Every week, I share homemade treats with my coworkers.
The other day, a debate broke out about the dessert I should bake next: banana brownies – one of my latest kitchen experiments, in which banana replaces some butter, sugar, and egg in a traditional fudge brownie recipe- or classic banana bread. I split the difference and came up with this rich, moist, and chocolatey loaf, which straddles the line between banana bread and chocolate cake with its frosting-like chocolate and pecan glaze. One person even mistook it for a frosted brownie! Whether you label it a cake, bread, or brownie, what matters most is it’s delicious. Almost the entire batch vanished in one day.
Batter
Adapted from Genius Kitchen’s Best Banana Bread recipe
½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
Glaze
3.5 oz dark chocolate bar (70% cocoa content,) coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Finely chopped, toasted pecans for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 10 x 10-inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Stir in flour until just combined (be careful not to overmix.) Transfer to prepared baking pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a fork inserted in the center of the bread, comes out clean. Set aside to cool, and prepare the glaze: place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until melted, about 1 minute. Mix together until smooth. When banana bread has fully cooled, spread chocolate mixture over the surface to desired thickness. Sprinkle toasted, chopped pecans on top. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge.
