For chocolate lovers! This is a great bread - moist and rich. My mom served it at my bridal shower, and I now love making it for friends at the holidays.
I made this as a thank you to an office mate. They loved it. He said at Thanksgiving it was the first thing to be eaten. I am making it for all of my Christmas baskets.
Read MoreThis loaf uses a very unfamiliar preparation technique so I was concerned about my chances of success with it. It turned out just ok. My main criticism would be that isn't as moist as some loaves I've made and the top turns out flat and a little crunchy rather than rounded and moist the way a lot of fruit breads do. It is good and chocolatey. I tasted it as soon as it was completely cooled and it was pretty good, but even with tight wrapping it seemed dry the next day. The only modification I made to the recipe was to substitute dried montmorency cherries for the dates... I was actually looking for a recipe to use the cherries up when I came across this one. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla. I still have no clue why the fruit is soaked with baking soda or why you leave it to stand 20 minutes before baking and I really don't know if those steps could be modified to the better.
Read MoreI made this as a thank you to an office mate. They loved it. He said at Thanksgiving it was the first thing to be eaten. I am making it for all of my Christmas baskets.
This loaf uses a very unfamiliar preparation technique so I was concerned about my chances of success with it. It turned out just ok. My main criticism would be that isn't as moist as some loaves I've made and the top turns out flat and a little crunchy rather than rounded and moist the way a lot of fruit breads do. It is good and chocolatey. I tasted it as soon as it was completely cooled and it was pretty good, but even with tight wrapping it seemed dry the next day. The only modification I made to the recipe was to substitute dried montmorency cherries for the dates... I was actually looking for a recipe to use the cherries up when I came across this one. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla. I still have no clue why the fruit is soaked with baking soda or why you leave it to stand 20 minutes before baking and I really don't know if those steps could be modified to the better.
I followed the recipe exactly as is, and it was FABULOUS. Rich and chocolatey!!
Easy, moist, not too sweet, the kids loved it and didn't even notice the dates. I left the nuts out.
This is a tasty little treat, but I cooked it in a glass loaf pan, and I'd say reduce the cooking temp to 325F and cooking time to about 35 minutes or so. The inside is a little sad, and the outside is DRY. I like the chocolate, and it does get a little less dry as the days pass, but it's very crumbly and dry, especially around the edges.
