Probably the only thing to improve banana bread is the addition of chocolate. The creaminess of the ricotta is a lovely contrast and the banana still shines through. This recipe is great use to use up bananas that look like they need to be thrown out, and is a tasty treat.

Method (Serves 8)

• Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment.
• Mash the peeled banana in a mixing bowl and add all the remaining cake ingredients bar the chocolate chips.
• Beat the mixture together with an electric whisk until smooth. 
• Stir in the chocolate chips and spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and starting to come away from the sides of the tin. 
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.  
• Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat when all the chocolate has just melted.  
• Serve the cake in slices with ricotta and a drizzle of the melted chocolate.