Banana Chocolate Walnut Loaf & Muffins

I love banana bread and I love chocolate and I love yoghurt, so I thought why not a cake that combines all of these into one. It has little added fat since the yoghurt and bananas make for a moist crumb and the whole wheat flour and walnuts makes for a healthier nutritional profile and complements the banana and chocolate flavours so well. The secret ingredient is a good pinch of cayenne pepper that stimulates the taste buds and intensifies all the flavours. (Try a pinch in your usual recipe and taste the flavour boost.)

I like to make a few muffins at the same time, these satisfy my hunger instantly so I can let the loaf cool to room temperature.

One-Bowl Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake (Makes 1 large loaf & 6 muffins)

Ingredients
3 cups self-raising whole wheat flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder (Belgium if possible)
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
Good pinch of hot cayenne pepper (this stimulates the taste-buds and increases the taste)
1 cup dark brown sugar (in the US add 1½ cups cane sugar, Americans have a sweet tooth, if you use white sugar the cake will not be as dark and shiny)
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups natural set (Greek) yoghurt
3 eggs
1½ tablespoons oil
3 large bananas, mashed

Method
Step I Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease a large loaf [23cmx13cmx7cm (2litre) 9”x5”x3”(4.5 pints)] pan and a six ½ cup muffin pan with cooking spray oil.

Step II Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, sugar and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir in milk, eggs, oil and bananas until just combined.

Step III Spoon into muffin pan filling ¾ full smooth surface. Spoon the remaining mixture into the loaf pan and smooth surface (it should be over ¾ full). Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes and the loaf for 60-70 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.