Miss Kitty Bakes: Chocolate Banana Bread

There is nothing I love more than a good slice of Banana Bread. Simple, home made, delicious. It's hard to improve upon perfection but last week I stumbled across a recipe that I think is better than Banana Bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread.

Oh my heavens. So good. Worth the effort (and there isn't much really), the chocolate elevates the ordinary loaf to something truly amazingly wonderful. It's an adult treat, that's for certain. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Banana Bread (lovingly reproduced from Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 67)

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (175g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/4 cup golden syrup
100g dark chocolate, melted
Dutch cocoa for fusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat for 10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Fold through the flour, baking powder, bicarb and mixed spice and stir well to combine. Stir in the banana and golden syrup.

Place half the mix into a separate bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix well to combine. Place alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into a 7.5 x 32.5 x 8cm lightly greased loaf tin lined with baking paper and swirl with a butter knife. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Dust with cocoa and slice to serve.