Banana Bread with grape molasses and chocolate

I have loved banana bread from the time I first saw it on the Blog of my good friend Deb and since then have made it continuously…

I decided I would like it to be lighter and more moist. I played around with different ingredients and found that strained yoghurt gives it a lovely chewy texture which I like a lot.

I wanted to do something about the sugar content which was considerable, so at one point I tried molasses from Karangelis and thought this is what I would like for my recipe!

I don’t want to brag but I was right…the molasses gave the bread such a wonderful texture and taste that it is hard to imagine.. As for the molasses, don’t add more otherwise the taste will be too strong and overpower the bananas to the point that it will no longer remind you of banana bread but just a sweet concoction.

If you can’t find molasses put in the same amount in sugar. It will be fine with this too!

Oh! I musn’t forget to tell you …in the recipe I state very ripe bananas..you know the ones that are black on the outside..they now sell them like this in the supermarkets and usually cheaper than the less ripe ones.

If you don’t have any ripe bananas and you want to make the recipe right now, put the bananas in a micro wave for a few seconds to soften them.

It wont be the same, but better than nothing..

Diffuculty: 1 of 3

Duration:20 minutes

Serves:10 pieces

Ingredients

5 very ripe bananas

200gr. Molasses and extra for the serving

100gr butter

100gr. Strained yoghurt

2 large eggs

200gr. Plain flour

I tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

100gr. Cooking chocolate (70% cocoa)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and line a deep rectangular baking pan (25 X 10cm) with greaseproof paper.

Roughly mash the bananas and put them in a frying pan along with the molasses and the butter.

Heat up the mixture on a medium heat and continue to mash the bananas until they dissolve into the mixture.

Simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Take the frying pan with the mixture off the stove and pour into a large bowl.

When the mixture cools add the yoghurt and fold it in.

Add the eggs and mix them into the mixture.

In another bowl mix the flour and soda and then sieve the mixture before adding to the mixture with the bananas.

Mix all the ingredients with a spatula together.

Add the finely chopped chocolate mixed with a little flour so they don’t fall to the bottom of the cake mixture.

Put the mixture in a rectangle cake pan and bake for 45-60 minutes

Pierce the cake with a clean knife to check if it is cooked through.

If it is, take it out of the oven and place the cake pan on the counter (making sure it is heat proof) to cool down.

After ten minutes when the cake has cooled down sufficiently remove it by turning it upside down on a chopping board and leave it to cool further on a cake rack.

Serve with some extra molasses dripped over each slice and with edible flowers if available.