Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Raspberry M&M Banana Bread!

Well that was a mouthful! This recipe came about after I drooled at this Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Banana Bread and bookmarked it away for a rainy day...and then a few weeks ago I was gifted these awesome Raspberry & Dark Chocolate M&M's from American Soda and I knew what had to be done! 

Bananas? check...Fresh Raspberries? check....Raspberry & Dark Chocolate M&M's? check! 

Could this banana bread be any better?! I think not

The M&M's made lovely little gooey pools of melting chocolate surrounded by bursts of red and pink colour from their candy coating, and then the raspberries swirled their way through the banana bread mixture - it made for a quite a visually pleasing loaf as well as being a taste bud pleaser!

My mother in law declared it the best cake she had ever eaten! 

It certainly made a very delicious after dinner treat, and of course just like any banana bread it is best served warm with lashings of butter! 

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Raspberry M&M Banana Bread:

Serves 12

Adapted from Recipe Boy

2 cups plain flour

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup caster sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed over ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup plain low fat yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate raspberry M&M's

1 cup halved raspberries, tossed in 1 tbsp plain flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Grease loaf pan with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

In the bowl of a freestanding mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until well blended (about a minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the banana, yoghurt and vanilla; beat until blended.  Stir in the flour mixture with a spatula - do not overmix.  Stir in the M&M's and then gently stir in the raspberries so they don't break up.  

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.  If you want to sprinkle additional raspberries and M&M's over the top of the batter before putting it in the oven you can.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Eat, and enjoy!

I'm entering this into bookmarked recipes hosted by Tinned Tomatoes and initiated by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments.

Disclosure: American Soda provided me with these complimentary products.  However my participation was voluntary, and all opinions and views expressed are my own.