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double chocolate banana bread
 You know how sometimes you just go on a chocolate bender and you have to eat it everyday or you may die? That's been me lately.

I've had this unbearable, uncontrollable urge to eat chocolate all the time. I can't be satisfied until I have some.  Most days of course I want chocolate but I can usually hold off until another day or satisfy myself with something else. But oh no, this week there's been some sort of chocolate monster living inside of me that will not take anything else. So in my travels through my cupboards/fridge/freezer I found a frozen banana that I had put away for such occasion as pleasing my chocolate urges. Time to make banana bread. Not just plain old banana bread, but double chocolate banana bread. It tastes more like an extremely moist chocolate cake, studded with chocolate chips and the distinct taste banana that's there, but not overpowering. Just to be warned this cake is blazingly addicting, is perfect to have not only great to have as a after dinner treat but also makes a even better morning snack at work to be enjoyed with coffee or milk. Whatever tickles your fancy. I also want to give a great big THANK YOU to my new Austrian friend Paula from Paula's Diary who gave me an award for my blogging. Danke vielmals Paula! My face is still red from blushing.

ps. it snowed and I threw the big cat outside. He did not enjoy that. Spent 20 minutes cleaning his paws afterwards. Double chocolate banana bread

[ adapted from Baking:from my home to yours ]

This recipe calls for the loaf to be baked in a 9x5 inch loaf pan which I didn't pay attention to originally and used a standard sized loaf pan (8 1/2 X 3 1/2) and my loaf turned out to be enormous. It exploded over the sides of the pan and had a giant mushroom top. If you're going to looks, bake it in the correct sized pan otherwise it will look like mine.

2 ripe bananas mashed
1 cup chocolate chips or 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan and place on an insulated baking sheet. This will prevent the loaf from over-browning on the bottom.

In a large bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Beat butter using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer over medium speed until soft, about a minute.  Add sugars and beat for 2 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg is added. If the batter looks curdled, it's okay it'll come back together.  Reduce speed to low and add mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients in three separate additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Keeping the speed on low, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is completely incorporated. Stir in chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with foil as the bread will have a tendency to very dark on top.  Bake covered for another 40 - 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Total baking time is 70 - 75 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool for 20 minutes, then run a thin knife along all the edges, invert to unmold from pan. Turn upright and cool completely on rack. Labels: bread, breakfast, cake, chocolate, fruit