Daring Bakers-Opera Cake

I have to admit when I saw this month's challenge for Daring Bakers-Opera Cake, I was intimidated. My favorite thing to bake is cake and so I was also excited. This recipe sounded so complicated that I decided to half the recipe just in case the flavors I chose wouldn't taste good together. Boy was that a mistake! This was the most delicious cake that I have ever tasted! It was amazing. I wish I would have made the full recipe, but I guess I will get the chance later because I am definitely going to make this one again. This challenge was chosen by the co-founders of DB, Ivonne- Cream Puffs in Venice and Lis-La Mia Cucina. It was also co-hosted by Fran-Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie and Shea-Whiskful. I used macadamia nuts, ground into meal (more like paste, but it worked!) and lime zest in the jaconde, lime zest and juice to flavor the syrup and opted for a strawberry buttercream that I have used before. I omitted the glaze and topped it off with the white chocolate mousse, which was so delicious that I didn't flavor it with anything else.
I made 1 10-inch round and 12 cupcakes. The cupcakes didn't turn out so well but still tasted great. I cut small circles out of the round and once I tasted all the components, I used all the scraps of cake because it was too good to throw out!

This was great tasting and fun to make. I took it to a family get together and it was devoured. I made the full recipe for the mousse and buttercream so I had to make another cake to use those (check it out below- next post) Can't wait until our next challenge!

The recipe is really long, so I didn't add it to the post. If you are interested in the recipe, leave me a comment and I will add it. Now head on over to the Daring Baker's Blogroll and check out everyone else's take on this cake!

White Cake with Lime Zest, Strawberry Buttercream and White Chocolate Mousse

I had leftover strawberry buttercream and white chocolate mousse from the Daring Bakers challenge and decided to make a white cake mix ( I needed something super fast- I prefer homemade cake), to which I added the zest of 1-2 limes and then I decorated it and added fresh strawberries and took it to a family party. Yummy!

TWD- Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

This weeks Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Pecan-Honey Sticky Buns, was chosen by Madam Chow over at Madam Chow's Kitchen. Since we are in the process of packing and moving, I decided to go with two different recipes that everyone else had baked previously, that seemed a little less time intensive. The first was Quintuple Chocolate Brownies. I took these to a family get together and got lots of compliments. They were simple and very decadent. I omitted the coffee and used macadamia nuts.

I noticed that when Anne of Anne Strawberry, made these she served them in cupcake holders, so I used her idea and cut the brownies into smaller pieces, so more people would be able to enjoy them.
Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

From “Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan

For the Brownies:

1/2 C. Flour

1/4 C. Unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 t. salt

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 T. strong coffee (I omitted this)

1 C. sugar

3 large eggs

1 t. pure vanilla

6 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought milk

chocolate chips

1 C. chopped nuts

For the Glaze:

6 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, finely chopped, or 1 cup store-bought white chocolate chips

1/3 C. heavy cream

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.

To Make the Brownies: Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add, in the following order, the butter, the two chocolates and the coffee. Keeping the pan over low heat, warm just until the butter and chocolates are melted - you don’t want the ingredients to get so hot they separate, so keep an eye on the bowl. Stir gently, and when the mixture is smooth, set it aside for 5 minutes. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Don’t beat too vigorously - you don’t want to add air to the batter - and don’t be concerned about any graininess. Next, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth, glossy batter. If you’re not already using a rubber spatula, switch to one now and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Finally, stir in the milk chocolate chips and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the pan.Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out streaked but not thickly coated. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies rest undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you’d like.) Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the foil and place it under another rack - it will be the drip catcher for the glaze. Invert the brownies onto the rack and let cool completely.

To Make the Glaze: Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth.Hold a long metal icing spatula in one hand and the bowl of glaze in the other. Pour the glaze onto the center of the brownies and use the spatula to nudge it evenly over the surface. Don’t worry if it dribbles over the edges, you can trim the sides later (or not). Refrigerate the brownies for about 20 minutes to dry the glaze.Cut into 16 squares, each roughly 2-1/4 inches on a side

TWD-Orange Berry Muffins

The other recipe I chose to make was Orange Berry Muffins. These were the best smelling muffins that I have ever made! The batter smelled incredible and they tasted just as great. They disappeared very quickly and were delicious.

This yogurt really has nothing to do with the recipe, but I was so excited that my local grocery store finally started carrying Greek yogurt. I use it in everything and as a sub for sour cream.

Orange Berry Muffins
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p. 3)

Ingredients:

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

About 3/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

3 Tablespoons honey

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup blueberries - fresh, preferably, or frozen (not thawed)
Decorating sugar, for topping (optional)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.
In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough - the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. If you want to top the muffins with decorating sugar, sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold

Fresh Mango Bread

I was planning on making this before we left on our trip, but it just didn't work out. I finally got around to it and it was soo good! I needed 4 small mangoes to get the 2 cups diced and I also replaced half the oil with peach/mango flavored applesauce. This is from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours.

I emptied this container of applesauce into a measuring cup and then added enough canola oil to make the 3/4 cup needed.
Fresh Mango Bread

3 large eggs

3/4 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsps ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango) or 4 small ones

3/4 cup moist, plump golden raisins

grated zest of 1/2 lime

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (I sprayed it with Crisco Baking spray with flour). Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheet, stacked one on top of the other. (This keeps the bottom from overbaking).
Whisk the eggs and oil together.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended-the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together. Stir in the mango, raisins, and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the bread looks as if it's getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Clean out your Fridge Chicken Salad with Cheese Toast Croutons

That title doesn't sound very appetizing, but this salad was tasty. We just got home from vacation, so I decided to see what we could have for dinner. We had the makings for a great salad. My dad bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken and for some reason put it in our fridge, so I skinned it and chopped the meat to make the salad a meal.

Clean out your Fridge Chicken Salad with Cheese Toast Croutons
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
1 cup green onions, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped (Our was Kentucky Fried)
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 slices bread

Put lettuce in a large bowl. Add mushrooms, carrots, green onions, tomatoes and chicken. Toss. Preheat Broiler. Arrange bread slices on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle either cheese generously over top. Broil until melted and brown. Cut toast into strips and chop. Serve salad on individual plates and top with cheese bread croutons. Or, sprinkle a little cheese on top of your salad and eat the cheese toast on the side.

No TWD for me

Sorry to disappoint ya'll, but we aren't home from vacation yet, so I was unable to make the Madeleines for this week. Be sure to check out everyone else's take at Tuesdays with Dorie.
Come check me out next week though!

Dimply Plum Cake

I wouldn't say this was a complete failure, but it didn't come out exactly as I would have liked. It was still very delicious, but being the overanxious person that I am, I couldn't wait to try it.

This is from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours, and it is a breakfast cake. I think my plums halves were too wide and I tried to stuff too many of them into the pan. This caused the baking time to increase and the cake fell apart when I tried to unmold it. All that being said, it was delicious!

Dimply Plum Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cardamom

5 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

grated zest of 1 orange

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

8 purple or red plums, ( don't try to fit all of them, slices might work better then halves)

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 8-inch square baking pan. Put it on a baking sheet. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Beat butter at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat for 2 more minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. On medium speed, beat in oil, orange zest, and vanilla. The batter will look very light, and smooth, almost satiny. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated. Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange plums, cut side up, in the batter- jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, during which time the plums juice will return to the fruit, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

Baked Salmon

We had a great Mother's Day dinner. My dad fixed us dinner! He got all the recipes off of Allrecipes.com and they were quire delicious. This salmon was especially tasty and easy to prepare! Thanks Dad!

INGREDIENTS
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon
DIRECTIONS
In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Happiness Asparagus

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Kikkoman Stir-Fry Sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 pound lean ground pork
1/4 cup minced onion
3 ounces finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
DIRECTIONS
Combine stir-fry sauce and water; set aside. Heat oil in hot wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and onion; stir-fry 2 minutes until pork is crumbly. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add sauce mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; keep warm. Place asparagus in steamer basket. Set basket in large saucepan of boiling water; cover and steam 5 minutes, or until tender, yet firm. Spread half of pork mixture over bottom of serving platter. Cut asparagus crosswise into thirds; arrange in sections over pork mixture. Spoon remaining pork mixture over asparagus. Serve immediately.
Copyright © 2003 Kikkoman International Inc.

Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
10 green onions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, melt butter. Add rice; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; stir in the onions and soy sauce. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in almonds

TWD-Florida Pie

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Florida Pie, was chosen by Dianne over at Dianne's Dishes. This was a delicious mix of coconut and key lime with a tasty meringue on top. We had it for our mother's day dessert and I went with mini-pies because I love individual servings (and my dad dispises coconut, so I made him lemon meringue pie instead). I used fat-free sweetened condensed milk because that is what I had in my pantry and I left the coconut out of the meringue. I thought this pie was delicious and my favorite so far!

Getting the 1/2 cup juice from the key limes was a ton of work! Luckily my younger brother was there to assist me, but we went through alot of limes. I am glad I used them though, because the key lime flavor was a little sweeter and very intense.

Since I made 12 mini-pies, I only baked them for 8 minutes. Turned out perfect!
My baby demolished her portion, but the leftover part was just the right for smooshing in someone's face. My husband was a willing participant!
Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

4 large eggs, seperated

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)

1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat. Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling. Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Swwt Potato Biscuits with Orange Honey-Butter

Once again, Dorie is my go-to girl. I always check her cookbook, Baking from my home to yours, when I am going to bake something. These biscuits disappeared! They had great texture and flavor and the honey-butter made them taste like orange rolls! Yummy!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbls baking powder

1 tsp salt

pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg (I did more like a dash of both)

2 Tbls packed light brown sugar

3/4 stick (6 Tbls) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

2 15-oz cans sweet potatoes in light syrup, drained and mashed (I used 1 29-oz can)

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-to 2 1/4-inch diameter biscuit citter, and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and spice, together in a bowl. Add the brown sugar and stir to incorporate it, making sure there are no lumps. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat it with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces and pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, as well as everything in between- and that's just right.

Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl, grab a fork, and toss and gently turn the ingredients until you've got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick, gentle kneading-3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out with your hands until it is about 1/2-inch high. Don't worry if the dough isn't completely even-a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.

Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of this first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer those to the sheet.

Bake the biscuits for 14 to 18 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden brown. Transfer them to a cooking rack or eat immediately!

Orange Honey-Butter from Cooking Light

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp (or more) grated orange rind

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cottage Cheese

Originally this recipe was an Egg-White Omelet to serve 1, but who wants to make 8 individual omelets with only egg whites? Not me, too much work. So, I changed this recipe which I found in Martha Stewarts Everyday Food Magazine, to serve 8, use whole eggs and I scrambled them. It might not look great, but it was good tasting.
Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cottage Cheese
9 large eggs
salt and pepper
1 Tbls olive oil
7-8 cups packed spinach
2 cups cottage cheese
Grated Parmesan or Pepper jack for garnish

1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and 6 Tbls water; season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and season with salt and pepper; cook until wilted and tender, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs; cook as you would normally for scrambled eggs, letting them set a little while first.
3. When cooked, serve with a scoop of cottage cheese on top and sprinkle your choice of grated cheese to finish it off.

Gnocchi with Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Mushrooms

This was a quick, delicious meal. I love asparagus. Not so much when I was younger, but now I think it is really great and beautiful. It adds such lovely color to any dish. I adapted this a little bit from Cooking Light, first, because there isn't a store here that has pancetta, so I used prosciutto. Also I added the mushrooms because you can never have too many vegetables. We had salad on the side and everyone was satisfied!

Gnocchi with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Mushrooms
1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)

2 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmesan cheese

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep warm.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
3. Add shallots, asparagus, and mushrooms to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add gnocchi, pancetta, reserved cooking liquid, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Serve with cheese.

Black-and-White Banana Loaf

After making the other banana bread, I had exactly 1 1/2 mushy bananas left and said to myself- if I can find a recipe that specifically calls for 1 1/2 mashed bananas, I will make it. Dorie never fails. This recipe is in her cake section of Baking from my home to yours and we had a taste test comparison since it was exactly like the chocolate banana bread I made the day before. I love the lemon in this loaf. It is delicious!
Black-and-White Banana Loaf
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground)
1 1/2 ripe bananas, peeled
squirt of fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbls dark rum (I used 1/2 tsp rum extract or flavoring)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (i used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 stick + 2 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with the lemon juice and zest, then stir in the rum.
Melt the chocolate and 2 Tbls butter together in a microwave oven.
Working with a stand or hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the remaining stick of butter at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes, until light and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. The batter will look curdled, and it will continue to look curdled as you add ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the flour mixture, mixing only until it is just incorporated. With the mixer running, pour in the milk, and when it is blended, add the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the mashed bananas. The batter will look even lumpier.
Pour a little less than half the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate and stir to blend. Drop alternating spoonfuls of both batters into the prepared pan, then, using a table knife, swirl the batters together, taking care not to over do it.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes and if the cake starts to brown too much, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer te cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for about 15 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake to room temperature right side up on the rack.