Small Batch Black Bottom Banana Bread

Back when the world was a different place, one where you could casually walk into a bakery and peruse the offerings on hand, Mike and I loved going to one of the many little bakery cafes in our neighborhood. They had SO many baked goods: sweet little fun flavored loaves, all the cookies, laminated pastries, and, my favorite: a black bottom banana cake. Black bottom banana cake is kind of unassuming looking from the top. It looks like a square piece of banana cake. But hidden under it’s banana-y goodness, there’s a deep and dark layer of moist and rich chocolatey cake.

Out of all the tempting baked things they had, I chose the black bottomed banana cake and I chose right. It was just the right amount of sweet with a dense yet moist crumb. I feel like I could have eaten slices and slices. But now that the bakery is closed (maybe forever?!) I’ve taken to making black bottom banana bread at home.

What is black bottom banana bread?
Black bottom banana bread is a take on a black bottomed banana bar or black bottom banana cake. That is, it’s a chocolate cake on the bottom with a banana bread/cake on top. Black bottom, in baking, is when something has a chocolate base. It can be a chocolate crust for a pie or a brownie base for a bar cookie, or just about anything. A black bottom adds a secret layer of chocolatey richness and deliciousness.

What does black bottom banana bread taste like?
The bottom of this black bottom banana bread is a riff off of wacky cake, a cocoa based cake that happens to be vegan! Wacky cake was invented during WWII because of rationing but it’s around today still because it tastes darn good. It’s moist and surprisingly rich for such simple ingredients. I have a recipe for a small batch chocolate loaf if you’re looking for something that doesn’t have eggs, milk, or butter!

On top of the wacky cake I went with my all time favorite banana bread recipe from Flour Bakery. It turns out perfectly every single time and has just the right amount of banana-y flavor and a super light and fluffy texture that pairs perfectly with the chocolate base.

Black bottom banana bread tastes like two of your favorite quick breads in one which makes it all the more special to me.

Why should you make small batch black bottom banana bread:

It’s a small batch! This recipe will make one mini loaf (the ones that are 5.75 x 3.25 or 6 x 3) that is perfect for two or one. If you’re by yourself or with just one other person during this whole pandemic you probably don’t want a huge amount of the same baked good hanging about. I live for variety and maybe you do too. This is the best size, just right for having some fresh cake and a couple of days of breakfast and snack slices.

You can save your baking supplies! I don’t know about you but flour and sugar and getting more and more scarce at our grocery stores. I want to bake ALL the things but I also don’t want to be using up unnecessary ingredients by baking giant batches of things.

It’s delicious and you need a treat! I’ve definitely been turning towards food for comfort lately (actually this is nothing new) and this black bottom banana bread is cozy and comforting. And because each slice is small, I don’t feel too bad about it. Small batching has portion control built right in. Unless you eat the whole loaf LOL.