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Monday, March 28, 2011

Marbled Black and White Banana Loaf

It wasn't until after I made this that I realized it wasn't the first time I'd made a marbled banana cake before. However, instead of a bundt, this was in loaf-cake form and had a more equal ratio of "black" and "white" batter. Much like the carrot spice muffins, this was another win from Dorie's book! This cake is moist, so moist in fact that the bottom layer fell off when I tried to remove it from the pan (pretty sure that was a result of my impatience to let it cool!). The flavor between chocolate and banana is balanced, with the two complementing, not battling, each other. With the ingredient list as is, this is more of a dessert than a breakfast bread...but that didn't stop us from enjoying slices in the morning!


One Year Ago: Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies


Marbled Black and White Banana Loaf
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours
*for 1 8 x 4 inch loaf


Ingredients:
-1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 ripe bananas, peeled
-1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
-3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-1 stick plus 2 tbsp (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
-1/3 cup sugar
-4 large eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour a loaf pan and place the pan on an insulated baking sheet (or 2 regular baking sheets stacked on top of each other) (I completed forgot to follow this step and it turned out fine).
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate small bowl, mash bananas with rum.
4. Melt chocolate and 2 tbsp butter in the microwave, stirring to combine. Beat remaining stick of butter until creamy. Add sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. beat in vanilla. (note: batter will look curdled).
5. With mixer speed on low, add half of flour mixture, blending just until incorporated. Add milk, mixing, and then add remaining flour mixture. Mix in mashed banana mixture (note: batter will be lumpy).
6. Add a little less than half the batter to the bowl with melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Drop alternating spoonfuls of each batter into prepared pan, swirling batters together with a knife.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 10-20 minutes, until inserted knife comes out clean. If, after 30 minutes, cake is browning, cover loosely with foil and continue to bake.
8. Cool cake on a cooling rake for 15 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool completely.