December 22, 2010: Dark Chocolate Loaf

Hello, I'm Jenné and I love dark chocolate.  I always keep a few good chocolate bars in the pantry, and at least every evening, I have a piece or two before going to bed.  Sure, chocolate has caffeine, but it relaxes me, and puts me in a mellow mood.
Right now there is a Dark Chocolate Loaf baking in my mother's day old oven.  There are 23 minutes left on the kitchen timer, and the sweet smell of chocolate and sugar wafts through the house.  I'm listening to Nat King Cole's Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety-two; it feels like Christmas.

Finally it really feels like Christmas.  In my house we usually get the Christmas tree 2 days before Christmas.  When I lived at home we bought it so late because my mother insisted on saving money, you know the longer you wait to buy your tree, the less expensive they become.  We've bought a 10 foot tree for 10 bucks.  Now, we wait for the sake of saving money, and because I don't usually arrive until right before the holiday.  I'm here now, and I'm ready to decorate a big ol' tree! 

I found this Dark Chocolate Loaf on the blog Anecdotes and Apple Cores.  It was easy to put together once I got all of the necessary ingredients, and baking tools.  My mother doesn't cook often.  I found out the hard way that she doesn't even own measuring cups! Who in the WORLD doesn't own measuring cups? My Mom! So after doing the shopping at Whole Foods, and then having to go back out to buy measuring cups, the loaf is peacefully baking and, I'm sure, becoming heavenly and delicious.
Monet of Anecdotes and Apple Cores suggests eating it with a thin layer of peanut butter.  I'm allergic to peanuts, but I figured Pear butter would be just as nice. No?

One last thing:
My loaf was actually overcooked, so I changed the baking time to 50 minutes, the time when my intuition started telling me to take it out of the oven, but did I listen? No! Still, the bread came out fairly moist, and certainly chocolaty. Kind of like a brownie bread...
I don't by any means consider myself a baker.  Food is really my thing, but I'm glad Christmas is giving me a chance to experiment and get better at baking. I think my chocolate loving aunt is going to enjoy this : )

Dark Chocolate Loaf

(from Anecdotes and Apple Cores with a few adaptations.)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, or AP Flour
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

3/4 firmly packed dark brown sugar 

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Canola/Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces milk chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, both sugars , cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

  

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until blended, then add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; whisk until combined.

Slowly stream the wet ingredients into the dry ones, mixing until just combined. Stir in the milk chocolate chips with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs (it is easy to overbake this bread). Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out on a wired rack to cool completely. 

It's a few days after I made the loaf, and it's tastier than before! It's nice and moist, and super rich!