Yummy Banana Cake

At a recent get-together with my college buds, they asked me if I had a banana cake recipe - cake, not bread...

Of course I do!!!  And here it is...

Mix together ½ teaspoon apple pie spice, 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.  Set aside.

Beat ¾ to 1 cup muscovado sugar and ½ cup softened butter.  (I usually use about 2/3 cup of sugar especially when I know my bananas are really sweet.)  Add 3 jumbo (XXL) eggs and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in ½ cup yogurt and 1¼ cups very ripe mashed bananas; the mixture will look curdled.  Stir in flour mixture into the wet batter.

Fold in ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, or a mix of mix-ins. (I usually use ½ cup chocolate chips.  If using raisins, soak in about ¼ cup rum for 15 minutes then micro 3 times in 25-second bursts.  Drain excess liquid.  Cool to room temperature.)

Spoon the batter into greased and lined baking pan/s.  If you have extra bananas, slice them into rounds and arrange on top of the cake.  (I have been known to top the cake with chopped Reese cups, as well as chocolate chip cookie crumbs!)

Bake at 350F, until a tester comes out clean:

8 or 9-inch round pan, 8-inch square pan, or 11x7-in rectangle pan, approximately 40 to 50 minutes
8x4 loaf pan, approximately 45 to 55 minutes
20 to 24 cupcakes, approximately 18 to 22 minutes
14 to 18 muffins, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tiramisu

Last week I discovered that it was easy to make homemade mascarpone.  What a discovery it was! 

I never attempted tiramisu before because mascarpone was almost impossible to find and if I ever saw one, it costs an arm, a leg and everything else!  So upon discovering how easy it was to make at home, I jumped at the chance and went right on to make tiramisu.

First of all, I had to make homemade mascarpone...  here is one of many recipes on the internet.

Then, I whipped my homemade mascarpone with cream and sugar.

Of course I used ladyfingers!  (It really is too hot to bake!)

The ladyfingers were dipped in a mixture of (unsweetened) espresso and Bailey's Irish Cream.  Then they were stacked in my mom's old Pyrex loaf pan.

And smothered in the whipped mascarpone and cream mixture...

Cocoa powder was sifted on top... but I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake... by the time I remembered, only a fourth remained...

It was a good thing that I managed to take a picture of the tiramisu cups.  I had a couple of lady fingers left, as well as whipped mascarpone and cream, which I didn't want to waste.  Tiramisu in baking cups (both small and "big") was a great idea!

It really is quite easy to make delicious tiramisu... as long as there's mascarpone!

How to make it...

First, eat the following together until softly whipped (mixture should be thick, with very soft peaks)

1 cup masarpone (store bought or homemade)
2 cups whipping cream
6 tablespoons vanilla sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons Kahlua, optional

Then, mix the coffee mixture:  Mix 2/3 cup strong coffee or espresso (unsweetened) with 1 tablespoon Irish Cream liqueur. 

Prepare16 to 20 pieces of lady fingers (I used broas from Quezon province) and cocoa powder (I used Callebaut brand).

To assemble:

Spread mascarpone and cream mixture on the bottom of a shallow Pyrex loaf pan.  Dip a piece of lady finger (one at a time) and arrange on top of the mascarpone and cream mixture.  Add another layer of mascarpone and cream, and dipped lady fingers.  Finish with a top layer of mascarpone and cream.  Chill until firm.  (keep in the refrigerator.)

Just before serving, sift cocoa powder on top.

Enjoy!!!

Apple Cake

When I was a little girl, I loved apples.  I remember eating at least one each day.  And I loved the tart green apple best of all.

But my love for apples were only for the chilled fresh fruit.  I distinctly disliked apples in any other form except fresh, chilled and without the skin!  So while my mom's apple pie was possibly the best, I ate little of it (although to be fair, it was the only apple pie I would eat).    I did not like apple cake at all, although last year, I decided I liked this Apple Upside-Down Cake.  

As I grew older, I grew less fond of apples.  But this did not mean that I did not try to use them for baking!  Especially since we (usually) get a lot of apples in December.  So I baked a lot of apple desserts... mommy's apple pie (at least trying it), apple tarts, apple muffins, apple cakes... all of which everyone else would eat, not me.

Then last week, I discovered Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Marie-Helene's Apple Cake.  I loved it!  And it was rather easy to make.

As usual I made little changes... like using a mandoline to slice the apples instead of slicing them into chunks (it was really faster to use the mandoline!)... adding apple pie spice...  reducing the sugar and using light brown sugar (and then sprinkling the top with more light brown sugar and more apple pie spice)... and finally, using 2 6-inch Springform pans instead of a single 9-inch.

I used a mix of Fuji apples and Gala apples, although I think I might have overdone the apples.  Dorie Greenspan's recipe called for 4 apples (varying kinds).  What I had was 1 medium Fuji apple and about 6 small Gala apples.  I thought 2 small apples would be equivalent to a medium one...

I love, love, love this cake!!!  It's more apple than cake, I would say, and I really like that the apple slices still have a crunch to it!  And the brown sugar on top added more crunch too.

Hubby had his cake with vanilla ice cream and he was so happy with it that he got second and third helpings!

Madiera Cake

The little girl wanted to bake a cake for her beloved Ninang R.  She kept insisting, and she even chose the pan herself.  It was a pan in the shape of a flat cupcake.

Here is the cake. 

I chose a madeira cake recipe because madeira cakes are supposed to be unfrosted.  And although they are usually baked as a loaf, I figured they could be made into a "flat" cake, too, with adjustments in baking time.  My choice for a recipe?  Nigella's Mother-in-law's Madeira Cake recipe.

It's delicious!  How do I know?  Because I sneaked a little cupcake on the side for me!

Now I almost wish I didn't have to give the cake to B's Ninang.

Oh well, I just might bake another one!

Chocolate Mousse Cake, Travel-Friendly Version

A friend of a friend who got a taste of my Chocolate Mousse Cake asked me if I was willing to teach him how to make the cake (and share the recipe as well).  The problem?  He didn't have an oven or baking pans... hmmm...

Well, I figured out a way... sort of...

Given that he had no oven or baking pans, there really isn't a way for him to bake the cake layer.  Solution?  Buy one - a plain sheet cake, pound cake or even a brownie, and put it (cut to size) in a plastic container (about 2 liter capacity, with lid to make it travel friendly).  Pour in the mousse and chill until set.  Then spread whipped cream on top and sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top.  Chill again until set.

Here's the recipe for the marshmallow mousse...  (because I have a thing against raw eggs, I used marshmallows)

Melt together 200 grams of bittersweet chocolate (at least 60%), 1 cup mini marshmallows, and 1/2 cup milk.  Cool to room temperature before using, stir occasionally.

Meanwhile whip 1 cup heavy cream; chill in freezer 5 to 10 minutes.  Fold whipped cream in melted chocolate-marshmallow mix.  Pour into the container (on top of the chocolate cake or brownie layer).  Chill until set.

Whip 1 cup heavy cream.  Pour over set mousse, sprinkle top with mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings.  Chill until ready to serve.

Caramel Cake

No recipe this time.  Just wanted to showcase this cake for hubby's birthday. 

I love chiffon cakes... take a peek inside the cake...

Yummmmyyyy!