This week, Steph of Obsessed with Baking chose Cocoa-Nana Bread, page 46.

Basically, this is a chocolate pound cake, and the furious debate the addition of banana inspired over at Tuesdays with Dorie is something to behold.  Having just run out of bananas

, and about to leave town again to help my auntie through her hip replacement surgery, there was no freaking way I was going to run to the grocery store if I didn’t have to, and I didn’t have to.  So, I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances, and went low fat by subbing full fat sour cream for the bananas.

A bit of TWD humor there, fellow bakers, just a bit of humor.  I try not to get on the scale any more, if you get my drift.

So, instead of two mashed bananas, I added 3/4 cup of sour cream (you could also use a thick yogurt), and also one tsp. of vanilla extract.  The result was a gorgeous chocolaty loaf that my husband devoured.  I kid you not – I had one piece

, and that’s it.  He ate the whole thing, and that’s saying something for a guy who’s not a big fan of chocolate.

So, I’m glad I ran out of bananas because this turned out so well.  Next time, I may add some coffee crystals to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor, and maybe drizzle it with a chocolate ganache.  Because nothing says “DIET” like chocolate, cream, and butter, don’t you think?

Recently, I could not stand the thought of watching any more political news, or another re-run on HGTV, the Food Network, or City Confidential. “Enough!” screamed by brain.

So, I turned to the Discovery Channel, and found myself riveted by a new series called “Verminators.” Sounds promising, doesn’t it? This particular episode highlighted bedbugs.

Ach. When I was 17, we were on our way to Argentina via Rio de Janeiro. In our Rio hotel, we were bitten up by . . . bedbugs. Needless to say, the ol’ Copacabana has never held the same mystique for me since then.

So, being a sensible girl, I decided that the way to deal with those nasty memories was to bake. I turned to my favorite vanilla pound cake recipe and decide to use Kerrygold butter.

Some of you may remember Amanda Hesser’s book from a few years back, Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover’s Courtship, with Recipes. Unlike some Amazon reviewers, I liked the book: I really enjoy the recipes and Ms. Hesser’s love of food, even though at times I felt sorry for Mr. Latte as he ventured deeper into the world of New York Times foodies. I can’t stand it when people tell me what to eat, what not to eat, that I’m destroying the earth by what I eat, etc., etc. You get the idea.

I was a strict vegetarian for about 20 years (now, I will occasionally eat fish), and people harangued me about not eating meat. Within the vegetarian circles in which I moved, there was constant oneupmanship going on between vegans, raw foodists, fruitarians and the like. Bottom line: my feeling is that what you choose to eat is your business, but I encourage you to educate yourself so that you can improve those choices. Along those lines, I strongly recommend that you use a premium butter in this cake.

Now that I’ve rambled a bit, back to the recipe. It’s my favorite vanilla pound cake recipe – rich, flavorful, moist, yet a bit crumbly at the same time. According to Ms. Hesser, the texture is reminiscent of the French “Quatre–quart.” It’s so good that I think it doesn’t even need the vanilla syrup, but many would disagree with me, arguing that it’s the best part!

Warning: (1) You will need at least 1 vanilla bean, preferably 3, and (2) plan ahead because you have to make the vanilla sugar. No, it is not a cheap cake, but it is oh so worth it. In fact, the first time I made it, some egg shells made it into the batter. I ate the cake anyway, crunchy eggshells and all. It’s that good. Recipe after the jump . . . .
continue reading "My Favorite Vanilla-Scented Loaves"