Banana Cake

My friend Helga posted this recipe she adapted from a cookbook to Facebook and I decided to try but I found I didn't have self raising flour so it checked for a recipe to make it.

Here is the recipe for the banana cake

To make self raising flour

1 cup plain flour

1/4 tsp fine salt 

1 tsp baking powder

Mixed together 

Other ingredients

250 gm ripe bananas ( about 2.5 bananas)

3 eggs 

40 gm melted unsalted butter

1 tsp baking soda

100 gm brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cut the bananas into smaller slices into a medium bowl and mix with the baking soda and set aside.

In another medium bowl, mix 3 eggs with the brown sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla till the sugar is dissolved. 

Add the prepared flour into the eggs mixture n mix thoroughly till no more white flour can be seen 

Then add the egg mix into the bananas 

Stir well and then add in the melted butter. Combine. 

Preheat oven to 180c.

I lined my loaf pan with baking paper with paper hanging over the sides of the loaf pan and pour the batter into it. This helps to remove the cake easily.

Place a few slices of bananas on the surface.

Bake for 35-40 mins.

Cool before cutting.

Before removal from pan 

11 slices ( I ate a piece)

Happy Baking!!

Banana and dessicated coconut cake

One of my favourite bakes is the banana cake.This time I have adjusted by adding in 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut and topped with sliced bananas n slices of cheese.

Again I have used the basic Banana Bread recipe from Simplyrecipes.com.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Recipe 

2 very ripe bananas - I used Dole

You can use up to 3

I used 1/3 cup melted salted butter instead so you can omit the salt ( sprinkle of sakt)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup caster sugar 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

8 slices of firm banana

1/2 slice of cheese cut into 8

Method

Spray or grease your loaf pan 4 by 8 inches

Set oven to 175 degree celcius

Mash the bananas into a medium mixing bowl

Mix in the melted butter 

Add in the baking soda n mix in

Add in the egg, sugar, vanilla extract n mix in with your fork

Add in 1 and 1/2 cups of flour with 1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Mix the batter n pour into the loaf pan

Arrange the sliced bananas on top n place the cheese on the bananas

Bake for 30 mins n turn down temp to 160 and bake 10 mins

Turn out the cake onto the cooling rack 

Cut when cool

The batter

Before baking

Ready to serve!

Banana Cheese Cake

This is the last bake for 2013.  Still using bananas.
I had 4 bananas left and I didn't want to repeat the banana chocolate muffins which I did yesterday. I also had sour cream in my fridge.

I looked for banana recipes and bingo! About.com has this recipe Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze Recipe. It actually is a bit similar to yesterday's banana muffins and other banana bread I have done before but this cake is using a rectangular pan. 13 x 9 inch. Original recipe is from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone. I made a little adjustment by adding cheese.

Recipe
Dry ingredients
1.5 cups of plain flour (195gm)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (omitted because my children doesn't like them)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the above using a whisk in a small bowl and set aside.

Wet ingredients
1 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I used corn oil)
1 cup mashed bananas ( 2 large size bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ( I used essence)

Preheat the oven to 180 deg celcius (350 F)
Line the 9 x 13 inch pan.

Use a large bowl, beat sugar and oil.
Add bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla essence.
Beat for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined.
Using a large fork, stir in dry ingredients by hand stirring only until combined.
At this point, add in a handful of shredded cheese, I used Perfect Italiano Pizza Plus.
Combine in the batter.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned and top springs back when lightly touched.  Let cool to room temperature.

If you want to follow the recipe wholly, here is the glaze recipe.
Cinnamon Glaze recipe

1 cup confectioners' sugar or icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk or cream.  Add only enough cream to make a spreadable glaze. Top cooled cake with the cinnamon glaze before cutting.

Serves 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size.

After 30 minutes 

This is about half the cake cut into pieces 

I think I will add some nuts next time as the cake is a bit thin but the taste is good.

Banana Chocolate Muffins

I used this recipe from Joy of Baking

http://m.joyofbaking.com/cupcakes/BananaChocolateCupcakes.html

They are really moist n soft n full of chocolate taste!

I also added some sliced almonds at about 12 mins time to the muffins. Look at the nicely toasted almonds.

Do try this out!

Ingredients used

Soft n moist n rich chocolate taste


Recipe
Step 1
Dry ingredients
1 cup - 200 gm caster sugar
1 cup - 130 gm plain flour
1/3 cup - 35 gm unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all these in a large bowl - just use a hand whisk.

Step 2
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana about 1 medium sized banana
1/2 cup - 120 ml warm water
1/4 cup room temp milk - 60 ml
1/4 cup canola, corn or veg oil - 60 ml
3/4 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract

Mash the really ripe banana with a fork in a bowl.
Add the egg and beat with a whisk.
Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk.

Step 3
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
Stir together with a spatula.

Step 4
Line the 12 hole muffin trays and put in the batter evenly.
Bake at 180 deg celcius for about 20 mins. I used a total of 22 mins.

I also added the blanch almond slices at 12 mins baking time to the muffins.

Banana chocolate chip cake

 

After all the excitement of Halloween is over, I finally settled down to do other bakes not related to pumpkin.

 

It's been a long time since I used bananas and I tweaked this recipe and incorporated chocolate chips and cinnamon too for added fragrance to the cake.

 

The original recipe is from simplyrecipes.com.  titled Banana Bread Recipe

 

It is easy to do and you don't need an electric beater.  I chose to do this so that I can involve my daughter as well.

 

Recipe

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

I also added about 1 /3 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and more for sprinkling on top

about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 175 deg celcius. ( I used 170)

Use a wooden spoon to mix the melted butter with the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

My step - Mix the flour with the cinnamon and chocolate chips. Add in and mix.

Butter one loaf pan and pour the mixture in. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 1 hr.  I used about 50 minutes.

Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

 

 

 

Bananas and melted butter

My daughter mixing it up

 

 

Before baking

 

 

 After 50 minutes, crusty chocolate top

 

 

Yummy cake ready to eat!

 

Happy Baking!

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I ended up with 2 very ripe bananas today and decided to turn them into muffins before they get totally wasted.

Took out Chef Wan's Baked Treats book and did his recipe.

 

Nice but not overly sweet taste. Even Joel my very picky son, finished his muffin as a tea time snack today.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup (120gm) softened salted butter
1 cup (180gm) brown sugar'1 egg
1 cup ripe bananas mashed, (I used 2 Delmonte bananas)
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp hot water
1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips - about 35gm I used Hershey's semi sweet
extra bananas to cut into chunks , and chocolate chips to decorate

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and bananas.

I added the bananas and mashed directly. You can mashed them in another bowl and add in too. Because mine are very soft so I mashed them in the bowl directly.

After mixing.

2. Mix baking soda with hot water and pour into the butter mixture.

3. Fold in flour and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.

 

4. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups or paper cups. Top each muffin with 2 chunks of banana ( I omitted) and sprinkle with chocolte chips.  Bake in oven preheated to 180C for about 20 minutes. I did mine today for 23 minutes.

 

 

 

After cooling them, you can keep them inside airtight container.  Should be good for 3 days. They can be served cooled or warmed.

Enjoy making them and eating them!

 

 

 

 

Banana with Coconut Sugar and Toasted Almonds

Today I tried out Vivien Lai's recipe from Ch 8. She did bananas with her crepe. I added Toasted Almonds and they taste great! I was too lazy to do the crepes because I was also doing cookies at the same time.
Following are the steps to make this easy and tasty dessert or snack.

1. Pan fry some blanched almond slices - a handful will do.  This is for 2 persons share.

 

2. Almonds are ready. Pour them into a bowl for later use. Keep saucepan for cooking sugar.

3. Coarsely chop a pc of coconut sugar and put onto heated saucepan.

4. Keep stirring with wooden spatula and add a little water to dilute the caramel.

5. Slice 2 bananas (Del monte) into thick slices and add to caramel.

6. Coat the bananas with caramel evenly.

 

 

7. Prepare 2 plates and scoop bananas with caramel onto them. Sprinkle the toasted almond slices on top and enjoy!!

Enjoy on its on and put bananas onto crepes or pancakes. :)