Tuesdays with Dorie: Black and White Banana Loaf

I am so excited to finally be joining the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. My old boss had Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours and I used to paw through it, drooling over the photos and recipes, and occasionally making something from the book as a special at the bakery. However, I didn't get around to ordering a copy for myself until last week. It came in the mail yesterday afternoon, and I hurried to make this week's recipe last night so that I could join the fun.

And how could I not be excited about this recipe? I love banana bread, and I love chocolate, so obviously any recipe that incorporates the two is going to please me. Leaving aside the flavor combination for a moment, this is just a really good basic banana bread recipe. It's very moist, and flavorful, and is just a bit unusual, with its embellishments of fresh nutmeg and lemon zest. It's perhaps a little denser than I like, but the flavor can't be beat. And then the addition of the dark chocolate and the gorgeous marbling makes it all the better.


Black and White Banana Loaf
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 1/2 ripe medium bananas
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Squirt of lemon juice
1 Tbsp dark rum (optional)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 ripe medium bananas, 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest, small squirt of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp dark rum, 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, 1 stick plus 2 Tbsp (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8×4 x 21/2-in. loaf pan; dust with flour; tap out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl until blended.

In another small bowl, mash bananas with lemon zest and juice; stir in rum. Microwave chocolate and 2 Tbsp butter, stirring every 10 seconds, until melted and blended.
Beat remaining butter with mixer on medium speed 3 minutes or until creamy. Add sugars; beat 2 to 3 minutes until light and smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla (batter will look curdled). Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in 1/2 the flour mixture just until blended. Beat in milk until combined, then remaining flour mixture. Scrape down bowl; beat in banana mixture (batter will look lumpy).

Stir a little less than 1/2 the batter into melted chocolate to blend. Drop alternating spoonfuls of both batters into prepared pan. Using a table knife, swirl batters together, taking care not to overdo it.

Bake 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes (check cake after 45 minutes and cover loosely with foil if it’s getting too brown), until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes before inverting on rack, turning right side up and cooling completely.