The Weekend Baker :: Chocolate Banana Swirl Bread

The temperatures dip and the oven goes on - at least that's how it seems to work at our house. I was in the mood to bake the minute my bare feet touched down on the stone-cold wood floors as I padded my way into the kitchen this morning. We just turned off the air conditioning and now we're reaching to crank the thermostat up. As always prior to making banana bread, a couple of aging bananas have seen better days. They're no longer desirable. Except, of course, beaten and blended with eggs, sugar and flour. I have a child who's not a particular fan of this sweet type of quick bread. And so, to borrow an idea from my own childhood - in my mother's kitchen, I decided to add some chocolate to the mix. Who doesn't like chocolate? The swirl is neither organic or healthy. It's nothing but Hershey's chocolate syrup and it magically transform the pale yellow loaf into something almost magical. And it couldn't be more simple to make. A touch of cinnamon cuts the sweetness and adds a mild spiciness to the mixture making it a perfect fall snack for the Weekend Baker. The recipe was adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, another tribute to my childhood kitchen.

Recipe:
The original recipe didn't use the chocolate and included chopped walnuts. 
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs well beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 stp baking soda
(1/2 cup chopped walnuts - optional)
3/4 chocolate syrup
3 tbs cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a large mixer fitted with a paddle mash the two bananas. When well mashed add the eggs, sugar, yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Add the baking soda and the flour one cup at a time. Mix well. Divide the batter in to two equal parts, keeping half in the bowl. Add the chocolate syrup and powder to the batter and mix well. 

Pour the two halves into a greased loaf pan and swirl together. Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick to ensure doneness. Let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Bon appetit

Above:
Purple glass plate - Juliska
Flora and fauna napkin - Anthropologie