THE  Banana Cake

Something strange has been happening in my house lately. I’ve taken to buying  hands of  deliciously ripe bananas and guarding them like a hawk. If one of my kids asks if they can eat a banana, they get a  resounding “No, they’re not for eating… yet”  The large bowl of yellow bananas sits tauntingly on the kitchen bench, teasing and tempting all that pass it by, but they know these bananas aren’t for eating… yet.  What could be so special as to halt the consumption of perfectly ripe bananas. Well,  BANANA CAKE of course.

First I bought you “Banana and coconut bread”,  then I introduced its brother “Banana and Chocolate bread” followed by their good looking sister “guilt free banana bread” Now I would like to introduce  you to the Granddaddy of all banana cakes and bread. Plain and simply put,  THE Banana Cake. This banana cake has caused me to reevaluate  our fresh fruit eating options, opting now  for snacks of pineapple, passionfruit and kiwifruit in  place of what would normally be a bite of creamy banana.

This banana cake is responsible for a long running feud between myself and my good friend Tina back home in New Zealand who reckons that her version of banana cake is superior to mine. A verbal game of badminton has been playing out between us via facebook   for some time now which has promoted me to up my game. I’ve taken banana cake making to a scientific level. The why, the which and of course the important how.

The first banana cake I ever made was from  the Edmond’s Cookbook, an iconic  and popular cookbook  found in almost every kitchen in New Zealand.  But I’m sorry Edmond’s Sure to Rise, this cake is far superior to your scantily written recipe. I’ve sought  the consultation of some of the worlds thought leaders on molecular gastronomy, Herve This and Harold McGee on the matter attaining to chemical reactions within baked goods in order to better understand the transformations that are taking place when the banana cake is being prepared and  cooking ~ also known as getting my food geek-on.

I came to  realize a very important point whilst researching the maillard reaction and other wonderful scientific observations and how it releates to banana cake baking  and that was the all important banana element itself. How important is it to leave your banana’s to go  brown naturally as opposed to assisting the process by squishing and  stuffing bananas into the fridge or freezer to speed up the browning process?

Firstly refrigeration under normal circumstances eg 2-4C actually slows down the browning process of the banana flesh. The banana skin will most certainly go brown but the ripening process of the banana will slow significantly. Freezing the banana  will certainly turn it mushy, but will not result in the banana ripening with the major noticeable difference in the banana being the loss in quality in  flesh of the banana.

The reason you want your banana to ripen, as opposed to going brown is that as the banana ripens, starch within the banana naturally breaks down into the sugars glucose, fructose and sucrose ~ making them sweeter! So leave your bananas well enough alone as they need the time left on the bench to convert their starch into the much more appealing sugar and assist you to Banana cake baking glory!

How long should you leave your bananas? Dependant on how ripe you buy them, a good week or so in a warm kitchen should about do the trick. If your kitchen is cooler, leave them longer.

All has been done in the attempt to perfect the humble banana cake recipe as there is a grand canyon of difference between a good banana cake and a great moist banana cake.  You be the judge, follow this easy recipe for yourself taking into account the notes and tips that will lead you to ambrosia like success. What might seem trivial to you, may actually be the difference between a parade in your honor or a half nibbled slice left on the plate.

THE Banana Cake

Ingredients

Makes 1 20-22 cm round cake

190g unsalted butter ~  cut into cubes and softened at room temperature

200g dark brown sugar

60g caster sugar

3 large eggs

4 very ripe mashed banana’s

3 Tbsp milk ~ brought to the boil

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

200g plain flour

130g cake flour

1/2 tsp salt

Method

Preheat the oven to Fan bake on 165 C/ 320 F. Ready the shelf in the middle of the oven.

Into a large bowl, or cake mixer bowl place the softened butter, dark brown sugar and caster sugar and cream well with a wooden spoon or cake mixer paddle until light and fluffy and the sugar begins to dissolve. This should take about  3 minutes of steady mixing.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. At this stage of the cake making process, mixing well is essential to fully incorporate the ingredients and it also helps to incorporate air into the mix which will assist the cake in rising upon baking.

Peel and mash the bananas well with a fork and mix them through the batter mixture. Bring to the boil the milk and stir into it the baking powder. You will notice the mixture becomes frothy, which is the bicarb soda reacting with the hot milk. This will help to get good rise out of the cake as it cooks.

Sift together the flours and baking powder and add to the mixing bowl along with the salt. Fold gently and evenly until combined, making sure not to over mix at this stage as over mixing could result in a tough rubbery cake.

Spray a 20-22cm non stick springform cake-tin with nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter into the tin. Tap gently to even out the mixture and place on a shelf in the middle of a pre heat oven.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack and serve The banana cake in big slices with butter, whipped cream or plain.

If you like this Banana cake post, make sure to share it with your friends!

Guilt Free Banana Bread Pleasures!

Would you believe it if I told you that you can have your banana cake and eat it too! Well, with this fabulous banana bread recipe that is exactly what you can do.  It’s not only sugar free but this banana bread is also free from butter AND oil. As a replacement of the sugar, agave nectar makes an appearance and we opt the butter out of the equation as well as the oil and replace them with yogurt and grated fresh pineapple.

Easy Banana Pineapple and Almond Bread

Not only is this banana bread delicious and easy to make, but it remains moist as well. Banana bread is a great treat to send to school with the little ones and just to spoil them a bit  more, why not make them into fun shapes as well? I love my BakewaresBest silicone moulds, which leaves the banana bread with a lovely shine and the shapes remain intact and perfectly formed once the bread is removed from the moulds. Take a look at the picture above and know why I’ve fallen head over heels for silicone moulds, and that’s not even mentioning how easy they are to store, clean and even travel with!

I made a ‘grown ups’ style loaf,  a couple of stars and a gingerbread person for the school age in the household who were most grateful and couldn’t wait to take them to school the next day. I plan on taking an extra large banana bread slice with me to the office tomorrow for some guilt free Monday morning munching.

Banana Pineapple and Almond Bread Recipe

Ingredients

4 very ripe large bananas ~ mashed well with a fork

125mls/ 1/2 cup of agave nectar

6 Tbsp unsweetened yogurt

6 Tbsp fresh grated pineapple and its juice

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp milk ~ boiling

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup of whole almonds ~ roughly chopped

2 cups of cake/pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes ~ coarsely ground

Method

• Preheat the oven on fan cooking at 350F/180C. As this banana bread recipe doesn’t require any creaming of butter and sugar it’s nice and fast so the sooner you the get the oven heating the quicker you can cook the banana bread!
• Into a large bowl mix together the banana and the agave nectar until well combined
• Add the yogurt, pineapple and eggs and continue stirring until the mixture has come together evenly
• Mix the boiling milk with the baking soda and add to the wet ingredients and combine well.
• Mix through the almonds and sift on the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using a large wooden spoon, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the banana bread is well mixed in.
• Pour the banana bread mix into your molds and place in the oven. Remember that if your using silicone molds, this banana bread recipe is even MORE healthy as you don’t have to butter or grease silicone molds! If you are using metal molds make sure you grease the entire surface of the tins,  paying special attention to the corners which is where the bread tends to stick.
• Bake the banana bread mixture in the oven for 45 minutes for a large loaf or 20-25 minutes for small breads or shapes. The best way to tell if your banana bread is done is to insert a skewer into the center of the bread. If the skewer comes out clean the bread is ready.
• Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before peeling back the silicone mold to reveal your gorgeous banana bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe is a first cousin to my wickedly popular Banana Coconut Bread with the  point of difference being the use of dark chocolate over thread coconut.

Does it make a huge difference? You bet it does !  Its TDF (To Die For)

For a double whammy in my house, we like to to cut the bread into gorgeous thick slices and grill for a minute or two in the sandwich press. The bread warms through nicely, the outside gets crisp from the grill bars and the chocolate begins to melt oh so seductively.

Ingredients:

4 large squeeshy, over ripe, brown and nasty BANANAS ~ mashed with a fork

125gms butter ~ softened

250gms/1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs ~ beaten lightly

250gms/2 cups of plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

175gms of dark chocolate pieces

Methodology:

photo by adactio

Preheat your oven on bake or fan bake 190C/ 380 F.

Into a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, followed by the banana mess, eggs and vanilla extract.

Toss in the chocolate and stir well to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt straight over top of the wet ingredients and fold through. At this point you want to be careful not to over mix. Over mixing will excite the gluten in the flour  causing  your bread to became tough and gluey. So to keep the gluten from getting to excited, be gentle with this step and fold rather than mix furiously.

Grease a loaf tin ~ making sure all the corners are adequately covered so the bread doesn’t stick. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour.

Test the bread by touching the middle gently with your finger ~ it will bounce back when it is cooked. You can also test by placing a skewer into the bread. If the skewer comes out clean with no sticky batter on it ~ its ready.

Remove form the oven and allow the loaf to to cool slightly for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into thick slices and serve warm with ricotta or cream

Photo by powerbooktrance

The Wonder Breakfast When Your on the GO!

Sweet nothings  can deny me  my favourite way to start the day… OK my SECOND favourite way to start the day ~ wink wink nudge nudge, nuff said.

I’m consciously aware of the importance of a hearty breakfast in our daily diet, but up until this point it has  eluded me in the physical sense. I’m either to busy, to lethargic  or too busy being lethargic .

I craved something tangible … I quick fix.

Something that was swift to prepare and easy to digest, would fill me up and was light and SUPER tasty.

The day that my Banana and Manuka Honey Smoothie slid into my life is a day I will never forget. It sums up breakfast on the go for me like toast and marmalade  could never do.

And did I mention the health benefits???

So here comes the wavier first.  Though I’m no doctor, the ingredients that make up this smoothie are good for your heart, kidney’s and bones that will help to enhance your mood if your feeling a little flat.

Along with the wonders of the Banana as mentioned above, you also have the added benefits of calcium rich yogurt with its benefical bacteria and your favourite super food and mine ~ Manuka honey.

Manuka honey is fabulously exclusive, thanks to it  being produced by bees that collect pollen from the Manuka trees that grow on the East coast of New Zealand.

This particular honey has all the benefits of normal honey plus the added bonus of being antibacterial and antiviral. In fact, Manuka honey is medical grade honey ~ great for wound healing, burns, wrinkles, acne and a myrid of other ailments.

For those of you similar to myself who like the idea of drinking your yogurt and bananas rather than chewing them ~ this is the Breakfast treat for you!

Banana and Manuka Honey Smoothie

~makes enough for 1 large glass

1 Banana ~ ripe and smooth, best to avoid unripe bananas  in a smoothie as it wont be as creamy

2 Tbs Greek yogurt

2 tsp Manuka honey

350mls of chilled apple juice

Place all ingredients into a blender and whizz until nicely combined and oh so smooth ~ie.