Chocolate Banana Cake

On Sunday morning we had spent half the day at the paeditrician. Our lil bugaroo had to use the nebulizer and she hated it (as any little 2 year old toddler would).

So to cheer the household a little I decided to bake! Yummy ho!
Dear hubby had been pestering for this for days. He found this recipe by Dorie Greenspan of the best flavour combo ever. Chocolates and bananas!

Now we all know banana cake. That soft but slightly dense with an intoxicating smell cake. And we all know chocolate cake. Rich, heavy dark cocoa. And we also know chocolate chip cookies! The crunch and the suddenly gooey choc chip in every bite. So imagine a cake with all three components put together. sigh..



Chocolate Banana Cake


Ingredients
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
1 Stick (8 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
¾ Cup Sugar
½ Cup (packed) Light Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas, mashed (just tear the bananas with my fingers)
¾ Cup Buttermilk
3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped, or ½ cup store-bought chocolate chips

How to make
Preheat oven to 180c

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Cream butter on medium speed then add the sugars. Add eggs one at a time. The mixture will look creamy and has a ribbon-like effect when lift with a spatula. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the mashed bananas.

Add the flour mix in 3 addition. Ensure flour is well mixed from each addition. Add buttermilk and mix. Lastly add chocolate chips and mix til well combined.

Pour batter into a 9"x5' loaf pan that has been greased and lined.
Bake for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil then bake again for 40-45 minutes to prevent top from getting too dark. Insert a small knife or a stick through the middle of the cake to check if it is cooked through. I take mine out when some cake still sticks to my stick/knife. Leave cake to cool before inverting it onto a wired rack. Slice up and serve rich cake warm with dollops of whipped cream. Yum!



Slightly crumbly, moist and gooey where the chocolate chips had melted. Soft yet dense cake at the same time. Then the aroma of bananas and chocolate. Heaven :)