So, okay, as usual — the family was here for Mother’s Day. I bought a ton of fruit. All gone.
EXCEPT for a few bananas.
And so: Banana Bread. This one with oats and chocolate. It’s moist and gently sweet. Could do as dessert or just with some coffee as a snack. A little nosh.
Freezable too.
Banana Oat Marble Bread
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3 medium very ripe bananas
1/4 cup fruit juice such as mango, orange or apple
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan.
Melt the chocolate and set it aside. Mix the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set it aside. Beat the sugar and vegetable oil with a handheld or electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mash the bananas and add them to the sugar mixture. Beat thoroughly until the ingredients are well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat for 1-2 minutes to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Stir in the juice and vanilla extract. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the melted chocolate on top and use a knife to swirl the chocolate into the banana batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cake rack.
Makes one bread serving 10-12