Categories: Cakes, Chocolate 
      Yield: 1 cake 
  
      2 c  All purpose flour, unsifted 
      1 ts Baking soda 
    1/4 ts Baking powder 
    1/4 ts Salt 
    3/4 c  Bittersweet chocolate, 
           -grated 
      3    Bananas, fully ripe 
    1/4 c  Half-and-half 
      2 ts Vanilla extract 
      6 tb Unsalted butter, room temp. 
      2 tb Shortening 
      1 c  Sugar 
      2    Eggs, room temp. 
           Confectioner's sugar(option) 
  
  Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; 
  set aside.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
  Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of wax 
  paper. Place the grated chocolate in a bowl and stir 1 ts of the 
  sifted mixture; set aside.  Mash bananas in a bowl and stir in 
  half-and-half and vanilla; set aside. 
  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and shortening on 
  moderate speed for 3 to 4 minutes.  Raise speed to moderately high, 
  add half of sugar and beat for 1 minute; add remaining sugar and beat 
  1 minute longer, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add the 
  eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in 
  banana mixture on low speed. On low speed, blend in flour mixture in 
  2 additions, beating just until particles of flour have been 
  absorbed. Stir in chocolate by hand. 
  Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour or 
  slightly longer - until risen, golden brown on top, and a wooden pick 
  inserted in center comes out clean and dry. 
  Cool on a rack for 3 to 4 minutes.  Carefully invert onto a second 
  rack, remove pan and invert the cake again to cool right side up. Sift 
  confectioner's sugar on the top.