Just Sinful

Once again I have a bunch of mushy bananas laying on my counter.  Bananas in this house sometimes get eaten within hours of coming home, sometimes they just sit and get mushy calling my name to bake with them.

I wanted to do something a little different this time around.  I have added chocolate chips.  I have added nuts.  I have added coconut.  I have never added NUTELLA.  Imagine finding a recipe out there that contains something as sinful as Nutella, just dangerous.

This recipe produced a delicious, moist banana bread.  I made one full sized loaf and a bunch of mini loaves to share, as I am trying not to over indulge myself.  Plus who doesn't love a fresh baked gift?

Nutella Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two full sized loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon and combine.

3. Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour just until combined. Mix in nutella.

4.Divide batter into prepared pans and bake for 35-45minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am always looking something to do with very ripe bananas.  I came across this recipe in an email, I don't know which website it came from as I get a ton of recipes in my email almost on a daily basis.  This one called for ingredients I had on hand, which is always important.  

One of the ingredients I swapped out was regular chocolate chips for white chocolate chunks, that was because I just prefer a regular chocolate.  I also choose mini-chips over chunks, I felt that would give more chocolate flavor in every bite.

This recipe turned out to be a keeper, they were moist, tasty and easy to make.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 3/4 cups (225 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (2 ounces) (65 grams) chocolate chips or chunks

3 large ripe bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

I always start by mashing the bananas with a potato masher right in the bowl I am mixing everything in.  The pour the rest of the ingredients into the bowl.  Mix well, but don't over mix otherwise muffins will be tough.  Spoon evenly among a 12 cup muffin tin that has been coated with cooking spray.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then test with a toothpick until it comes out clean.

Banana Bread with Style

When the weekend comes around I often look at some speckled bananas on the counter and wonder why do I continue to buy bananas and what am I going to make with these now. I almost always make my mom's banana bread recipe but tonight I was looking for something a little different. After browsing Cooks Illustrated for banana recipes I decided on a Macadamia Coconut Banana Bread, sounds tropical. As I go to the cabinet that houses the macadamia nuts I don't see the bag where it usually sits. I pull over a chair to stand on to get a better look, still no macadamia nuts. So a minor setback no macadamia nuts, but I have been handling setbacks well all day. I was in BJ's earlier and Francis had to use the restroom, while in there someone swiped my cart, minor setback but I was irritated. So the nut thing is really no big deal, I have pecans.

I learned something new while reading this recipe. Often recipes call for just prepping the bottom of the pan, I always wondered why thinking the rest of the cake/bread will be stuck while the bottom isn't. The tip in the recipe said that if you prep the sides of the pan your cake/bread won't rise as high in the center. Thanks to Cooks Illustrated for the reason behind leaving the sides ungreased.

I don't know know how you may feel about coconut but I love it. I know it is usually a love hate thing with most people. I am the only one in my house that likes, more like loves coconut. When we go out for an ice cream treat with the boys and the ice cream shop has coconut ice cream I would be willing to bet that is what I am going to have. Tim thinks I get it just because I don't want to share a taste of my ice cream, that isn't it I really do LOVE coconut!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 very ripe bananas , soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs , beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toast coconut and macadamia nuts on small cookie sheet, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Readjust oven rack to lower middle position. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. Combine first four ingredients, coconut, and nuts together in large bowl; set aside.

2. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

It all began with a trip to the local library. I always browse the new arrivals, I am not a big reader but I do love a good cookbook. This wasn't just any cookbook but a cookbook that had a little story that went along with each cake. Cakes that she shared with her co-workers, just like me. An added bonus was when I googled the cookbook, because I had to have it, I found it on a discount book website and scored it for $5 with FREE SHIPPING! This is just the first of many cakes to come from this must have cookbook.



All too often I have bananas on the counter that are past their eating prime, so it was a no brainer to start with a banana cake. The chocolate frosting that went with the cake is what made it real special in my eyes. Homemade chocolate frosting...YUM!

I had to adjust this recipe just a bit. First the shortening I had was rancid, so I replaced with butter. The frosting called for unsalted butter, I only keep salted in the house. Lastly I found that the frosting needed more cream to make it spreadable.



Recipe

Cake
2/3 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 1/1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 tea baking powder
1 tea baking soda
1 tea salt
1 1/4 cup ripe bananas mashed
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting
Two 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 tea vanilla
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup cream or sweetened condensed milk

To Make the CakePreheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare tube pan. Cream shortening, then gradually add sugar, mixing well. In a separate bowl, dry whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the creamed mixture and beat until blended. Add mashed bananas and half the buttermilk and mix until moistened, then increase mixer speed to med-high and mix for two minutes. Add the rest of the buttermilk and eggs, and beat another two minutes. Stir in walnuts. Bake in a tube pan for 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and unmold.

To Make the Frosting
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or heat proof bowl. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool. With mixer on medium speed, cream butter, then gradually add half og th confectioner's sugar, blend well. Beat 2 tbsp cream into mix. Beat in remaining sugar and cream. Add melted chocolate to the creamed mixture and beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.