Tuesday, July 1, 2014

double chocolate banana bread

Warning: Do not make this cake unless you seriously like chocolate!

Jeez. If I ever want to off myself with chocolate, I guess this would be the recipe I'd turn to!
Someone should make this illegal.

NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING! should be allowed to taste this good.
And it is so easy to put together too!

It is (largely) a one-pot bake! Here's how!

To start, I melted butter in a saucepan.
While that was happening, I mashed the banana. It looks like a lot of banana here because I doubled the portions to make 2 loaves of banana bread.
I added the melted butter to the mashed banana and gave it a good stir to mix.
Then I added brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract and whisked until everything was well-combined.
Finally, I sifted the flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and cocoa powder into the mixture.
I used a wooden spoon to mix until the flour was just combined.
The batter was poured into a lined and greased baking pan and baked.
The cake was cooled in the pan for 10-15 minutes before I transferred it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
This is such a gorgeous cake.

I love the bits of melted chocolate chips.

And the deep chocolate flavour.

Seriously, if you love chocolate, make this with the best chocolate you can find.

Then hide the cake.

And tell NO ONE you made this!

RECIPE
Double Chocolate Banana Bread (Serves 10-12)
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, melted
3/4 cup (145 grams) brown sugar (I use dark here; either light or dark work)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) - I omitted this
1 cup (125 grams) plain flour
1/2 cup (59 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder - I used Valrhona
1 cup (about 6 ounces or 170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips - I used Ghirardelli 60% 

Method:
1. Heat your oven to 350°F (176.6°C). Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray. (I also lined it with baking parchment.)
2. Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. (You’ll have a little over 1 cup mashed banana total.) Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. (My cocoa is almost always lumpy, so this is essential for me.) Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes (mine was done at 55 minutes), until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. (A melted chocolate chip smear is expected, however.) Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. I keep mine wrapped in foil. It goes without saying that it has never actually lasted that long.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,
    Wow, such a moist cake! Double Chocolate Banana? Make that double slices for me! Looks really good!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Joyce this was really potent. Need to make liang teh to drink after eating!

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  2. hi i don't eat bananas can do without the bananas??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi then maybe you'd like to try this instead?
      http://www.thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/2013/07/the-ultimate-one-bowl-chocolate-cake.html

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  3. Hi Diana,

    I'm one of those who seriously love my chocolate :D I think I have to hide this cake if I bake it :p

    Zoe

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  4. Diana, how could anyone not seriously like chocolate, huh? This cake is definitely for me, dear. OK, confession time. I ate 4 slices of chocolate cake at the buffet today. Amen. arrraghhh....

    ReplyDelete