Need: Redemption in the Kitchen

After my recent failures I was determine to redeem myself and prove once again, that I can, in fact, cook. I went back to basics, a simple cake, no icing, no fancy ingredients. I found the perfect Chocolate Banana cake on Week of Menus and while it is not anything the Boyfriend can eat, it looked delicious (and I just so happened to have a pile of overripe bananas). 

The cake came together beautifully, fluffy and rich. The flavor is deeper and not overwhelming sweet due to the bittersweet chocolate. The banana flavor is fairly delicate, next time I may use 4 bananas to intensify the flavor. I used a 9.5 inch Pyrex pie pan, I should have used a round with higher sides but it worked out ok.

Chocolate Banana Cake (from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)

9 X 5 inch loaf or a 9 inch round (serves 8-10)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream (I used 0% Greek yogurt and it worked well)

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I went a little over)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350.  Grease bottom and sides of pan.

Sift together flour, coca powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using paddle attachment beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minutes.  Gradually beat in the sugar and beat at high until well blended, about 2 minutes.  At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until blended.  Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the sour cream in two additions.  Remove bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the chopped chocolate.  Scrap batter into the prepared pan and smooth top with spatula.

Bake cake for 55 to 65 minutes (loaf pan) or 45 to 50 minutes (round pan), until a cake tester into the center comes out clean (except for any melted chocolate.)

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Unmold cake onto the rack, turn right side up and cool completely.