Sunday, March 21, 2010

Dark choc chip banana bread

I've always loved banana bread, ocassionally (& i say occasionally because i'm almost always watching what i eat) i will buy a slice if i see them at a cafe, but NEVER from gloria jeans, but Starbucks makes them pretty nice ( i think they also have a coconut loaf which is yummy aswell).

Not long ago my girlfriend Nhuy came past with some home made dark choc chip banana bread, which was so delicious! I found this recipe online and made a loaf myself.

Being my first time, i was nervous and forgot to bring the temp down to 200c after i put the tin in the oven - so it browned too quickly too much - and was slightly dry but a zap in the microwaved revived it (thanks to the dark chocolate bits) and a thick layer of peanut butter completely rid me of any worries in the world :P

tip: because i have an oven with a heating element (but im sure you can use this trick on a conventional gas oven) i like to put the temp as high as it can go so that it heats up quicker - then drop the temp down to what is required before putting in any unbaked goodies - saves time :)



250g plain flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
big pinch of salt
125g dark or milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
4 large, ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Grease and line a loaf tin and set aside.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir through the chocolate.

3. In a larger bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and banana.

4. Gently combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and be careful not to overmix.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Cool on a wire rack




I made them a second time as well (baking at the COrrect temperature) and everyone who tried it really liked it!, this recipe is really easy, foolproof and so delicious :O)

You can freeze them and have them during the week (just let it sit at room temperature for a few hrs) or take them into work they should be ready to eat by morning tea time hehe or you can do what i did and just cover in cling wrap and heat up - spread lots of peanut butter , sit back & relax - bon apetit!




32 comments:

Grace said...

YUM
bookmarking to bake when we get our oven fixed! and I totally subscribe to that peanut butter suggestion

Bean Sprout's Cafe said...

oh..so there is no butter or oil in the recipe?

thanks for suggestion about Starbucks banana bread (the muffin is not bad aswell)

Peanut butter is very interesting idea :D

Anonymous said...

Betty - I love the idea of adding peanut butter - just delicious!

Anonymous said...

Oooh, gorgeous!
The chocolate sounds like a yummy addition, and I love how you smothered it in peanut butter - that must've been divine!
The next time you feel like splurging diet-wise, take a look at this:
http://lets-eat-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/coconut-lime-banana-bread.html
I haven't tried it, but it looks so delicious, and the coconut would probably go beautifully with that dark chocolate thing you've got going on ;).
P.S.: I do that with my oven, too!
P.P.S: Thanks for sharing that cupcake recipe =).

~Kurious Kitteh

Two fit and fun gals said...

thanks kurious kitty- i love coconut.. will definitely try it out thanks heaps :)

Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In Law said...

This looks so good! I love chocolate and banana together, but chocolate + banana + peanut butter sounds fantastic!

OohLookBel said...

OMG, the melted chocolate streaks look so good! I agree about zapping cake in the microwave, it softens it and lets you put more butter on it, yum.

Phuoc'n Delicious said...

I like the last shot there; lots of chocolately goodness..

I think I might know what to do to make the bread moist but I have to experiment and see first.. Watch this space :) I hope the DDL banana bread works a treat. I feel like some too; especially now that I have 4 CANS of it! Muahaha..

Anh said...

I really really love the first shot. It has a home kitchen goodness feel. And the banana bread looks wonderful :)

Y said...

I usually like my banana bread/cake plain, but those devilishly dark streaks of chocolate in the last picture have me thinking otherwise! :)

A cupcake or two said...

I love banana bread especially when it's home made because you know what's in it. I will definately make this for the girls at work who are huge BB fans. Btw if you come across a coconut bread recipe like the one at starbucks let me know. I love it. I don't buy it anymore because it's too expensive.

Amy @ cookbookmaniac.com said...

Oh dear... banana seems to be in the air at blogesphere. Every second blog that I visit has made something with banana in it. I love banana's but the boy despises them. I wish I could sneak out to your place and eat some of your scrumptious banana-choc bread.

cookies and cups said...

This bread looks fantastic! Can't wait to try this one out...banana bread is a favorite in our house!

Justin said...

yum. i like the style of those first two photos

panda said...

thanks for the tip! the next post on my blog is a also a choc chip loaf too :)

Not Quite Nigella said...

Peanut butter? Brilliant! And I think I have the same loaf tin hehe :P

Unknown said...

Beautiful bread! With the addition of peanut butter - absolutely fantastic!!!

foodwink said...

A foolproof recipe? I like! I'm not good at baking because I'm not good at following instructions :-)

Now I just need some bananas. And a loaf tin! Thanks for sharing

Krys said...

The best Banana Bread I have tasted Betty! :)

I also love Mango Coconut Bread, have you tried it?

Helen (Grab Your Fork) said...

I would never have thought to spread peanut butter on banana bread but oh it makes perfect sense. Nice save with the microwave - chocolate always has a knack of saving the day!

dyeo said...

Yum! They look delicious. Thanks for the recipe. i'm going to try it one day...

The Cooking Photographer said...

Betty this bread is dangerous! I would eat the whole thing. Bookmarking this one for when I have friends over.

Laura

Lisa said...

What a gorgeous blog you have here, and this chocolate swirl banana bread looks so decadent! A must try! Beautiful photos too :)

Lee said...

Hi Betty, your banana cake looks sinfully delicious. Anymore left? Ha ha.
I can even get the scent from here.
Looking at your cake, you must have used that special ingredient called 'love'?
You have a nice day and keep a song in your heart. Best regards, Lee.

Anonymous said...

peanut butter. this is genius!
mmm. too many banana bread recipes around. too many to choose from!
this looks divine ;)

Anonymous said...

Adding chocolate to anything makes them so much more special. mmm. Love how the chocolate looks almost gooey!

pierre said...

hi Betty i love the combination of the banana and chocolate !! cheers Pierre de paris

Yen@Foodforfour said...

What a delicious looking banana bread. Adding the chocolate makes it even more irresistible!

Anonymous said...

This sounds divine!

And thanks so much for that oven tip! I never would have thought of that!

Kitchen Butterfly said...

I love banana bread and this looks delish!

Anonymous said...

hey betty!
co-incidentally i made some banana bread yesterday and now just came across your recipe, but yours doesn't have butter or oil? amazing!

foodwink said...

Hi Betty - I made this on the weekend! It was so easy and no butter! Thanks again for sharing <3