Mini Marble Rum Chocolate Banana Bread

This is not your regular banana and chocolate marble cake where you will not only taste banana and chocolate. There are few teaspoonful of extra ingredients that are added to this bread, creating a surprising pleasant and non-overpowering complex flavour profile. All these ingredients are distinguishable if one eats a tiny bite of the bread at a time. 

This morning, I distribute a slice of the bread to my co-workers and friends at work to see if they have a good palate and are able to distinguish some of the hidden flavours. Some manage to get it all right and some got 1-2 ingredients correct, apart from the basic and obvious ones. This marble cake is sweet, nutty, moist, and zingy, and the rum helps to accentuate the flavour combinations for a rich and mellow taste. Consider this as a fun game to give to your guests at your next dinner party.

Makes 8 mini loaves (or 1 loaf)
Adapted from Nos 200 Meilleurs Desserts et Biscuits
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 30-35 mins (or 55-60 mins)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2-3 tbsp dark rum
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil bread loaf or mini-bread loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add in lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

3. In an another bowl, whisk bananas, eggs, sugar, butter, rum until blended.

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.

5. With a fork, slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ones until moist. Do not overwork it.

6. In another small bowl, melt chocolate over simmering water. Stir 1/3 of the banana batter into the melted chocolate until combined.

7. Spoon banana batter alternately with chocolate batter in a loaf pan or mini-loaf pan. Swirl batter with a knife for a marble effect.

8. Bake for 30-35 mins for mini-bread loaf (or 55-60 mins for bread loaf) until it passes the toothpick test.