Weekend Cooking: Choc Banana Bread

This is my second week of participating in Weekend Cooking which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

One of the things that surprised me a little last week is the fact many of the ingredients that are pretty much common ingredients here are either called something else, or have only limited availability in other places. I was thinking about doing something about ingredients that we use in different ways, but then I mentioned that I was making Choc Banana Bread, and I had a request to share that one, so if I remember I will do the other one next week.

I don't know about you, but despite the fact that everyone in my house likes bananas every time I buy more than a couple at a time, they end up sitting in the fruit bowl until they have to be thrown out. The alternative is to use them in baking! Now I enjoy baking, and my son enjoys helping me, but I don't do it often simply because he really doesn't like to eat anything that we make. If I do make cakes, I inevitably end up taking them to work, or eatting them all myself which isn't good (well it is, but it isn't really if you know what I mean).

One of my favourite cakes is banana cake. This is actually more of a bread, and in fact is in the breaksfast section of Bill's Food by Bill Granger, but it works for me as a cake as well. Bill Granger is a celebrity chef here with several cafes in Sydney and also a couple in Japan.I have two of Bill Granger's cookbooks, but this is the only recipe that I have tried from them. I have been trying quite a few new recipes lately, so maybe I should have a look through and see if something else catches my eye

I actually have a loaf of this in the oven as we speak. If I remember I will take a photo when we start eating it!

Choc Banana Bread

250g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
125g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
250g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175g (1 cup) good-quality dark or milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (350F/Gas 4). Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

Mix the butter, sugar, banana, eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate chips in a separate bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into a non-stick, or lightly greased and floured, 19 x 11 cm (7 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch) loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the bread is cooked when tested with a skewer. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve in thick slices iwth butter. Makes 8 to 10 slices.



PS - Forgive the photography! I am definitely not a food stylist or photographer!

PPS - True to form the boy didn't like this although how he could tell from the crumb that he tried I have no idea.

PPSS - This has the most delicious crust when it just comes out of the oven! Yum. Need to be careful not to overdose on it tonight!