Monday, October 5, 2009

Cocoa-Nana Bread


I know I know I've said so many times I don't like banana bread. But it's a pretty impossible thing to not make given the fact that overripe bananas are bound to occur. The bananas used for this loaf were from my boyfriend's brother & wife who had a bunch of overripe bananas and somehow I went home with them. I asked my boyfriend what he wanted me to make with them and he said chocolate chip banana bread, but I thought I'd go a little further and do a chocolate chocolate chip banana bread. I found it in my most favourite baking book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. It was super chocolatey, had a great texture, and was really soft. And it was equally banana-y and chocolate-y.

Have I mentioned that I'm extremely excited that it's October?? Ahh my favourite month and time of year. What's yours?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins
Mom's Banana Apple Bread
Garden Harvest Cake
Chocolate Strawberry Loaf

Cocoa-Nana Bread
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups all purpose flour (I used 272 g)
1 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
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)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan and placed it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other. (This will keep the bottom of the loaf from overbaking.)

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

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment 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. 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 brad and unmolding it. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

23 comments:

Pam said...

I think I will make this tomorrow with my son. It looks wonderful!

Sara said...

YUM!! Looks amazing!

jenn (+ will) said...

wow, can't wait to make it!

Anh said...

Indeed this loaf looks really good!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

MUCH better to make a full-on chocolate banana bread than just chocolate CHIP banana bread. Nice work!

grace said...

yeah, i think even the most ardent of banana bread haters would have to enjoy a chocolate-ized version. at least a little. :)

Cookie baker Lynn said...

How did I miss this recipe in Baking? It looks wonderful. Maybe your picture is better than the cookbook's. I am always on the lookout for new ways to use up the bananas I think my kids will eat but don't.

Emily said...

Oh wow that sounds awesome; so do the other recipes you added. Mmmm! You know, I do have 2 bananas that are overrripe in the fridge...well now I know what to make with them lol

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE that recipe. I think it was the first thing I made when I got that cookbook. I haven't made it in a while but I have a lot of bananas hanging around the freezer, hmmm

Jacy said...

Wow, that's a cool idea! I've never actually seen this version before... banana breads are awesome, there are so many variations! I think I will make this for my younger siblings.

By the way, I love September-November :D

Lisa Turner said...

I'm not usually a fan of banana bread either, but I would be sure to enjoy this! I haven't been cooking much lately, but I am hoping the autumn weather inspires me.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I'm a banana bread love. What a great one you made. Looks so good.

veggievixen said...

omg.

*mouth watering*

seriously nothing better than chocolate and bananas. and maybe some peanut butter.

*drools*

Teanna said...

Hahaha can I tell you that I got so excited when I saw this bread in the book because my nickname is "Nana". Love it! I am so glad it is a good recipe!

Deborah said...

I do like banana bread, and I really think I'd love it with chocolate!

lisaiscooking said...

I love trying different banana breads, and this sounds like a great one! The double chocolate sounds delicious with bananas.

Bunny said...

Oh this is perfect, my new favorite flavor is chocolate and banana! October is my favorite month too! I love fall!

CookiePie said...

Ha! I just made choc chip banana bread last night - great minds! I love the idea of having the chocolate actually incorporated in the bread, will have to try this one.

the twins said...

that looks amazing! i love banana bread and it would be even better with chocolate.

Amy said...

Mmmm I love the addition of cocoa! Anything chocolatey has my name all over it!

Hannah said...

You can never have too many good recipes for banana bread... And you can never have too much chocolate! Good call combining the two. ;)

Elizabeth said...

I've been looking for a new banana bread recipe to try out and I think this one might just win. Looks fantastic!

Sarah S. said...

I made this recently, so super good! Thanks for sharing this one