Cabin Baking: Banana Chocolate Loaf

I had two over-ripe bananas, so I looked through my cookbooks to find a recipe to put them to good use.

I found one in a cookbook I got at The Economy Shop, my favourite thrift store in Powell River.

Banana Chocolate Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chocolate bits

Directions:

Cream together the butter or margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and salt and mix well.

Dissolve the baking powder and baking soda in sour cream and add to the creamed mixture. I didn’t have any sour cream, so I substituted plain yogurt. Don’t be surprised, the mixture will foam.

Stir in the mashed bananas (2 very ripe bananas makes one cup mashed) and vanilla.

Gradually stir in the flour, then mix in the chocolate chips. Don't skimp on them, that's what makes this cake so yummy!

Pour into a well greased and floured loaf pan. I used a piece of parchment paper in the bottom to make removal after baking easier.

The recipe says to bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. I found that one hour was too little, and 1 1/2 hours made it too brown and crusty on the outside, at least in my oven. The next time I’ll try something in the middle and test with a toothpick to check for doneness. -- Margy

Reference: Wonderful Ways to Prepare Cakes and Cookies by Jo Ann Shirley (Playmore Inc., 1978).