Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding - cooking recipe

Ingredients

BANANA BREAD
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
BREAD PUDDING
3 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 dash fine salt

Preparation

BANANA BREAD: Beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in banana & vanilla; Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt, add to banana mixture, stirring just until blended.
Stir in chocolate chips & pecans and scrape batter into a greased 9 inch square pan; bake in preheated 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes; turn out & cool completely.
BREAD PUDDING: Grease a 9 inch square pan & line with parchment so that some of the parchment hangs over the sides.
Cut banana bread into one inch cubes & layer in pan.
Heat cream & vanilla to just below a simmer; pour over chocolate, whisking gently to melt.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, banana & salt; slowly add the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly until blended.
Strain the chocolate custard mixture over the cubed banana bread, press down to soak & let sit for 15 minutes.
Place the bread pudding dish into a large baking pan with a 2 inch lip; pour an inch of boiling water into the baking pan.
Bake in a 300F preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the water bath & let cool; to serve, use edges of parchment to lift out, cut into squares & serve warm or room temperature.