Don’t forget your shovel.

There is this lovely Quick Bread recipe on the Internet for Intense Chocolate Bread, which I was sure would please the fans, but I wanted to re-work both the method and the ingredients (the former ’cause I could and the latter because I wanted less bad stuff in it). So here is what I came up with. It passed the B & G test with flying colours:

Clevergirl’s Intense Chocolate Bread

1/2 C. margarine*

1 1/4 C. granulated sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

2 large eggs**

1 C. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

1 C. plain no-fat yoghurt

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour OR whole-wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease & flour a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat the margarine, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Sift the following ingredients into a separate bowl: cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt.

Put one third (1/3) of the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold lightly until just combined. Add 1/3 of the yoghurt and fold until combined. Repeat this process until the batter is complete.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes; do not overbake.

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Loosen edges of bread with a knife and invert onto the rack.

Turn bread over and let cool completely.

Yield: 14 slices.

* Make sure to use one which you can cook with. Some of them are not stable enough for cooking. Check the package. Usually those which claim to be very low in fat and contain gelatin should not be used for cooking.
**If you want to decrease the cholesterol, use 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs.