I have a terrible confession to make. Somehow, against my better judgment, I have become completely addicted to The Block NZ. Three nights a week I find myself glued to an hour of hideous product placement and manipulated ‘drama’ as four couples ‘race’ to do up four dilapidated houses aided by teams of trusty tradies. I despise myself, but I can’t stop watching.
The other night I tried to mix watching it with making some chocolate beetroot banana bread for our neighbours after they kindly lent us their car park. It was all going well until I pulled it out of the oven and realised I’d made a brick that was better suited to hard landscaping than eating. The Block-ers might have forgotten to install their bathroom mirrors, but I’d forgotten the baking powder. And the baking soda. I have vowed never to watch The Block again. Well, at least not until next week…
Chocolate beetroot banana bread
This month the clever Ness of JibberJabberUK is guest hosting my favourite blog challenge, We Should Cocoa. Aided and abetted by challenge founder Choclette, Ness has chosen vegetables as this month’s special guest ingredient. I know beetroot is a bit of an obvious one, but it’s a good addition to this chocolatey banana loaf. As is baking powder. And soda. You have been warned!
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp lemon juice
120g grated beetroot
2 cups white spelt flour
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
50g dark chocolate, smashed into little bits
Preheat the oven to 175C. Grease and line a large loaf tin.
Put the bananas, eggs, sugar, oil, milk, vanilla and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Whiz until smooth.
Add the beetroot and pulse until the mixture is uniformly pink. Sift over the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the chocolate. Pulse again until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
In other news, The Kitchenmaid has been nominated in the Best Kids Food Blog section of the 2013 Munch Food Awards. I feel a bit of a dork asking, but if you’d like to vote for me, you can do so by clicking here.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Haha, I got totally sucked in by The Block omnibus last weekend. Apparently they're doing an open home at the houses this weekend and we're actually considering going… Maybe I should just try this banana bread instead – I'm super intrigued by the addition of beetroot! Probably a better use of my time!!
There is no bigger way to lose hours of your life than accidentally sitting down to watch a bit of an omnibus. I lost whole English winter Sundays that way (so, on balance, not such a bad thing!)
oh dear! what a disaster.
i have found i am addicted to country house rescue, where people try to bring grand old UK homes back from the brink of disaster by holding weddings and functions and what not… as i type this, i cannot see the appeal of the show, apart from a stickybeak into people's homes!
That sounds like my idea of TV heaven (*runs off to find remote…*)
oooh, chocolate, beetroot and banana, never done that one before but I am very tempted to give it a try this weekend… looks wonderfully dense and moist which I adore in a cake, so I wouldn't care about the lack of baking powder!… TV is addictive.
It was so dense it was inedible, trust me. It really, really needs that raising agent!
Sorry about the baking powder and soda. Well it happens to all of us. I agree with Dom, TV is addictive. Homeland and The Great British Bake Off are my current obsession if you must know 🙂
Chocolate, beetroot and banana… so many good things all in one, brilliant!
Oooh, I haven't seen Homeland (I know, I'm the only person in the entire universe) but I did gorge myself on GBBO between Frankfurt and Hong Kong on the way home – it was light relief after an intense Luther marathon).
I have actually tried to watch The Block but just don't like it – too many sideshows. My TV addictions are Masterchef Australia (when my life kind of stops for 2 months while it is on) and Homeland. I have managed to wean myself off Coro St after years of viewing. Always wanted to try a choc + beet cake. Having recently stuffed up on a chocolate cake myself I completely understand when good things go bad in the kitchen.
Thanks for entering this month's We Should Cocoa. Beetroot is a great addition to the recipe. I most definitely haven't got any episodes of those dreadful 'Housewives of' programmes recorded for watching after everybody has gone to bed!
Hi there could I use ordinary plain flour
Yes, absolutely. But don't forget the raising agents!
Lovely and possibly unique combination of ingredients in your brick Lucy. TV has a lot to answer for, so I've never voluntarily had one. Doesn't stop me watching Great British Bake Off on iPlayer though.
ps finally sent you an e-mail