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Yes, that's how far I've fallen. Mind you, the cupcakes from a box got seriously rave reviews (they were "strawberry" cupcakes from a box, which kind of worked because I wanted them to be pink, but still). And while I was taught that you should accept compliments graciously and not try to explain to the complimenter why they shouldn't really be complimenting you, I couldn't help but immediately respond to every "these cupcakes are AWESOME!!!" compliment with: "okay look, they're from a box. Elizabeth really wanted strawberry cupcakes and she wanted them to be pink and I really didn't want to mess with fresh strawberries this time of year, um . . . yeah. I did make the buttercream though!"
Anyway, after the cupcakes-from-a-box incident, I figured I'd better do penance by baking up some cocoa-nana bread, and stat. Because everyone would know that something as weird as a chocolate banana loaf bread didn't come from a box! So I whipped some up using bananas that have been taking up space in my freezer since the mid-aughts. I thought I'd bring some over to my parents as a little peace offering after my son tried to put a Harry Potter spell on my mother after she told him he needed to do a better job sitting still at the dinner table.
This bread baked up beautifully and filled the kitchen with that irresistible cocoa-nana aroma that we all love. Okay I admit it - I didn't let it cool in the pan for the specified 20 minutes before depanning it. I hurried and snapped some quick pictures so I could get on with the tasting. I thought this bread was delicious, especially warm from the oven. I definitely thought that the cocoa was the predominant flavor, but the nana was definitely there. My kids loved this. Ate it, left crumbs everywhere, asked for more. I'm not sure the chocolate/banana combo will ever achieve the kind of legendary status as, say, chocolate and peanut butter, but this was still very good.
I cut the bread into thick slices and shared the slices with my parents (as noted), David's parents, his cool Aunt Missy, his grandmother, and my BIL, SIL, and cute nieces. One bite and the Harry Potter Incident was forgotten. Later, my SIL called me to say that they were all loving the cocoa-nana bread, but that I couldn't fool them - this was no breakfast food, this was chocolate cake. I agree that the cocoa-nana bread leans more towards "dessert" than "breakfast," but honestly, I found it to be more "3 p.m. snackish" than anything else. But we could debate this for hours over some wine. Or some cocoa-nana bread.
The always fun and talented Steph of Obsessed with Baking chose the cocoa-nana bread, and you can find the recipe (and lots of other great stuff!) on her blog. Steph, this one was enjoyed far and wide in my little world. Thanks for choosing such a great breakfast(?)/dessert(?)/snack(?)!!!
