Rum-Drenched Cocoa-Nana Bread
This is a combination of two recipes from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, one of the smartest and friendliest cookbook authors and food bloggers I know.
It remained moist and delicious almost a week later, and got rave reviews from my mother and Dave’s coworkers. (We bake a lot, so we have to give away most of what we make or suffer the weighty consequences.)
This really is just about perfect in every way. I intend to make it again and again, it was so good, and so easy.
Rum-Drenched Cocoa-Nana Bread
(mismatched bits of two recipes by Dorie Greenspan)
For the bread
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 very ripe bananas
3/4 C buttermilk
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
For the rum syrup
1/3 C water
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C rum
Preheat your oven to 350º.
Butter and flour a 9″x5″ loaf pan, and place it on top of two baking sheets (to keep the bottom from overcooking, says Dorie).
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat the butter until nice and creamy, then beat in the sugars. Add the eggs one at a time, beating a minute or so after each. Do not fear the appearance of the batter at this time. Mix in the bananas. (Dorie says to mash them first, but I prefer to just throw them into my mixer whole, which mostly mashes them but leaves a bit of texture.)
Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions, each time mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the buttermilk. Then stir in the chopped up chocolate bits.
Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Tent some tinfoil over it to keep the top from overcooking, and cook for another 40-45 minutes, or until done.
Transfer the pan to a rack and cool a bit before inverting it (twice!) and letting it continue to cool right-side up.
Make the rum syrup by stirring the sugar and water together in a small saucepan until the sugar is totally dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the rum.
Poke holes in the bread all over with your cake testing or a thin-bladed knife or other poky device. Brush the rum syrup on slowly, trying to get the bread to absorb as much as possible.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:40 am
I love that combining Dorie recipes works so well, I’ve mishmashed lots of them.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Looks amazing.. so moist. I heart my Baking: book.. not a bad recipe in it, so I guess if you pieces parted two of them, you’d have to end up with divine, eh? =)
I wanna try this, but not being a big rum fan, I wonder how Grand Marnier would work as the glaze?
xoxo
June 11th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Mmmm…. looks delicious.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Looks absolutely mouth watering…I could have it all 3 meals!
June 11th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Looks completely scrumptious! Can’t wait to try it. I always have a nanner or two lying about. Chocolate and banana are a great combo. I love combining elements from different recipes also. Sometimes it’s amazing what you end up with.
Thanks for another great idea!
Gabi
June 12th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Drenching the coco-nana cake with rum is a great idea! All those flavors from warm places should have been very happy together.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:32 am
Bri - I saw your latest Dorie mishmash and laughed, because I had this post in my drafts folder already. They really do combine fabulously!
lisa - Whatever alcohol you prefer would work fine, I’d imagine. Personally, I’m not really a Grand Marnier fan, but if it’s your sort of thing, go for it!
Yvo - Will I see you tonight at the blogger gathering?
Helen - For a while, I did!
Gabi - Let me know how it goes when you try it!
June 12th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Dorie - Thank you! I love how well your recipes work together.
June 13th, 2007 at 7:51 am
I woke up early just so that I could make this cake (we don’t typically bake in the summer, so needed a cool kitchen). I’m smelling it right now…the batter alone was worth the effort!
June 16th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Good smackums girl! Are you trying to smack me in the head with chocolately-rummy deliciousness?!?!
June 17th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Ohhhhhhhh…rum drenched is the way to go! This sounds delicious!
September 11th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
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