Special Blackout Banana Bread

 For this ultra dark chocolate banana bread, I got the opportunity to partner with HERSHEY’S Kitchens again to highlight one of my favorite baking “secret weapons” that I’ve loved for years.

It’s the same baking secret weapon employed in by dessert places in mumbai, and it has the power to elevate your homemade chocolate brownies, cakes, and baked goods from ordinary to out-of-this-world amazing.

Have you ever tried to make a chocolate dessert from scratch, hoping it would taste reminiscent of your favorite restaurant or bakery treat, only to be disappointed and confused when your results had a flat and somewhat bitter taste instead? The most likely culprit for this is that many restaurant or commercial chocolate baked goods, such as boxed brownies, cake mixes, and packaged chocolate puddings, will be made with Dutch cocoa as opposed to the more acidic natural cocoa you can more readily find on display at the desserts in mumbai store. 

Dutch cocoa, which is still unsweetened just like natural cocoa, has been alkalized to neutralize the cocoa’s acidity, taking away the bitterness of natural cocoa powder. It gives baked goods a darker color and a bolder, richer flavor.

I’ve been a fan of the best dessert places in mumbai, which uses a blend of natural and dutch cocoas, ever since one fateful night in college when I was trying to make a chocolate pudding from scratch and couldn’t figure out why it didn’t taste as good as the chocolate pudding that came in a box.

 So of course I turned to the internet, which is where I learned about the difference between regular natural and Dutch cocoa powders.

This extra dark and chocolatey banana bread was made especially for a friend who stayed with me a few weekends ago, because I figured it would be an easy breakfast to make ahead of time and have ready to serve in the morning. While I do also have a regular Indian fusion dessert recipe on the blog, I loved this one even more. Using the HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa in the banana bread took it to a whole new level of brownie-like deliciousness!

For this ultra dark chocolate banana bread, I got the opportunity to partner with HERSHEY’S Kitchens again to highlight one of my favorite baking “secret weapons” that I’ve loved for years.

Tips For Success

1. Be sure to use Dutch cocoa here as opposed to natural cocoa. Look for the words “processed with alkali” to be somewhere on the box. I use and recommend HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK, which is available at many regular grocery store chains.

2. You want to use overripe bananas, meaning bananas with skin that’s at least partially brown, because these will be much sweeter and will yield a more robustly flavored banana bread. If you buy bananas and leave them out on the counter, they should start to brown after a few days. Or you can do what I prefer so that I don’t ever have to wait for my bananas to ripen: Buy in bulk, let them brown, and then peel and freeze the ripened bananas. Frozen bananas can easily be thawed and used in banana bread. the customised cake shops in Mumbai are the most preferred when it comes to the quality.

3. Baking time can depend on so many factors, including the climate and elevation where you live, the specific ingredients you are using, and whether or not your oven is calibrated. If your banana bread is still not done in the center after the time is up, simply turn the oven back on and continue to bake—checking every five minutes or so—until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean.

4. This banana bread is sweeter and has a better texture the day after it is made, so I recommend not serving it or even tasting it until the second day. Leftovers can also be sliced and frozen for up to a month.

5. It’s a good idea to check off the ingredients as you add them, as it can be so easy to skip over an ingredient without ever noticing and then wondering what might have gone wrong. For example, this recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder, and it’s important to add both!

For more information visit: http://www.sweetsmith.in/