Chocolate Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

Unfortunately I missed bloglift Tuesday because of persistant problems accessing my internet yesterday. I will try and post a new bloglift card tomorrow instead.

Here's today's recipe.

Chocolate Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
This is one of those things I am obligated to bake when there is a bowl of over ripe bananas in my kitchen...

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 12 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 oz semisweet chocolate, melted (I use Callebaut but any baking chocolate is fine)
3-4 very ripe bananas (look for the spots), mashed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Miniature chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350•F. Grease and flour a mini loaf muffin tin (mine makes 8 mini loaves).

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl cream the butter and then add the melted chocolate, eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Blend dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips if desired.

Pour the batter into the prepared mini loaf pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes. The batter should spring back when touched. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove loaves from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack.

When cool, drizzle with Cream Cheese Glaze.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz, 250 g), softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Stir in vanilla and milk. Add icing sugar to make a thin glaze. Add more milk if required for the consistency you want. Drizzle over cooled banana bread loaves and enjoy.