Whole Wheat Baked Banana + Chocolate Doughnuts

The first time I had bananas and chocolate, I didn't like it :

It was a banana with a slit cut down the middle of the peel, stuffed with milk chocolate, wrapped in foil and left to cook on the dying coals of a barbecue until the chocolate melted - something I'm sure I'd love to eat now.

I wasn't brought up eating this banana-chocolate combo. I ate banana bread slathered with cream cheese (which I highly recommend by the way), not studded with chocolate chips. I'd also eat bananas sliced and layered, either on top of a peanut butter and honey covered rice cake, or with dulce de leche and whipped cream in a banoffee pie. But I never ate a single nutella-banana sandwich. 

I was stubborn about it, my logic being: "It's not like chocolate is some superhero which can muscle it's way into every single baked good and make it better. Can it!? "

I was initially going to make a caramel glaze for these, but after the suggestion of a chocolate glaze from my mum and from sheer laziness, I went for a simple chocolate ganache, and I'm glad I did. 

The light, sticky banana bread needed that creamy dark chocolate to balance it out; and I have to agree with the general consensus that indeed, chocolate and banana go together well. 

So, I was wrong; in the end the superhero, Chocolate, wins.

Yes, chocolate always wins.

Whole Wheat Baked Banana + Chocolate Doughnuts
adapted from Flour's Famous Banana Bread - Flour, Joanne Chang
makes around 20 mini baked doughnuts

6 tbsp (3 oz / 85g) sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup (125 ml) mashed ripe banana
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp yoghurt
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (3.5 oz / 100g) whole wheat flour
1 tbsp wheat germ (optional, if you don't use it, replace with 1 tbsp of flour)

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (80 ml) double cream (a.k.a heavy cream)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a mini doughnut pan* very well.
Whisk together the egg and sugar until light and pale, about 10 minutes. Stir in the banana, oil, vanilla and yoghurt.
Sift in the salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, flour and wheat germ (if using). Then stir together until combined. Pipe the batter into the greased mini doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While the doughnuts bake, put the chocolate into a small heatproof bowl. Heat the cream gently in a small saucepan until it starts to steam. Pour 3/4 of it into the bowl with the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir the mixture together. If the mixture is too thick, add the rest of the cream. If it is still too thick, add a little milk until you get the right consistency for dipping the doughnuts.

Remove the doughnuts from the pan and let them cool. Once cool, dip them into the chocolate ganache and place on a lined cookie tray. If you want to put sprinkles or chopped nuts on top of the doughnuts, do it now. Let the ganache set at room temperature, then store the doughnuts in an airtight container.

*no doughnut pan? don't worry! I have a guide on how to make a temporary one from foil here.