CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

Chocolate Banana Cake / Bread is the perfect dessert for when you are short on time but need a yummy dessert. The addition of bananas to this recipe make a box mix chocolate cake into deliciously moist and decadent treat. Moist, soft and delicious is what all of us look for in a cake. This is one of that kind.  Hubby always buy bananas, but I likes it only when it is just ripe and if it’s over ripen, no one touces it at home. Sometimes, I use it for making shakes or shikran [Maharashtrian recipe] to finish it. But this is the best way to use the over ripen banana. This can be made with whole wheat flour or plain flour / all purpose flour or mix of these. This lightened up chocolate cake is made with ripe/ over ripe bananas and has just the right amount of chocolate to make it feel like and indulgent treat.  The fruity sweetness of bananas and the intoxicating bitterness of cocoa are a made-for-each-other combination. No frosting is required here. Healthy as an evening teatime snack or for kids tiffin. So what are you waiting for, bookmark it and try it at home.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

½ Cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Regular Salt / Sea Salt

3 Large Brown Bananas

¼ Cup Unsalted Butter

¼ Cup Vegetable / Canola Oil

¾ Cup packed Brown Sugar

1 Egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Sweet / Semi –sweet Chocolate Chips

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Pre-heat oven at 350 degree F/ 180 degree C. Grease a cake / bread loaf pan with oil/ butter. Dust some flour and keep the pan ready. Set aside.

STEP 2 – In a medium mixing bowl, sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt

and give a nice mix with the help of fork. Keep this aside.

STEP 3 – In a small bowl mash the bananas with the help of spoon or masher. Keep it aside.

STEP 4 – Now in another mixing bowl, add oil and butter and stir it till combined. [see notes]

Stir in brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract.

Whisk it until smooth.

STEP 5 – Stir the dry ingredients into wet. Don’t over mix.

Mix it by cut and fold method.

STEP 6 – Add in chocolate chips keeping some for sprinkling on the top. Mix well.

STEP 7 – Pour this batter in the cake/ bread loaf mold.

STEP 8 – Sprinkle chocolate chips on the top. Tap the cake mold once or twice on the kitchen counter which helps to remove the air bubbles.

STEP 9 – Bake it for near about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

You might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine.

STEP 10 – Check after 45 minutes, just to be safe, as we don’t want a lot of gooey batter and the oven time may vary. If it’s not done then bake for another 5 minutes.

STEP 11 – Remove the pan after resting for 5 minutes in the oven itself. Now remove the cake pan from oven, set outside and let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Cover it with the damp muslin cloth.

STEP 12 – Run a knife around the edges of bread and carefully remove it from the pan. Cool it completely [until slightly warm] and then cut into slices and serve.

 

NOTES:  *Always use slightly melted butter for cakes at room temperature.

                *Shelf life- 4-5 days when kept wrapped in  a cling wrap. If you want to store it for more days, then cool it completely, wrap in cling wrap/ aluminium foil and then freeze it for up to 20-25 days. Before serving, remove from freezer, defrost and when it comes to room temperature slice it and serve it.