for the love of food and my father: Chocolate Checkered Banana Bread

This has been the slowest. week. ever.

Maybe it's because I had off for one job this week, meaning my Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were free to do nothing, I just had to get through a loooong Monday and an even looooonger Wednesday. And Tuesday I spent the majority of my being a taxi driver for my father and brother. Boo. Or maaaaybe it's the fact that today today today, the day I've been waiting for, finally has come. And why is today so special?? Because, today, I, Melissa Anne, finally become a car owner! After impatiently waiting a year, and driving around the car a I ~~loved~~ was less than fond of, we say bye bye brown car and hello Meli's own car!!!!

To pass the time yesterday, I slept in, ate breakfast and then went back to bed, went to the gym and then shopped. It's this terrible problem I have acquired this summer. And then I baked.

I saw that we had three verrrry ripe bananas and decided I would make banana bread. But I didn't want to make ordinary banana bread, and then I found a recipe that looked pretty darn cool.

Chocolate Checkered Banana Bread
source: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

3 large overripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3-5 tablespoons boiling water

9 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside.

3.Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Beat the butter and sugar on medium high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.

5. Turn the mixer on low and combine the ingredient mixtures in thirds (a third of the banana mixture with a third of the flour, and so on).

6. In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons boiling water. Add more water until the desired texture is reached. I used about 5 tablespoons.

7. Transfer half of the batter to another mixing bowl and mix in the cocoa paste.

8. Drop alternating spoonfuls of the light and dark batters into the pan.Do it quick because the blobs start to run!

**you can swirl the batters to make a more “marbleized” look
9. Bake for 1 hour.