Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Cocoa-Nana Bread


A night or so ago, I noticed a few bananas in my fruit basket had changed to the over ripe and bake-with category, and made a mental note to bake something with them the next day. As it turned out, later that evening, a post came up in my RSS reader: this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was for a chocolatey banana bread - my over ripe banana problem solved.

This loaf is as dense as they come, thick with chocolate and banana flavors - and perfect with a cold glass of milk. My Cocoa-Nana Bread took an extra 15 minutes to bake through, so be sure to test the center of the loaf with a thin knife rather than judging doneness by the clock alone.

Cocoa-Nana Bread
Dorie Greenspan
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup store-bought chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.)

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about a minute, until softened. Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. At this point, the batter may look a little curdled -- it's okay. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Still on low speed, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark, and continue to bake for another 40 to 45 minutes (total baking time is between 70 to 75 minutes) or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the bread and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temp right side up.


Share/Save/Bookmark

10 comments:

VĂ©ronique said...

wowwwwwww this cake seems gooooood..damn Im on Weight Watchers lol

Dianna said...

That looks really good. How is it that I have never thought to add chocolate to my banana bread before?

Pennies on a Platter said...

That looks awesome!! Coco-nana.. fun name, too! :)

jane maynard said...

looks fab - thanks for trying the recipe - can't wait to do so myself!

Anonymous said...

Seriously, I just realized that I had 3 bananas that are overripe and was going to look for a new banana bread recipe. I'm making this tomorrow. Thanks for being on the same wavelength. This recipe looks awesome. Can't wait to taste it.

You rock!

Jane said...

Your bread looks SUPERB. Just the kind of thing I'd have a heck of a time resisting! Love your blog and your 365 photos in Flickr.

Jane

Aly Cat said...

What is semisweet cocoa powder? Could I use regular cocoa powder and get the same result?

Money Honey SF said...

Your recipes are great. I love food and will try to follow your instructions for some of these.

If you love money and talks of money, come by and visit my blog :)

http://moneyhoneysf.blogspot.com/

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

This banana bread looks rich like cake...just the way I like it :).

Northern Living Allowance said...

Sooo..what does 'a stick of butter' translate to in cups? 1 cup? 250g? I have some bananas that will soon need this recipe and I would like to get it right. I have yet to find sticks of butter here...

Thanks!