Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

So we can all do with another way to use up over ripe bananas right?

I had a bunch sitting on the counter and I needed to find a way to use them up.  Sure I could have frozen them but it is so much more rewarding to make something out of them then to shove them into the deep dark abyss of the freezer!  This is what I came up with…

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting (previously posted)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.
2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).
4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.
5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.
6. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING (Hershey Cocoa container)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

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Finally my computer is back to normal and “healthy” banana bread!

I have had some major issues going on with my computer and the bank for the past week.  My computer was attacked by a virus and then my bank account was compromised so they cancelled my access…been a fun week trying to get everything back to normal but at least my computer is up and working!!! 

Most of you know that I have been trying to eat healthier and lose some pounds that have been steadily creeping up. Well, I am proud to say that I am now down almost 20 lbs from what I was at the beginning of the year!!!  Feeling much better and liking the way that my body feels and looks!  One of the things I have been doing is not baking so much but when I do to substitute some of the fat for apple sauce, bananas or pumpkin puree.  So the other day when I had some oldish bananas I set to work…

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 medium sized bananas)
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour (next time I will try 1/2 of it whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (I used semi-sweet but you can use what you like)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F

• In a mixing bowl mix the apple sauce and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each one.
• Add the banana and the milk.
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the wet mixture until just blended.
• Using a spoon mix in the strawberries and chocolate chips
• Pour into a greased 9X5X3 inch loaf pan and bake in your preheated 350 degree over for about 1 hr and 10 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

***Based on 16 slices from the loaf of quick bread this is 3 WW Points

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Chocolate Banana Brownies

 

Sorry for the quick hit here but I was tweeting about these brownies and how delicious they are so I needed to get it up quickly in my very limited time!

I took my favorite brownie recipe and replaced all of the fat from the butter with 1/2 cup of mashed ripe bananas and then placed slices on the top.  These turned out moist and cakey on the bottom and deliciously gooey on top…

I made these from the following recipe but when thinking about it I really want to try it with a boxed brownie mix.  It should work the same!  Replace the full 1/3 cup of oil with 1/3 cup mashed up banana and follow the rest of the instructions…

Chocolate Banana Brownies  adapted from Cooks.com

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup mashed bananas
2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs
Sliced bananas for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

Mix banana with 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. Then add 2 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2/3 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix to combine.

Grease a 9X9 baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and gently remove from pan to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

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Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

So it’s been a while.  I can give you a million reasons why I haven’t posted since last month but I won’t.  Hopefully this is the end of the dry spell.

I had 4 small bananas that were past the eating date according to everyone in my family.  I knew I needed to make something with them but couldn’t decide on anything.  I was going to make a banana cake with cream cheese frosting but getting out the mixer seemed like a lot of work while I was trying to do laundry and clean.  Banana bread rarely gets finished here for some reason.  Everyone starts gung ho on it and then I end up throwing out the last 3 slices.  I was going to make banana snicker doodles but once again sounded like too much work.

Finally I came across a recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins from the Epicurious  website.  I love this site because of the honest reviews that people leave on the recipes.  How can you go wrong when 275 people have left comments for you!!!

These muffins were delicious.  Light and fluffy, full of bananas and chocolate chips.  Definitely yummy my taste testers just confirmed! 

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins (Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
• Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl.
• Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix).
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
• Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes.
• Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

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Banana Bread with Brown Butter and Caramel

This is the third recipe I have written using the caramel sauce from the DB Caramel Cake. If you love the flavor of caramel you simply have to make some to have on hand at all times. It’s easy enough to make and then any time that you want to add a wonderful caramel flavor to anything you have some in your fridge already!

CARAMEL SYRUP (Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}
Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Alright now that you have the caramel sauce at your disposal you HAVE GOT TO MAKE THIS BANANA BREAD!!!!!!

I had some bananas on hand that were definitely passed the comfortable eating stage but were not to the trash stage…yet. So I asked the girls what they wanted. Banana bread, banana cake, banana cookies etc…

They decided on banana bread so banana bread it was. Only this time I still had that caramel sauce in my head. And during the week Elle from Elle’s New England Kitchen had posted a recipe for Browned Butter Blueberry Maple Muffins. While her muffins looked great the browned butter thing was what stuck in my mind.

And that folks was the inspiration behind this wonderful banana bread!!!

Banana Bread (all recipes.com)

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp caramel sauce (see above)
2-1/3 cup bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pecans, chopped

1. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan, letting it boil until it starts to brown and smell nutty. Don’t let it burn. Stop it when it gets a deep brown color.There will be sediment at the bottom of the pan, so pour the butter through a wire mesh strainer and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the browned butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas vanilla, and pecans until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

This bread was delicious and I will be making this again and again!!! I cut it as soon as it was cooled and it tasted great but the real flavor came through the next day!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I was hunting around the internet trying to come up with something different to do with over ripe bananas. I make banana bread all the time so I kind of wanted something a little special. My oldest daughter was doing her FCAT’s all week (FL standardized testing).

I found this banana cake recipe that was simple, straight forward and (grin) I had all the ingredients!!!

Turned out wonderfully. A delicious light cake that everyone in the family loved! Will definitely be making this one again!

I put really cute little butterfly sprinkles around the outside for the kids and then served ours with banana!

Banana Cake (from Mom’s Who Think)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.

2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.

3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).

4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.

5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

Frosting Directions:

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add sugar and vanilla and blend well. Spread on cooled cake.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Strawberry Banana Vanilla Soy Ice Cream

We've had such a beautiful weather lately here in Chicago that it *almost* felt like summer. It's quite rare that we get over 60 degree weather in early February! So with the sun brightly shining and a cool breeze coming through the window, I decided it was definitely an ice cream day. I wish I used my ice cream maker more during the holidays to create some delicious holiday flavors but it's never too late to whip up some homemade ice cream... even in the middle of winter.

I flipped through my Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert book for some ideas and inspiration and found the following recipe. It starts out with a sweet cream base and mixing in fresh strawberries and bananas. I made some adaptations to the original recipe including using vanilla soy milk (instead of whole milk), fresh strawberries (instead of frozen strawberries in syrup) and key lime juice (instead of lemon juice). Before enjoying, I drizzled a little strawberry coulis to garnish!

Strawberry Banana Vanilla Soy Ice Cream
recipe adapted from Ben & Jerry's

Sweet Cream Base:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup vanilla soy milk

Fresh fruit flavoring:
2 small/medium overripe bananas, mashed
1 pint fresh strawberries, diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon key lime (or lemon/lime) juice



Sweet cream base:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minuutes.

Whisk in the 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.

Pour in the cream and milk; whisk to blend and set aside.

In a separate small bowl, place diced strawberies, 1/4 cup sugar and key lime juice; set aside to macerate for 15 minutes.


Adding the fresh fruit:

In a large bowl, mash the bananas.

Drain the strawberries and add the natural syrup created to the banana. Set aside just the diced strawberries.

Whisk banana mixture until smooth.

Combine the sweet cream base with the banana mixture and blend thoroughly.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

About 2 minutes before you are done churning/processing your ice cream, add the diced strawberries and continue churning/processing until done.

Transfer your ice cream into a freezeable container and freeze for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.

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More banana recipes???!!!

Yummy, hot from the oven banana bread!

I seem to have an absolute plethora of rotting bananas in my house. I am really hoping for apples but the kids keep eating all of those and leaving me with bananas! So I made banana bread. Really good and fast banana bread.

I had my youngest home with me yesterday so it needed to be fast. In between the coloring and the constant questions and making me watch her every move I needed to be quick with anything that I had going on. I knew this one would be fast and just what I needed.

Moist and nutty banana bread!

Banana Bread (all recipes.com)

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2-1/3 cup bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas vanilla, and pecans until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

This was a super fast and easy recipe. Be sure not to over mix the batter. Over mixing will make for a drier bread. This is a very bananay bread with a ton of moisture! Loved it!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Banana Chocolate Chip Almond Muffins

The following recipe was featured in my Muffin Swap event. You can read about it and view other muffin recipes HERE.

Joelen's Banana Chocolate Chip Almond Muffins

Recipe adapted from HERE

2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup Vanilla soy milk (Silk brand)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 rip banana, mashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl or 2 cup measuing cup, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Add the mashed banana, chocolate chips and almonds.

Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

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Over ripe bananas call for banana muffins!

Nice and fluffy banana muffins...the perfect snack!

For some reason we always seem to have really dark bananas lying around. I guess I should stop buying them but I think the problem is inconsistency. Sometimes I will buy 5 bananas and they will be gone in 2 days. Other time I will buy 5 and 4 of them will go black. The other day I decided to make some banana muffins. I know everyone has their favorite recipe for them but this one is really easy and there are no special or fancy ingredients to over take the banana flavor. Just good ol' banana muffins!!!

I have used this recipe over and over and it has never let me down.

Banana Muffins (adapted from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book)

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups AP Flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter
2 Tbsp milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Combine all ingredients but the nuts in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until all ingredients are blended. Change speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the nuts.
• Pour the batter into a muffin pan lined with muffin cups. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in pan and then remove from pan and continue to cool.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Have you ever seen one of these?

When I went to the farmer's market Saturday morning I only needed a couple of things. Tomatoes, onions, and some garlic. I paid for my things and then went over to the bakery and got some sweet treats for the girls and I. On my way back the biggest banana type thing I had ever seen caught my eye. Have you ever seen this before?


Apparently it is a Hawaiian Plantain. I took a picture of it in my hand so that there was some perspective on the size of this.

Guess what? It was delicious! It was so sweet and mild tasting and the flesh was a slight peachy color. I bought 2 of them and they were gone that day.

They can be treated the same as regular plantains as in cooked. But when these ones are nice and ripe like the one in my hand they are perfect for eating just out of the peel! I was also thinking that they would make a nice quick bread. I think they would give some banana bread some nice chunks in it!

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for these!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

The following recipe was prepared for my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting New Orleans chefs. You can read about it and get other recipes from the event HERE.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
shared at the event by Joelen
inspired by this recipe & adapted from here

4 loaves - French bread, each 1’ long
1 qt - Heavy cream
1 ½ C - Whole milk
1 ½ C - Sugar
3 C - Light brown sugar
12 ea - Egg yolks
3 ea - Bananas
1 C - Rum
½ t - Ground cinnamon
4 T - Vanilla extract
Fresh mint for garnish

Slice French bread and dry in a 200° oven for 20 minutes. Combine remaining pudding ingredients in a large container and blend well with a hand mixer. Thinly slice dried French bread and place in an 8” x 10” x 2” pan. Pour pudding into pan and mush all bread by hand so that the liquid is absorbed and the bread becomes very soggy. Be sure to flatten all of the lumps. Cover pan with foil and bake at 300° for 2 ½ hours, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the pudding comes out dry. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Foster Sauce
4 ½ C - Unsalted butter
4 ½ C - Packed dark brown sugar
3 t - Ground cinnamon
2 ¼ C - Golden rum
2 ¼ C - Banana liqueur
8 - Bananas, sliced lengthwise and in half

Melt butter in a saucepot. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Add the rum and ignite. Allow the flames to subside. Then, stir in the banana liqueur. Add fresh bananas and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sauce coats the spoon.

To Serve: Cut bread pudding into 3 ½” x 3 ½” squares. Top warm bread pudding with Foster sauce and garnish with mint leaves.

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Monkeying Around

I needed some culinary therapy today as a result of some very rough events. So today, I made banana chocolate chip bundt cakes. The recipe I used was inspired by my friend, Amber. I used her banana bread recipe and added 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract... which I baked in a mini bundt pan for 25-30 mins. The outcome was a wonderfully moist and flavorful cake - just the sweetness I needed for the day.

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