⅓ cup mascarpone (you can also use plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
4 large very ripe bananas, mashed(about 1½ cups)
1 cup chocolate chunks
½ cupchopped walnuts(optional)
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat 8½x4½" loaf pan with a bit of melted butter. Then line with parchment paper making sure to leave a generous overhang on long sides. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat brown sugar, mascarpone, and butter on medium high until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to blend completely after each addition. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed with a spatula.
Reduce mixer speed to low, add flour mixture all at once. Mix until just combined. Add the bananas and mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate and/or walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; smooth the top.
Bake bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60–65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, sprinkle bread with demerara sugar and let it cool in pan 1 hour.
Turn out bread and let cool completely before slicing. This will be hard. I made it a whole 10 minutes before I sliced into it.