TWO-TONE BANANA BREAD

                                                         TWO-TONE BANANA BREAD

This chocolate and banana quick bread is rich enough to serve as a dessert, but it's pretty good for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee too.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (5 medium)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon dark rum or milk
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• Chocolate-hazelnut spread (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, lemon peel, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter, and rum. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Transfer one-third of the batter (about 1-1/4 cups) to a medium bowl; fold in melted chocolate.
3. Drop alternating spoonfuls of plain and chocolate batters into the prepared pan. Using a table knife or narrow metal spatula, gently cut through batters to marble.
4. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
5. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. If desired, serve with chocolate-hazelnut spread. Makes 16 servings