bananas, raspberries and chocolate...

I had already decided to bake a banana loaf and bring it to Mike and Barb as a thank you for their hospitality. Then, while I was walking through the Byward Market I saw a pint of beautiful raspberries that were just calling out to me... begging me to use them. Banana and raspberry loaf? Why not? We mix blueberries with bananas all the time, so I figured that would be a real winner.

Then I started thinking that I hadn't baked a chocolate and banana loaf in a really long time... rather than bake only 1 loaf - I thought I'd use my mini loaf pans and make 8 mini loaves - 4 banana raspberry and 4 triple chocolate banana loaves.

Double the fun, double the taste. And since they're mini - they take no time to bake. Which is nice when you don't necessarily want to spend your entire afternoon in the kitchen.

I made 1 batter and then divided it in order to make the different types of loaves. Three easy steps. I promise.

Banana Loaf batter
ingredients:
1/4 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
4 bananas (very ripe), mashed
2 eggs
1/3 c. buttermilk (milk with 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour, half whole wheat pastry flour and half all purpose
1 tsp b. soda
pinch of salt

For Raspberry Banana Loaf
1 pint raspberries, rinsed and picked through

For Triple Chocolate Loaf
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips
1/4 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grab your mini muffin loaf tins and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl and with your electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the bananas and mix well. Then, incorporating each egg individually, beat in the eggs. Add the buttermilk and vanilla to really combine.

In a small bowl, combine the flours, salt and b. soda. Fold the flour mixture into the wet batter with a wooden spoon. You want to make sure that you don't over mix the batter at this point.

Now to divide the batter - pour half of it into another bowl. Throw in the raspberries into one of the batters, combine well and then divide into 4 of the mini loaf molds.

With the remaining batter, add the cocoa and chocolate chips and combine well. Pour that into the 4 remaining molds.

Bake in your oven (3/4 top rack) for 20 - 22 minutes (depending on your oven). Remove from the heat and allow to cool in your pans on a wire rack.

This already has me thinking that raspberries and chocolate are a great combo as well... perhaps that'll be my twist for next weeks biking trip with my mom :0)