Black and White Banana Bread

It's been 10 days since posting. That's October for you! (well for me really) I love Fall. It something about Halloween that gets my bones a rattlin! This post I'm doing has ZIP to do with Halloween, but more along the lines of Fall. A deliciously moist banana bread with a chocolate rum undertone that's fantastic. It also doesn't hurt that it's so pretty. Next time I'm doubling up and making mini loaves to give out. It's one of those bread recipes that gets better with age too. I think the flavors really emerged on day two.

Black and White Banana Bread (printable)
(via Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 ripe bananas peeled
squirt of lemon juice
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon DARK rum (think good stuff!)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
1 stick plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter @ room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:
Oven to 325 degrees Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan dust the inside with flour and tap out excess. Place pan on an insulated cookie sheet.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Mash the bananas with the lemon juice, and zest then stir in the rum. Set aside.
In your mixer, beat 8 tablespoons of butter (1stick) at medium speed until creamy about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another 2-3 minutes until light and smooth. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add the vanilla. The batter will look curdled. Don’t worry.
Reduce mixer to low and add in half the flour, mix only until incorporated. With mixer running add the milk and when it’s blended, add remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down bowl and add the banana mix.
Melt your chocolate chips with your 2T butter in a microwave safe bowl and stir until smooth.
Add in a little bit less than 1/2 of your banana batter into the chocolate mixture.and stir to blend.
Drop alternating spoonfuls of batter into prepared pan and gently blend with a butter knife. Don’t over do it- 6-8 runs (zig zags) is great.
Bake for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into center comes out clean. If it looks like it’s getting too brown (mine didn’t) cover with a loosely tented foil sheet. Remove when done and let cool in pan 15minutes, then remove and cool right side up on a cooling rack.
Marvel at the marble.