TWD: Black and white

TWD: Black and White Banana Loaf
a disaster (or maybe not-- refer to bottom) in the kitchen

loaf

'I have had enough!!!', a vexed voice inside of me screams. Two attempts. Both with less than satisfactory results. The second being a tad better than the first. At least i remembered to line my loaf tin with parchment paper before pouring the batter in to prevent the sticky situation when removing the cake. But still, the cake didn't have its predominant swirls and fancy pattern even though i abided by all the rule of the book?

TWD for this week is the Black and White Banana Loaf as chosen Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen. (please refer to her blog if you want the recipe). A charming recipe (in print) with a duo batter containing some of the most delicious ingredients you could put together. Rum, Nutmeg, Bittersweet Chocolate, Lemon Rind and Bananas. What could beat that?

In the end, it was all just a shattered dream for me.

What's wrong with me? gawd.. guess I haven't have much luck with loaf cakes. They always turn out either too dry or undercooked! BAH. Did i mention that upon pressing down on the cooked slices of cake, i actually had residual oil staining my finger? where in the world is all that oil leaking out from??!?


A million possibilities are shrouding my head regarding the mysterious failure of this recipe. Had i overmixed the batter? had i added a wrong portion of a certain ingredient? had my bananas been to small (1 and a half banana doesn't seem to accurate a measurement if you ask me)? is my oven going insane? or is my loaf tin not appropriate for this recipe?! ARGH.. Perhaps anyone of you out there got some good advice?

loaf2


the only consolation, at least the cake was tasty, wonderfully moist. And i love the aroma of rum whiffing thru the cake as you bite into the crisp layer that has built up on the surface of the loaf. *sniffles*. maybe things aren't so bad after all...

to see more cases of success and happy stories, please refer to the TWD blogroll! I'm sure you'll get much more satisfaction there... Better luck next time...

Special note: after looking thru so many other posts. I came to conclusion that the super-moist innards are actually normal! Just that i shld have added less to the chocolate mixture instead so that the marbling would be more evident. Next time, I'll reduce the milk by half too! Thanks to the TWD bloggers who have provided me with all the insights. Now I'm enlightened. Somehow the loaf taste so much better after sitting there a whole day... *smilez*

36 comments:

CB said...

aaaww sorry it was a disaster but props for your multiple tries!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Nickki said...

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you! At least it tasted good though!

Pamela said...

I can't figure out why it was underbaked either. My bread was also a little sticky in the pan. Like you said though, great flavor combinations, and still quite tasty.

Anonymous said...

Sorry you had such a hard time! It really looks good though!

Flourchild said...

Hey so sorry your bread was oily and not the way you would have liked it to turn out. Don't worry Im sure your next TWD will be great! I hear you on the dishes..I was like..sheesh I don't remember a banana bread causing such a mess in my kitchen. Keep on baking! Thank you for your comments on my bread too..I always enjoy hearing from you..
Michelle

Katrina said...

Glad it tasted good, even if you had trouble with it! I give you extra points for trying ti twice!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

With that mix of ingredients, it can't help but taste great! Sorry it didn't work perfectly for you, but your marbling looks sooo good.

Nancy

Prudy said...

Oh-I'm glad it tasted even better the next day. It really does look good. I agree about the banana measurement; it's better to have something a little more concrete. Your strawberry bread also looks so yummy.

TeaLady said...

What do they say about every cloud - a yummy (silver) lining. Looks good to me.

Bumblebutton said...

Glad you turned around your opinion and came out smiling!

marae said...

awww...in the past i have had horrible banana loaf oiliness where the inside is moist dense. i figured out it flat out was just too much banana. so now i cut back always and add a bit more flour and it comes out MUCH better. so funny how a little extra banana can really just gross it up. good for you for trying 2x!

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Mmm. Yours looks super moist!

Anonymous said...

Mine looks exactly like yours! I think I'll go for less chocolate next time for a more pronounced look as well! It still looks absolutely delicious!

Marie Rayner said...

I think your loaf looks fantastic! Well done you!

Amy said...

Well, at least you love the taste of it! And even if it's not marbled much, it still looks really pretty!

MacDuff said...

Just stick that jazz in the toaster oven and I'll bet you get some awesome, tasty, non-soggy bread! But yeah, I hear you. I kept asking Jon "Does it need frosting? Chocolate chips? SOMETHING???"

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Srry about your bread...........the ice cream shouls be good!

Anne said...

These kind of things can be so frustrating... but I'm sure it was delicious anyways! I love all the great advice from TWD bloggers... keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry this was frustratign for you, but then again- it all makes you a better baker! ^_^

Anonymous said...

Thank God, someone else's looks like mine. Next time, we'll totally know. ;)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry it didn't turned out how you had expected... and so weird that oil situation, cause there was no oil at all in the recipe!
My load was pretty moist in the inside too, so I think that it's pretty normal.

Christine said...

I'm sorry this didn't work out for you but thank you for posting. Mine came out pretty moist inside but I bet it tasted good!

Rigby said...

Sounds like you had an interesting time making the cake! So glad that you enjoyed the flavors! It's a good thing I had others to share with or I might have eaten the whole thing :)

Anonymous said...

well, i'm glad you liked it even though it got you frustrated. i totally forgot to put any milk in mine and it turned out ok, so maybe that will help if there is a next time.

slush said...

True TWD spirit giving it a go several times! You are a trooper!

Julie said...

If you just drink the rum you won't worry about the appearance of the loaf. hahahaha! It think it looks pretty tasty and I agree with you that after sitting for a day the loaf tasted so much better.

Jacque said...

What's most important is how it tastes, so in that respect, it sounds like a great success.

Nice job!

Shandy said...

You baked the recipe twice. . .I am so impressed. The loaf looks delicious! Swirls can be highly over rated anyways, right? The bread does look really Yummy =D

Peabody said...

When it comes to marbling, less is more. I always want to swirl more but stop myself. :)
Taste is all that matters though!

Anonymous said...

It seems that you were in plenty of good company; the recipe either worked well or it didn't at all. I'll give it a whirl again one of these days, but not any time soon. Didn't work for me either, but that was my fault, not Dorie's.

Anonymous said...

I think it looks awesome. Your pictures are beautiful! I'm sure it was delicious.

Lauren said...

Sorry it didn't bake up as you would have liked. Like your blog. My cooking schoolmate Jaime Tan opened Tin Hill Wine Bar and Bistro in Singapore...check it out and say hello for me.

Anonymous said...

Looks are overrated -- it's all about the taste. And a nice moist banana chocolate cake is bound to taste great! (But I am impressed that you tried it a second time. I would have given up.)

LyB said...

Yep, mine tasted better too the day after. And I omitted the milk completely (my usual banana loaf recipe has no milk at all) that helped with the marbling. Still, your loaf looks delicious! :)

Summertime said...

I thought mine was better the 2nd day, too. Glad it tasted good. That's what really matters :)

Jaime said...

i'm glad you've realized that your loaf wasn't a failure! it's hard to split the batter completely in half to do the marbling but you can weigh it on a kitchen scale if you really want to be perfect. your bread looks nice and moist and delicious :)