Hummingbird Cake

While my parents were away last week, my aunt and uncle invited my brother and me over for dinner one night. As usual, I volunteered to make something for dessert. We happened to have some overly-ripe bananas lying around and I wanted to use them. However I didn't want to just make a banana loaf, not that it isn't yummy, but I wanted to try something different. When I went to my favorite tastespotting.com and typed in "banana" into the search box I scrolled through quite a few recipes for different variations of banana loaf before I came across one for "hummingbird cake".

The recipe appealed to me because it was simple, easy, and had a twist using crushed pineapple and chopped pecans. Also, the idea of baking it in a bundt pan made for a nice presentation. Of course the cream cheese icing on top also scored points in my book.

The cake turned out moist and delicious and everyone enjoyed it after dinner. According to my aunt, who later phoned my mom, my uncle really loved it and has been taking it to work with him as well. Although I liked how it looked coming out of the bundt pan, I think I may use a regular 9" x 13" pan next time because it took a long time to bake all the way through and that resulted in the outside being a little too crusty for my liking. Despite that fact, I was still satisfied and based on their comments it seemed everyone else was too.

Hummingbird Cake

For the cake:

• 1½ cups pecans, chopped
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1¾ cups mashed banana (approximately 3-4 large bananas)
• 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• ¾ cups canola oil
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract

For the cream cheese icing:

• 4 oz (½ cup) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp milk

1. In the oven or on the stove, gently heat the pecans for 5-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. 
3. Add the eggs, mashed banana, pineapple, oil, and vanilla. Stir just until all of the ingredients are combined. (The batter will be lumpy)
4. Gently stir in one cup of the chopped pecans.
5. Grease a large bundt pan with butter or non-stick spray and pour the batter into the pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-80 minutes, or until a knife poked all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Mine took the full 80 minutes) If the top starts to brown too quickly cover the pan with aluminum foil.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before carefully loosening the cake and flipping it over. Allow the cake to finish cooling for about an hour on a wire rack.
8. Meanwhile, blend the ingredients for the icing. Add more milk if desiring a more liquidy consistency. 
9. Once the cake has cooled, pour the icing over top and sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans. 

Banana Split Cake

In addition to making a triple chocolate mousse cake for my birthday, I also made this cake which I decided to entitle "Banana Split Cake". Although I loved the mousse cake I am even more proud of this cake because I made it up all by myself, without any recipe to follow. Even though I am used to creating my own cheesecake recipes by now, this cake was a whole new ballgame. First of all, I don't normally make layered cakes, at least not ones where layers have to be stacked and filled, not just all compiled one after the other in the same pan. Secondly, I don't have very much experience frosting cakes; the only other time I have done it (outside of a cake making class I attended once) was when I made a black and white chocolate cake a few months back. Still, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and really try something new.

Considering my lack of experience with layered cakes and the fact that I was making everything on a whim without any recipe to guide me, I would say this cake was quite a success. The banana cake itself was very moist and delicious and definitely had a lot of banana flavor. I alternated the fillings between chocolate ganache and vanilla pastry cream, both studded with sliced strawberries. My personal favorite was the vanilla cream layer because it was silky smooth and melted in your mouth. I think I should have used a slightly different chocolate:cream ratio for the ganache because it ended up getting to hard in the fridge and turned out more like chocolate chunks in between the cake layers rather than a smooth filling. For the top and sides I used a simple whipped cream frosting and tried to make it as smooth as possible by using an offset spatula I had purchased specially for the occasion.

When my friends came over to celebrate my birthday they were all quite impressed with the cake. I have to admit, the height itself was striking and the white frosting with sliced strawberries on top gave it a simple elegance. Obviously I had to take a picture of it from all angles and then more once it was sliced, making my friends a little impatient to dig in. But once they did I received praises all around. Looking back, I am extremely pleased with both cakes I made for my birthday and I think I will start to make mousse cakes and layered cakes more often now that I have some experience under my belt.

Banana Split Cake
Note: Because I had no recipe to follow and was making things up as I went, I made one full batch each of chocolate ganache and vanilla pastry cream from previous desserts I have created. As a result, I ended up with extra ganache and cream. I don't know how to adjust the portions for this cake, but the extras can be used up some other way or just eaten on their own if you have a big sweet tooth.

Banana Cake
Note: This recipe makes two 9" cakes.

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 ripe bananas (about 2 cups) mashed
• 2/3 cup yogurt or sour cream

1. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Mix in the bananas until fully incorporated.
4. Add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream/yogurt, and then repeat with the remainder.
5. Divide the batter evenly between two greased 9" cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1/2 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar

Whip the cream on medium speed until foamy, about 30-60 seconds. Increase the speed to high and slowly add the sugar. Continue to whip until soft peaks form, about 1 more minute.
To assemble:

• Chocolate ganache
• Vanilla pastry cream 
• Banana cakes
• Whipped cream frosting
• Sliced strawberries (for inside)
• Whole strawberries (for garnish)

1. Take each banana cake and slice across in half to create four separate layers. Tip: it's easier to slice the cakes if they are cold therefore chill them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours prior to assembling the cake.
2. Place the bottom of one of the cakes onto the serving platform, preferably at least 10" wide. Spread some chocolate ganache all over the surface of the cake and cover with sliced strawberries.
3. Place the top of the corresponding cake on top and gently press down a little to secure it into place. Spread some vanilla pastry cream onto the surface and also sliced strawberries.
4. Place the top of the second banana cake on top and repeat the chocolate filling with the strawberries. Cover with the bottom of the corresponding cake, bottom side up.
5. To frost place a large spoonful of whipped cream on top of the cake and use an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread across. Let the excess go onto the sides and then spread additional frosting along the side of the cake until covered. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies

They say that Elvis used to make himself sandwiches with peanut butter and banana...I think the King had a good thing going. I don't know what it is about the combination that is so appealing but it's definitely an indulgent treat to have once in a while. I have made myself the King's famous sandwich before and I have to admit it tasted really good. In fact I remember I used to eat that sandwich on a daily basis during my economics course that I took two summers ago. I have also employed the combination in ice cream and more recently a batch of granola.

A couple of days ago my friend and I were involved in an activity at a local elementary school and afterward she came over to my house for some good old-fashioned fun: baking. Since she has decided to give up chocolate for Lent these cookies seemed like the perfect thing to make (I know that the picture above is deceiving because there are chocolate chips, but we only added them to half the cookies).

Although these cookies taste great, even better the next day, they posed some challenges when we were making them. The peanut butter dough was extremely sticky and the fact that we were using natural peanut butter only made the problem worse. Also, we couldn't use my oven and had to resort to the toaster oven which made the bottoms slightly burnt. After these initial difficulties I wasn't planning on posting the recipe but once I tasted them the second time (the next day) I changed my mind. Even though they are in the shape of cookies I think the texture was more reminiscent of a dense cake or even banana loaf flavored with peanut butter. In addition, my brothers both loved the cookies a lot so I decided to blog about them after all.

Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies
Note: Makes about 15 cookies.

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl mix together the bananas, peanut butter, and sugars.
2. Add the baking powder and salt.
3. Mix in the flour in 3/4 cup increments until evenly incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and flatten the top of each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 11-13 minutes. (Note: The cookies may need to bake a little longer, depending on the size, just make sure to watch for burnt bottoms)

Banana Pancakes

For me, exam time means baking time. The more I have to study, the more I am inclined to bake. Just last week I finished all of my exams and then took a well-deserved ski trip to Whistler with a friend. However in the week before, while studying for my four exams in four days, I managed to bake goat cheese brownies, blueberry banana muffins, and cranberry-orange cream cheese bars. In fact, as soon as I made the muffins I had the urge to go bake the bars and begged my mom to allow me to do so. The funny thing is that she didn't even argue back, saying to me "I'll spend more time trying to talk you out of it than it will take you to make it". In the end, I paced myself by baking the bars the next day and bringing the brownies over to my cousin's house and the muffins with me to my exam. It seemed to me like the perfect solution because this way there weren't too many baked goods lying around the house and I got to treat my friends and family.

One of the things I made before the muffins and bars were these banana pancakes. Since I've been on somewhat of a pancake streak lately I have found them fun to make on a weekend morning for breakfast, especially considering that my brother is a big fan. I made these pancakes once before during the summer, but that was when my flipping skills were still undeveloped and the pancakes all looked funky. Sure, they tasted good, but nothing I could take a picture of and then blog about. Luckily this time was different; the pancakes tasted just as good as the first time and resembled proper pancakes too.

Banana Pancakes
Makes about 15-18 palm sized pancakes.

• 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 small ripe banana, mashed
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the banana, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Add the melted butter and banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix gently just until combined. The batter will be lumpy.
4. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, reduce the temperature to medium low and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the cooking surface. Allow the pancake to cook until bubbles start to form on the top surface, about 15-20 seconds, then use a large spatula to gently flip the pancake over. Cook the other side until it is light and golden and fully cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

Note: Feel free to add mix-ins to the pancakes such as nuts, chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. You may have to go through a couple of "test" pancakes before you achieve the right temperature on the griddle or skillet. Finished pancakes can be kept warm in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit while the rest are cooking.

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake

As per all of our family birthday celebrations, no party is now complete without one of my desserts. Usually I go with some sort of cheesecake, and this time was no exception. Although my brother is a big chocoholic, I really wanted to make a cheesecake that reflected the summertime, and therefore went along the fruit path. I came up with this recipe on the fly, and was quite surprised with the consistency and taste. I particularly enjoyed the comment made by my cousin: "It's like a strawberry banana milkshake in solid form!"

The truth of the matter was that he was right...it had both a distinct strawberry and banana flavor and the little chunks of banana were reminiscent of a milkshake. As for the consistency, my mother likened the cake more to a mousse rather than a cheesecake. However, it seemed that everyone actually enjoyed the soft, creamy texture of the cake instead of the usual density that a cheesecake brings to mind. After seeing everyone's reactions, I think I might try my hand at some mousse cakes and see how they turn out. After all, a girl can experiment with one type of cake for so long before wanting to spread her wings a little.

The cake itself should not have been difficult to make, except for the fact that my mixer broke halfway through the process. My family has been faithfully served by the same hand-held Black and Decker mixer for the past 16 years. Unfortunately, as I was making my brother's birthday cake the mixer decided that it had run its course and, with one last whirl, gave up and died on me. Luckily it had remained alive long enough to do the grunt work...I used it long enough to beat together the cream cheese and sugar, as well as two out of the three eggs for each of the batters. Still, I got quite a workout by hand mixing the rest of the ingredients, starting with the last eggs and then of course the fruit and sour cream.

In the end, it turned out to be a delicious cake and now I'm looking for a new hand-held mixer which will hopefully serve me just as well as the previous one did for so long. My dreams of course would be for a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, but the price tag on it will keep me dreaming a little longer...so I'm settling for a good hand-held mixer instead. Any suggestions would be appreciated, preferably one that has a slow speed setting which is actually slow. Until I get a new mixer, I guess I'll try making other things to pass the time.

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake
Note: I used an 11" springform pan to make this recipe, therefore doubling the proportions of a normal cheesecake and making two complete batters. I still had a little extra left over of each batter and made it into mini cheesecakes in metal tart forms. I honestly don't know the proportions for a regular 9" cheesecake, so I will post the recipe I used. If you're anxious about the leftover batter, either make mini cheesecakes like I did or split the batters in half, make two 8" or 9" cakes and then freeze one. Cheesecakes can sit in the freezer, tightly wrapped for a good three months.

For the crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4-1 cup caramel
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, graham cracker crumbs, and melted butter. Transfer the mixture to a 11" springform pan and press down gently along the bottom and sides. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit. 

Allow the crust to cool a little before you pour the caramel on top. Make sure to spread all along the bottom, and then sprinkle the mixture of walnuts and pecans over top.

For the banana filling:

• 1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Mash the bananas and add the teaspoon of lemon juice to the puree. You can process the bananas in a food processor, but I personally liked having the banana chunks run throughout the cake...it made the banana flavor stand out.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then vanilla until well combined. Gently fold in the banana mixture until the batter is fully mixed and no streaks are present.

Pour the banana batter into the springform pan halfway up the sides. You will probably have some extra batter leftover, but don't be tempted to use it all otherwise you won't have room for the strawberry layer. Place the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes, allowing the banana layer to firm up a little before pouring the strawberry layer on top.

For the strawberry filling:

• 1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups strawberries + 2 tbsp sugar + 1 tbsp lemon juice

To make the puree: There are proper methods to making strawberry puree using fresh or frozen strawberries, but they involve prepping hours ahead of time, and I often don't plan on making the cake until I actually find the time to do it. Therefore, my simple puree method involved roughly cutting up two cups of strawberries, sprinkling two tablespoons of sugar, and heating it up in a small saucepan until the strawberries became soft. I then dumped it all in a blender and pureed the mixture with a tablespoon of lemon juice, leaving it in there to cool while I worked on the rest of the batter.

As with the banana batter, beat together the cream cheese and sugar, then add the eggs in one at a time and then the sour cream and vanilla. Lastly fold in the strawberry puree until the batter is fully combined. Pour the strawberry layer over the banana layer (you will have extra batter) until the batter is about 2 cm from the top.

Bake the cheesecake in a water bath, or with a pan of hot water on the lowest rack, for 50 minutes at 325 Fahrenheit. Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and let the cake sit there for another 1-1/2 hours before removing. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 4 hours, though preferably overnight, before serving.

Note: If you choose to make mini cheesecakes with the leftover batter, bake them in muffin sized tart shells at the same temperature for 15 minutes. Afterward, turn off the oven and let them sit there for another 20 minutes before partially opening the oven door. Allow the cheesecakes to cool completely in the oven with the door ajar and then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Banana Bread

I'm back!!! I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Israel but before I left I made this banana bread and ran out of time to post the recipe. This banana bread was actually something that I had planned on making for quite some time as a birthday present for my boss. He loves his banana bread and every single week sends me out for his coffee order and slice of bread. I decided that for his birthday, I would bake him his very own loaf so that he could take it home and enjoy it with his family. Little did I know that he would consume half of it before it even left the office.

In preparation for making this banana bread, I made one a week prior using a recipe I found online. Unfortunately, the recipe wasn't to my liking and so I rooted around in my cupboards until I found the recipe that I had used long ago and knew to be a success. This recipe is moist and full of banana flavor, without being too cakey, therefore making the "bread" part of its name a reality.

Banana Bread

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 4 bananas should be fine)

• Optional: You can add chocolate chips and walnuts too, but I kept it out because my boss likes his banana bread plain without any additions.

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
3. Stir in the eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
4. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until it is evenly moistened.
5. Bake for one hour at 350 Fahrenheit.