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"