Banana Muffins with Butterscotch Chips & KSL Studio 5

If you should happen to be near your TV this Thursday morning around 11am, and your TV should happen to be tuned in to KSL Channel 5 here in Utah for their show, Studio 5 (which it really should be any way because they always have lots of fun ideas and information to share), then at some point in the show you will find yourself in a position to see me baking.  On TV.  Again.

Yes, somehow, even though the last time I went on TV was quite a while ago (hey, a whole lot of life happened in the mean time!) it must have been just long enough for me to forget all the stage fright I had the last time and decide that I would do it again.

Maybe it is the fact that this time I get to demonstrate a dessert on the show, and for any of you who come here regularly I'm sure you aren't surprised that that is a pretty comfortable topic for me.

So, if you want to watch for moral support, or just to get a good laugh since I'm sure I'll trip up at some point and embarrass myself, please feel free to tell me what you think! You know I'm always the first one to laugh at my own little foibles, so it should just be a really good time.

In case you decide you might want to do a little baking that morning to get yourself in the mood for the show, might I suggest these Butterscotch Banana Muffins that are incredibly fast, easy, reliable, versatile and delicious.  I'm pretty sure these muffins are, hands-down, the very best way to use up ripe bananas.  In fact, I've been stashing overripe bananas in the freezer and using them up to make these muffins about once a week.  You could use any flavor of 'chip' in them, so feel free to experiment.  I keep meaning to take more pictures of the different variations we've tried, but my family has no patience with me where these muffins are concerned now.  Suffice it to say, they are wonderful.

The muffins are perfect at any temperature, and stored in an airtight container, keep really well on your countertop for up to 5 days (but they won't last that long).  Try them with toffee bits, nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips or even cappuccino chips. I've added anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra chips if you like more mix-ins, so feel free to load them up.

Banana 'Chip' Muffins

Adapted liberally from Nigella Lawson

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour (or a combination of all-purpose and wheat flour)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 to 1 cup chips (butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon, cappuccino, peanut butter or toffee bits, and/or nuts - or any combination)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line or spray 12 muffin cups with oil.  Set aside.

Whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flour(s), sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the oil/egg mixture and stir well till just combined.  Add the mashed bananas till just mixed in.  Fold in the chips.

Distribute the mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups (will be about 2/3 to 3/4 full).  Bake the muffins for 22 to 24 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch.  Let cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container.

The Cake Slice: Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I love chocolate, that is no secret. I also love bananas. So, that said, you would think that I would looooove this cake. In fact, I did like the cake itself, but surprisingly, to me anyway, the cake with this frosting was just waaaaay too sweet. Knowing my penchant for all things sweet, that may come as a shock. It certainly did to me. I thought the cake itself was very nice, but the frosting was tooth achingly sweet for me. Go figure.

That said, the cake and frosting were both a snap to make and I was glad to be able to participate in this month's round of The Cake Slice Bakers. I'm still playing a lot of catch up around here and hope to have many more posts up soon. I counted the other day and have at least 15 items just waiting to post, pictures and all, so hopefully I'll get on the ball soon.

Don't miss the rest of the cakes and how the other bakers thought it all turned out - visit the blogroll.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

(Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Banana Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk*

1½ cups mashed ripe banana

Chocolate Frosting

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half

4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

* If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by stirring 1½ teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice into ½ cup of milk and leaving for 10 minutes.

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to combine well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the vanilla. Beat well for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally until you have a smooth batter.

Using a large spoon, stir in half the flour just until it disappears into the batter. Stir in the buttermilk and then the remaining flour the same way. Quickly and gently fold in the mashed banana and then divide the batter between the 2 cake pans.

Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the centre, and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans on wire racks. Then turn out onto the racks to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the butter, cocoa and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until the cocoa dissolves into a dark shiny essence. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at low speed until you have a thick smooth frosting.

To complete the cake, place one layer, top side down, on a cake plate and spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top. Cover with the second layer placed top side up. Spread the rest of the frosting evenly first over the sides and then covering the top of the cake.

TWD: Banana Babycakes with Lemon Icing

Tuesdays with Dorie this week is brought to us by Mary, The Food Librarian, who chose the Classic Banana Bundt Cake. I was so happy when I saw this was her choice this week because I have been waiting, and waiting for someone to choose it! I made the bundt cake last year sometime and it was by far the best banana cake I've ever had. I loved the lemony icing on it as well.

This time I decided to make myself some banana babycakes and they were just as heavenly and good as I remember. This cake is moist, tender, light, fluffy and flavorful. It has a wonderful banana flavor and isn't too sweet. The tang of the lemon frosting is a really lovely accent.

As some of you already know, we have another reason around our house to think in baby sized portions - I am **surprise** pregnant again and expecting baby number 3. I'm due next March, which frankly, with my track record means who-in-the-heck-knows when I may have this baby. (Five days late the first time, 7 1/2 weeks early the second).

While we are both very happy about another addition to our family, it did come as quite a shock and surprise. We were 'preventing' another pregnancy and let's face it, I'm no fertile-myrtle (it took 2 years of trying to get pregnant with both other pregnancies). So, since I had my doctor's appointment to explore my permanent options all scheduled with my doctor, all we can think is that this was just meant to be and we have another little family member waiting to join us.

I won't lie and say that my initial reaction was positive. There. I said it. This is a very mixed up feeling. While this baby is very, very wanted... this pregnancy was not. I am sick. Ill. Exhausted. In short - a total train wreck. Sadly, this is the condition (only worsening) that I spend my entire pregnancies in. So, while most are giving us glad tidings, that was not my initial response. I absolutely freaked out. Complete and total panic. All I thought was - "I can't do this again!!" The thought of going through another pregnancy so sick, then having it end in another NICU experience due to HELLP's Syndrome (which I will more than likely have again) absolutely terrifies me. Completely. Most of the time I am keeping the panic in check... but not lately.

While I am trying to keep it together and keep life on an even keel, fate is not helping matters AT ALL. My short-lived zen was rudely destroyed this past Friday when I was also laid off from my job - basically the only job I had any hope of holding down (no pun with my sickness intended, but there you go) during this pregnancy and the long recovery that will come after it. (I was working from home doing marketing for a financial planning firm). Basically, the company I work for answers to another company above them who has decided to in effect create their own marketing department, tell the agents they must use that department, and therefore inadvertently obliterate my job. Awesome.

My point, my lovely friends is this. I don't know what the heck I'm going to do, but I'm not giving up on my happy place here. No matter what. I may not be posting as much since it is really tough to get in the kitchen right now, but I will be here as much as I can and don't want to lose this too. I may not be as happy or positive as I've tried hard to be in the past, but I don't think any of you will begrudge me that.

The outpouring of support I've received from this community already has been amazing and uplifting, so please, keep coming back. I love you all!

TWD: Fresh Mango Bread

Tuesdays with Dorie this week is all about Fresh Mango Bread, which was the selection of Kelly of Baking with the Boys. I'm not going to lie and say I was excited about this pick, because I wasn't. I will admit though that it was yet again another pleasant surprise. Will it replace my favorite banana bread? No, but it is definitely quite delicous and surprising to me how much I did like this, so thank you Kelly, for once again pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I actually made this bread twice, once with all bananas because I didn't have any mangoes, and once with half banana and half mango (shown here). I also added walnuts in place of raisins. Since Dorie mentions in the book that the bread can really benefit from being wrapped in plastic and eaten the next day that is what I chose to do. It really helped the bread to be moist and delicious.

Make sure to visit the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see more delicious mango bread!

TWD: Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie. Oh how I love Banana Cream Pie. I have to say that Dorie's variation on it is a really nice riff. Creamy, dreamy pastry cream, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. This week's recipe was chosen by Amy at Sing for Your Supper. It is one I've been wanting to try for a while now, so I'm so glad she chose it.

For the crust, we used Dorie's recipe and as always it was tender and delicious. While I can't say with conviction that this is my favorite version of a banana cream pie, it was a really nice change. If you love a little spice with your bananas, then definitely head over to Amy's blog for the recipe, or better yet, get your copy of Baking From My Home To Yours!

My pie this week is also my entry to You Want Pies With That? The theme this time around, chosen by Jacque and Natashya was Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. While I don't think you could say that my celebrity of choice is rich, he is definitely famous. Funny enough it was the first celebrity I thought of, probably because I was listening to the soundtrack with Aidan when I was reading about the theme.

So, my celebrity of choice, also chosen by Aidan, is Curious George. We cut the extra dough into little elliptical shapes and used the back of a knife to press a leaf pattern into the dough. I also brushed the edges with a little egg wash (1 lg egg + 1 Tablespoon water, beaten) to help it brown nicely.

We have loved Curious George, well, counting me, since I was a kid. I think he would love this creamy pie with its layers and layers of bananas and the fun leaves around the edges.

Check the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see how everyone elses' pies turned out!

NaBloPoMo - Day 1 ... and Banana Walnut Bread

Since I have been really bad about posting very much for the past several weeks I decided it was time to recommit myself to posting recipes for all the things I've been making. You see, I haven't been posting much, but I have still been cooking and baking for my family. That being the case, I have quite the little stash of photos and recipes I need to tell you about. When I saw that CB was going to try to post every day in March for NaBloPoMo I decided that would be a good way for me to kick things into gear as well - especially since I already have at least 10 or 15 things just waiting to be written up.

There is a theme to the blogging each month and this month's is Giving (Up). So, I'm not sure how much I will blog on theme since it is optional, but we shall see.

The first one I decided to tell you about is this Banana Bread recipe from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I was intrigued by the original recipe because it was actually for a Banana Apple Bread. Hmmm. I've never had that before... and sadly, still haven't. I didn't have any apples but decided to make the recipe without them and substitute some nuts instead. The bread was still absolutely amazing. I'm sure there are lots of great banana bread recipes out there, but I have to tell you, this one really is absolutely delightful. I guess that means I gave up the apples, so that is a very loose representation of the theme I guess. Yes, I am stretching, but there you go. It is only day one after all.

So, the next time you have some overly ripe bananas languishing on your counter, go ahead and do yourself a favor and give this recipe a try.

Banana Walnut Bread
Adapted from Mom's Banana Apple Bread
Source: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups very ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans or almonds)

Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan (I used an 8 cup mini loaf pan).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. Then stir in the chopped nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes (about 35 to 45 minutes for mini loaves - check them for doneness with a wooden skewer - when it comes out clean they are ready). Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

Serve the bread slightly warm or at room temperature. The bread keeps well wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, for up to 3 weeks. Defrost while still wrapped at room temperature.

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

Two words: crazy good. Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread for our Tuesdays with Dorie recipe this week. For my gingerbread I chose to leave off the chocolate glaze.

I know. I left off the chocolate?! Yes. In this case, I did. I also made mini cakes as you can see, for cute little personal servings. The reason I left off the chocolate glaze was simply because I wanted to see what this combination would be like.

It may seem like an odd combination, bananas and gingerbread, but it is just so good. You really have to try this some time. I was inspired by Peabody to top make the mini cakes topped with good vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce (and you really ought to follow that link and see why). All together, this is one surprisingly light and still delicious and sweet treat. The only other change I made to the original recipe was to leave out the stem ginger since that was no where to be found at our grocery store.

I will definitely make this recipe again since I love the chocolate and ginger combination. Make sure to see how everyone else's gingerbread came out by going to the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll!

Cake Slice Bakers: Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache

The Cake Slice Bakers this month chose to make this Banana Cake.  It is actually a very small amount of banana that goes into the cake, but it was quite tasty.  I didn't get a picture of the interior this time, but it was a light speckled color, kind of like a very light banana bread.  

The filling is made from pecan pralines and was a bit intimidating to read about making, but was quite easy to do.  I will make my pralines this way from now on I think.   Basically, we boiled the pecans, then drained them, then coated them with powdered sugar and deep fried them.  Yes.  You heard me right.  Boiled then fried.  It was fun though and oh my, were they delicious!

Part of the pralines are then chopped up and added into the white chocolate ganache.  I have attempted a white chocolate ganache four times before this and failed miserably each time.  I finally had success this time by making sure I had plenty of time to wait and lots of patience.  I am pretty sure I failed all those other times because I rushed the process.

Either way, the cake and the process of making the components was fun.  I took this to my Mom for a belated birthday cake and everyone really enjoyed it.

Make sure to check out all the other beautiful cakes by visiting the Cake Slice Bakers blogroll. You can get the recipe over at Gigi Cakes.

CEiMB: Banana Cream Pie

In Ellie's book, The Food You Crave: Luscious Food for a Healthy Life she describes her Banana Cream Pie as "fragrant vanilla pudding cradled in a graham cracker crumb crust, topped with bananas and real whipped cream..." - now with a description like that, how can you not want to try this?

As our very first dessert selection from the book for our CEiMB group, and an absolute banana pie lover, I couldn't be happier to make this one. My parents were visiting and since my Dad has a real sweet tooth, this was perfect. They both have a lot of dietary issues and it was really nice to be able to offer something that wasn't going to cause problems for them.

It was definitely a different version of this kind of pie than I've made before - translation: I've never made one that verges on being so, well, healthy! No sugar in the crust, very little in the pudding, lots and lots of fruit, well, with a pie like this, yes, we ate it for breakfast - well, my parents and I did anyway. And I didn't even feel guilty about it. The vanilla flavor in the pudding wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be, but it was still good.

The only change I made to the recipe was to make a little extra crust (one full recipe + half a recipe more). With that much fruit I just know that I am going to want a little extra crust. I've adjusted the amounts for the crust below accordingly.

Banana Cream Pie
(Source: The Food You Crave: Luscious Food for a Healthy Life)

For the Crust:
Cooking spray
11 graham cracker sheets
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 Tablespoons water

For the Pudding:
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (I actually used nonfat)
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:
2 cups 1/4-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)

For the Topping:
1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of sugar and the flour. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together. Add the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and gelatin mixture. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange the sliced banana in the crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag, concentrating it in one corner of the bag. Snip that corner off the bag and squeeze the whipped cream out of the bag in a decorative pattern around the pie. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Kindergarten Cupcakes

So, I have been trying to be very proactive about volunteering at Aidan's school. It is a charter school that is "service learning" oriented so all families are required to volunteer at least 30 hours through the school year. School is only one month in and I am already almost half way there, so it isn't going to be a problem getting our time.

One of the things I did to volunteer was to help with the food at the fall fundraiser "fiesta." Basically, my help entailed helping make some Carne Asada for tacos (more on that soon - promise) and helping make quesadillas at the function (which were insanely popular - we couldn't slow down all night!).

The mini cupcakes you see here were from going in to Aidan's kindergarten class last week to talk about "Community Helpers" - in this case, being a baker. Now, technically, I have done very little along these lines so far and am just getting started (a couple of cakes so far). Anyway, they needed someone to take the time and I had 5 minutes to talk to the kids so it was a win-win situation. I decided, as a mom of one of the crazy, wound-up 5 year olds in the class, that since we were going to let the kiddos have cupcakes as a treat that day that I wanted them to be better (aka, slightly healthier and less of a sugar rush) than regular cupcakes.

I think these little darlings did a great job. They were actually really great without the frosting and warm from the oven as mini-muffins too. We will definitely be making these again since Aidan and I couldn't get enough of them! The cupcakes themselves are patterned after the ones I made a while ago and the frosting was inspired by Peabody's amazing looking cupcakes.

So, here I give you my very first cupcakes for Aidan's kindergarten! I sent home copies of the recipe to all the parents in the hopes that since these are so easy to make they would take the time to start teaching (if they aren't already) their kids to bake.

All the kids in the class were super excited about the topic so I'm sure they would all love to do it! There was an awful lot of kids that thought making pancakes was the epitome of baking though (which actually made me feel good that it sounds like I'm not the only mom who ends up feeding their family pancakes a few times a week). Anyway, you really should give these a try - as I said, they don't need the frosting, but well, why not?

Since these aren't your average, everyday, buttercreamed cupcakes I am sending these over to Fanny at Foodbeam for this month's Sugar High Friday. If cupcakes are dying, I think this rendition is a good step in the right direction! Don't believe me - just look below to see what Aidan thought of them!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large ripe banana
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cups semisweet mini-chocolate chips (reduce amount to 1/2 cup if using regular chocolate chips)

In a bowl whisk together the flours, the baking powder and wheat germ. In another bowl with an electric mixer cream together the brown sugar, the peanut butter, and the butter. Add the banana and beat well, then add and beat in the egg and the vanilla.Beat in one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, followed by half the remaining flour, then the remaining milk, ending with the remainder of the flour mixture. Mix each addition in gently and only until incorporated. Last, stir in the chocolate chips.Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined 1/2-cup muffin tins and bake the cupcakes in the middle of a preheated 350 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Turn the cupcakes out onto a rack and let them cool completely.

Chocolate Ovaltine Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons Ovaltine

In a large bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add sugar and Ovaltine. Beat until stiff. Frost cooled cupcakes with whipped cream frosting. Top with a Whopper (malted milk balls).

TWD: Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte

I was excited when I found out this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe pick from Amy of Food, Family and Fun was the Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte... until I read that the recipe used 8 raw eggs in the ganache. I wasn't grossed out or anything, but that seemed like a lot to take in. I'm actually not usually one that is concerned about the whole raw egg issue (being a total spoon licker myself) - but, still.

Aside from that I also had pretty much no occassion to make a whole torte to share with anyone. I haven't missed a week yet though and didn't want to start now. So, I am down to the wire and just finishing up making my two individual serving sized tortes. Like Steph suggested I used a couple of my mini paper wrappers to make these. I ended up making a caramel banana flavored ice cream to layer, but chose to just sandwich the ice cream between two layers of ganache - and I didn't read the directions to refreeze the ice cream, so this melty version is what you get (ok, what I get anyway) when I don't read the recipe before forging on.

If I ever get to make this again then I will do the three ganache layers - and not be so impatient. Either way, it still tasted really good - but then, how can ice cream ever be wrong?!

Make sure to check out the creations of the other TWDer's (you know, the ones who read the recipe - LOL!).

Get the book!

TWD: Black and White Banana Loaf

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection - coming from Ashlee of A Year In The Kitchen - is the Black and White Banana Loaf on page 232 of the incredible and awe inspiring baking tome, Baking From My Home To Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.

OK, so, what can I say about this recipe? First of all, it had quite the P&Q session going this week, which, though funny on some levels, I thought was pretty indicitive of how helpful and fun a baking group like this can be. What was the raging debate? How much banana is 1 1/2 bananas. Well, I can't say how much it ended up being for others, but for me it was only about 1/2 cup. Also there was a lot of discussion about runny batter - but mine was really thick. The cake was moist, tender and flavorful - but surprisingly no one flavor took center stage - just a really good blending of all of them.

At first bite I really didn't think all that much of the cake to be honest. Then, as I kept eating my slice the flavors started coming through a bit more and I really liked it. I thought it was a really nice way to use extra ripe bananas that was much more size friendly than a big bundt cake would have been. I have some mini loaf pans so I made three mini loaf cakes with my batter and baked them for 30 minutes @ 325 degrees, then tented them with foil and turned the oven down to 300 degrees for another 30 minutes. They were done perfectly and I really didn't have any problems with the baking time. I turned my oven down just because, even though I tented them, since they were baking in dark non-stick pans and were smaller I didn't want to overbake them or dry them out. Personally, I will definitely be making this one again when I have just a little leftover banana to use.

Make sure to check out what the rest of the gang over at Tuesdays with Dorie thought of this week's recipe! I say it every week, but every week I mean it more - I l/o/v/e this book! Go get it now if you can!

This Post Is Bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

So, I spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs and dreaming of their food. I'm glad to say, that since it is always awe inspiring that I think this is a good pass-time for me. Especially, when I need to decompress.

I have found so many amazing blogs, but it just so happened that yesterday I had the opportunity to make recipes from two of my favorites - I'm sure you've found both of these by now, and I was so glad when I came across The Domestic Goddess about a year ago. It has only been in the past few months that I've really started reading more blogs and found Joy the Baker. I love, love, love both of these blogs.

I really had to laugh when I started to read this post on Serious Eats from Dorie about "languishing bananas". I had five of 'em in the kitchen doing just that. Languishing. Waiting til I had time to do something about it. My DH wanted to throw them away because they were getting so black. NO!!!

Yesterday was finally the day. I really didn't want to make a bajillion banana muffins or loaves of bread though (suffice it to say that my last pregnancy has turned me away from being able to stomach actual banana bread for a while).

So, while I was looking for other ideas it was when I was going through Jennifer's archives that I was reminded of bookmarking her recipe for Banana Sticky Buns a while back. I had recently seen Joy's Banana Cupcakes, and well, since I had enough bananas at their leisure in the kitchen for both recipes, I went for it.

Actually, I made a half-size recipe of Joy's cupcakes because it is just us and the half recipe still made 12 cupcakes a 6-inch cake.

So, here is Joy's recipe and lovely pictures (much better than mine!). This was THE BEST Banana Cake recipe I have ever had. Plus, she gives you her recipe for THE BEST Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting too. The cupcakes and frosting were both light, lovely and delicious. We left the chocolate out (I know - me, leave chocolate out of anything?! Not my choice.) because my husband prefers it without and I was trying to pass my latest sugar-holic creation off as "muffins." (Which, incidently, I did eat two of the cupcakes warm from the oven last night, and they were perfectly delicious without any embellishment at all).

Here is where you will find Jennifer's original Banana Sticky Bun recipe. My version is detailed below. Any changes made were pretty much only made because of availability of ingredients at our house right now (no cranberries). I tweaked the recipe only a bit to make the sticky part a bit gooier since I was using sliced almonds on top. These had a light banana flavor and were delicious and different. A great way to use up those ripe bananas.

And while you're here, don't forget to check out the "Little Wonders" Event I'm hosting. I hope you can join in the fun and help a good cause!



Banana Sticky Buns
(Adapted from Jennifer, The Domestic Goddess)

Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F) + 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter – room temperature
2 large eggs
¼ cup buttermilk powder
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Filling:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Sticky Bottom:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter + 1 teaspoon for pan
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

(Note: Jennifer uses a vanilla sugar glaze (follow the link above) on the sticky buns as well, but since I had extra Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting from making Joy's cupcakes, I just used some of that - SOOOO good!)


Directions:

1. In a large bowl mash the bananas with the butter to form a very soft, ever-so-slightly liquid paste. Combine the yeast with the warm water and sugar. Let sit til foamy, 5 minutes. Add the eggs, buttermilk powder, brown sugar, salt and flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms.

2. Scrape it all together with a bench scraper and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary, about 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot (on top of the fridge works really well) until it doubles in size – about 1 ½ hours. (I got started on this in the evening, so I ended up putting the dough in the refrigerator overnight at this point).

4. Make the filling: in a small bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon. Set aside.

5. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a 14- by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar combination and press it into the dough lightly. Beginning at the long side, roll jellyroll style. Pinch to seal seam and set aside, covered in a warm spot while you make the sticky bottom.

6. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and honey, cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cream and keep stirring until smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with the almonds. Cut the buns into 12 pieces, about 1 ½ inches wide and arrange, cut side up in the pan with the sugar-butter-almond mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 to 45 minutes (or over night in the fridge) or until doubled in volume.

7. Bake in a preheated, 350 F oven for 25 – 35 minutes, or until caramel is bubbling and tops are slightly browned. Meanwhile, make glaze or frosting (go check out Jennifer's and Joy's blogs for your choice - the sticky buns are really good without any glaze too). When the rolls come out of the oven, allow them to cool slightly and then drizzle with the glaze while they are still warm. Pull apart and serve warm.