BITTER CHOCOLATE, LAVENDER, AND BANANA TEA LOAF

BITTER CHOCOLATE, LAVENDER, AND BANANA TEA LOAF image

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 cup banana, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest, grated
2 teaspoons dried orange peel
1 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup bitter chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers, (for decorating/optional) coarse sugar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 5x9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
Beat banana, sugar, butter, and shortening together until smooth; mix in eggs. Stir fresh orange zest, dried orange peel, nutmeg, and vanilla extract into mixture. Gradually stir flour into moist ingredients. Fold chocolate and lavender into batter.
Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle coarse sugar crystals over batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Best made the evening before serving.
Note: Sanding sugar always gives your baked goods that fresh, Sunday morning bakery goodness.