White Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

My Banana Bread Bake-Off Entry for notquitenigella.com !!
Slideshow of photographs (about one and a half minutes).



I was quite pleased that I only had to make two loaves of banana bread to get this recipe exactly how I wanted it. The first loaf was baked on Anzac Day when my inlaws visited. It was an afternoon tea hit, but I knew the recipe could do with minor tweakings. I then had to go to 5 different places to buy Lindt white 'Lindor' chocolate. Initially I desperately wanted to use white Lindor balls.. but they were even harder to come by (and I didn't want to pay $11 for a casket of assorted balls). It wasn't so long ago (Easter in fact) when Lindor balls of all chocolate hues and quantities were readily available everywhere. But now, my town seems to have a skeleton supply. Myer department store came to the rescue in the end, not with the balls, but with white Lindor chocolate squares. My first loaf was made with a Milky Bar being my hubby's 2nd favourite white chocolate. But I knew I wouldn't be happy unless it was made with Lindt, our favourite.

As sweet and as rich as this recipe may sound, it isn't. All of my banana bread guinea pigs concurred that this was a well balanced loaf with just the right amount of moisture, banana's & sugar (for our tastes anyway). Of paramount importance to me was that it had to be lovely and moist, no ifs or buts.

No electric mixing equipment was used either. All you need, aside from the ingredients are bowls, spoons, a fork (to cream the butter and sugar) and a loaf tin. I've never entered a cooking or baking competition before and I've muchly enjoyed my first one. This was fun! And I love food photography.

White Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

*1/2 cup butter (or reduced fat margarine), room temperature

*1 cup white sugar
*12 squares of White Lindor "Lindt" Chocolate (about 70 grams or roughly 2.5oz)
*3 large eggs, room temperature
*2 tsp syrupy vanilla extract (not essence)
*3 ripe, medium bananas, mashed (about 1.5 cups)
*2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
*1 tsp baking powder
*1 tsp baking soda (bicarb soda)
*1/2 tsp salt
*1 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
*1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
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Preheat your oven to 180C (or 350F). Lightly grease and flour a loaf baking tin. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs one by one (using a wooden spoon), waiting until each has been incorporated to add the next. Beat in vanilla extract and mashed bananas. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mix and stir to combine. Add in the sour cream, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Remove 1 cup of batter into a small bowl and stir in well the cocoa powder. Pour 2/3 of the plain batter into the prepared loaf tin, top with cocoa batter and spoon the rest of the plain batter on top. Swirl a knife or chopstick through the batter gently (this will help create the marble effect in the centre of the banana bread). Add the white chocolate squares, 6 rows of 2, push the chocolate in just beneath the surface of the cake batter. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the the top springs back when pressed lightly. Leave the banana bread in a place to cool for half an hour before removing from the tin. Serve plain, or dusted with icing sugar (powdered sugar). Slices better when completely cool, though delicious eaten warm, especially with homemade custard.