/cherry mergence before. These two flavors work brilliantly together. (I’ve got a great Black Forest Bundt cake that’s so simple and delicious!) 

The name "Black Forest" refers to the Black Forest region in southwestern Germany. This area is known for its deserts, especially that infamous Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in German).

The name has more to do with the region than the color of the cake, (though a Black Forest cake is often dark in appearance). In the case of this banana bread I decided to change things up a bit. 

My "Black Forest" Journey

To be honest, I’d never considered making a Black Forest edition of my banana bread, but I happened to have dried cherries and I always have mini chocolate chips, so I decided it was about time to put those flavors together in a luscious banana bread. 

And that’s how this recipe came about, my friends. As with many of my concoctions, it was just a random idea. I wanted to use up some bananas (what else is new) and had tried every other variation under the sun. (Don’t believe me? Check out the list near the bottom of this post!)

Black Forest Banana Bread Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this bread. These are simple ingredients, but you do need dried cherries, so keep that in mind when you do your shopping next. (They are in the raisins/craisins section of the store.) 

• ½ cup room temperature butter, (salted or unsalted, your choice)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (can substitute brown if you prefer)
• 1 large room temperature egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 mashed bananas
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (unsifted)
• ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for glazing)
• ⅔ cup dried cherries

How to Make Black Forest Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Prep a 9x5” loaf pan with Baker’s Joy or other baking spray. 

In a microwaveable mixing bowl, melt the butter. 

Add the mashed bananas and stir together. 

Add brown sugar and egg and continue to mix until incorporated. 

Add dry ingredients (flour, salt, and soda), mixing until combined. 

Scoop out about a third of the batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. 

Add the chocolate chips and cherries to the remaining batter. 

Scoop it over the layer that’s already in the pan. 

Spread until smooth. 

Place in preheated oven and bake for 50 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Typically a loaf pan banana bread takes close to an hour, but times will vary, based on your oven.) If your banana bread starts to get too dark you can cover the pan with aluminum foil for the final 15 - 20 minutes of the bake.

Remove banana bread from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool. 

Once the pan can be easily handled, turn out the bread directly onto the rack and continue to cool. 

Slice and serve. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container. You can leave it at room temperature if you plan to eat it quickly (within the first three days). Any longer and you should refrigerate. You can even freeze this bread to eat later. It should stay good in the freezer up to two months. 

What to Expect from this Banana Bread

If you love the flavors of chocolate and cherry together you’re going to flip over this bread. It’s got the sweetness of the chocolate, the tart freshness of the cherries, and that smooth, velvety banana bread texture. All in all, I’d say this one is a real winner! I made this to give to a friend (a true banana bread coniussure) and I feel sure she’s going to love it. 

Variations on this Recipe

Chocolate Banana Bread: I’ve just recently posted a Chocolate Banana Bread recipe and it occurred to me that I could have turned it into a Black Forest bread with the addition of some dried cherries. That recipe is very much like this one, but with only one cup of flour and the addition of half a cup of Dutch processed cocoa powder. 

Cherry-Chocolate-Walnut (or Pecan) Banana Bread: Add chopped walnuts for crunch and an extra layer of flavor. (Yum!)

Raspberries and chocolate: If you don’t care for cherries (or don’t have them on hand) you can always use a few fresh raspberries in their place. Cooking times may vary. 

Ganache on top: This would be simple enough! Just melt some chocolate chips and drizzle across the top after the bread cools. 

Other Banana Breads from Out of the Box

I mentioned above that I have a plethora of Banana Breads and I wasn’t kidding. Here are just a few of my favorites: 

• Strawberry Banana Bread
• Southern Living Cream Cheese Banana Bread:
• Easy Sour Cream Banana Bread
• Simple Banana Berry Bread with Mayonnaise
• Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins
• Starter Discard Banana Bread
• Caramel Pecan Banana Bread

I could keep going but I don’t want to wear you out. If you’re interested in discovering more, just use the search bar at the top of the page.

That’s it for this post, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.