Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Banana Cream for #SundaySupper

Feb 10, 2013 by

Welcome to the Valentine’s edition of #SundaySupper. Today we are sharing things we prepare for our loved ones. Our fabulous host is none other than Jen from Juanita’s Cocina! I’m looking forward to seeing all the wonderful main dishes, desserts and drinks being shared today!

My family loves sweet treats. Because of this, I try to substitute and lighten things up a bit or just keep it really simple. I love cooking and baking for them. Its one sure way that I can express my love for them. I knew exactly what I was going to make for today’s #SundaySupper. My kids ask for this cake often enough ever since I made it for the first time a few weeks ago. My baby girl can probably list the ingredients because she has been right there beside me each time I have made it. I’ve even offered it as a gift to a gathering that we went to recently. Total win. Simplicity at its very best.

Originally I was planning to post Bailey’s Banana Cream but it didn’t taste the same as how I did it the first time. So since I clearly haven’t perfected it, I will stick with the Banana Cream. It is the perfect complement to the Banana Cake. This recipe is from my very special book, A Real Taste of Jamaica by Enid Donaldson. There is absolutely no way that bananas should ever go to waste. Not with recipes like this one.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

 

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Banana Cream for #SundaySupper

Ingredients

  • 1 Cups All Purpose Flour, Unbleached
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Eggs
  • 1 1/4 Very ripe Bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 Stick of Unsalted Butter
  • 2/3 Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla
  • A pinch of Cardamom
  • 1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
  • **Banana Cream**
  • 1 Very Ripe Banana
  • 2 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1/4 Tsp Allspice
  • 3/4 Cup Whipping Cream

Instructions

  1. **Banana Cream**
  2. Do this before you make the cake so that it can be refrigerated for a while.
  3. Whip cream either using a whisk, mini blender or regular blender. I used my Magic Bullet.
  4. Mix in the banana, sugar and allspice.
  5. Store in a small container in the fridge until the cake is ready to be served
  6. ***
  7. Preheat Oven to 375F
  8. Grease an 8-inch pan and line the base with parchment paper.
  9. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt
  10. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter.
  11. Add egg and mix to combine
  12. Add mashed banana and vanilla, then mix to combine
  13. Add the flour mixture into the banana mixture and mix just until combined. Finish combining by hand with a spoon if needed.
  14. Fold in the chocolate chips
  15. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
  16. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
  17. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before slicing.
  18. Serve topped with Banana Cream
https://lovelypantry.com/2013/02/chocolate-chip-banana-cake-with-banana-cream-for-sundaysupper/

 

I didn’t change much when it came to the ingredients. I added a pinch of cardamom – just because. For the Banana Cream I replaced nutmeg with allspice. Nutmeg isn’t my favourite. I’ll use it when I have to but for this recipe, the allspice was a lovely addition.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake Collage

 

The chocolate chips are an additional treat for this recipe. By itself, it is simply wonderful. The aroma while it is baking is heavenly. Once baked, you’ll find yourself wanting more and more. I speak from personal experience. The banana adds such rich moisture to this cake.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

 

I was bringing desert over to a friend’s house recently. I wanted to dress up this sweet wonderful cake. I doubled the recipe and split the batter. Added chocolate chips to one half and left the other one plain. I decorated the plain cake with slices of banana. Oh, how I love a pretty cake. This cake goes well with Vanilla Ice Cream, of course.

Banana Cake as a gift

Banana Cake as a gift

 

The cream was really lovely. I wondered at first if Banana Cream with Banana Cake would be too much banana. Well, the answer was no. It wasn’t. It was awesome. My kids loved it and have grown to expect it whenever I make this cake. I think I will have to break them out of that expectation.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

 

I just can’t get enough of this cream! I really should figure out the Bailey’s version. I must!!!

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake With Banana Cream

 

 

Please be sure to check out all the wonderful recipes brought to you by the #SundaySupper family!!

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Breakfasts, Apps & Main Dishes:

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Sweet Eats:

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Drinks:

 

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Tablescape:  A Romantic Table For Two Please from An Appealing Plan

***

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, February 10th to talk all about Valentine’s eats and treats!

We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world.  Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun.

Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.

Check out our#SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos!

 

 

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Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel for #SundaySupper

Nov 11, 2012 by

I’ve been looking at this recipe for a few days now. I was determined to make it and thanks to #SundaySupper, I’m able to share it with you all today. You see, we are entering a wonderful season of giving – Thanksgiving in the USA, and of course Christmas is almost upon us. It is a beautiful thing to give a thoughtful home-made gift to family and friends at this time of the year. This weeks theme for #SundaySupper is Gifts From The Kitchen. The host this week is our very own Susan from The Wimpy Vegetarian. With our usual spectacular line up, we hope to inspire you with gift ideas for the season. Please take a look out our baked items, condiments, soups, snacks, drinks and yes, without a doubt…sweets. Maybe you’ll find something special and thoughtful for you to give as a gift.

I chose this recipe because of the ingredients and how easy it was to prepare. The aroma was just something to talk about. It was awesome when my husband came home from work and the house smelled wonderful. He was a nicer man and I know this cake had something to do with it!

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel

 

I gave one cake away already to a friend and she and her mother loved it. Giving home-made gifts are always nice, but it is very important to consider food sensitivities. I plan to bake another set without the macadamia nuts. I’m sure it will taste just as fabulous. The nuts are there to give added texture. Either way will be fine. The streusel has a nice crunch because of the Turbinado sugar.

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel for #SundaySupper
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A wonderful cake infused with banana and coconut with a sweet and crunch streusel topping. A perfect gift for any holiday season.
Author:
Recipe type: Cake, Dessert
Ingredients
  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 3½ Cups All Purpose Flour, Unbleached
  • ¾ Cups Flaked Coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
  • ¾ Cup Coconut sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 3 Ripe Bananas, mashed
  • ¼ Cup Strong Brewed Coffee
  • ¼ Cup Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Streusel Topping:
  • ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Turbinado sugar
  • ½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 4 Tbsp Cold Butter, cut up in small pieces
  • ½ Cup Macadamia Nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Grease and flour three 8X1/2-inch round foil cake pans and set aside
  3. In a medium bowl, add flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift to combine. Set aside
  4. In a large mixing bowl, add butter, granulated sugar and coconut sugar. Beat with a mixer until fluffy and fully combined
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
  6. Beat in coffee, coconut milk and vanilla.
  7. Beat in mashed bananas on low speed, just until combined
  8. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans. (about ¾ full)
  9. For the streusel: In a small bowl, add streusel ingredients and mix with a fork, combining until it appears to be like coarse clumpy crumbs. Stir in the macadamia nuts. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter
  10. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  11. Allow to cool in the cake pans for about 30 minutes before serving.

 

I made a few adjustments to make it a little more interesting. I replaced brown sugar with coconut sugar. I replaced the milk with coconut milk. For the streusel, I went half and half with coconut sugar and turbinado sugar instead of using brown sugar. I believe this gave it a more coconut flavour than just the shredded coconut in the body of the cake itself.

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake With Macadamia Nut Streusel

 

The cakes came out beautifully. They were fully baked at 35 minutes as per the recipe.

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake With Macadamia Nut Streusel

 

I didn’t wait too long to taste the cake. It is an absolute MUST that the cook and the official testers sample the cakes before they are given away. Unless of course, its something that you bake all the time and you know exactly what you’re going to end up with.

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake With Macadamia Nut Streusel

 

I for one, was completely satisfied with this cake. It is a nice item to bring as a gift while making your rounds over the holiday season, and its something that can be easily shared among a small group of people. I was very grateful for the inexpensive foil baking pans. It made the gift convenient to bake in, and portable! I enjoyed dressing these cakes up. I’m sure they will put a smile on anyone’s face 🙂

 

Banana Coconut Coffee Cake With Macadamia Nut Streusel

 

Here are the gifts from the #SundaySupper team:

 

Breads / Breakfast

Condiments / Ingredients

Soup and Snacks

Sweets

Drinks

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on November 11.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your own posts for Gifts From the Kitchen on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

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Ginger Molasses Cookies

Jan 5, 2012 by

Holiday baking was fun for me. I generally look for recipes that are quick and have fairly simple ingredients. I had been searching  for cookie recipes for a few days during the holiday season (lots to go through) and I was really happy to try this. I did not adapt the ingredients for this recipe in any way. It was perfect just the way it was. Find the original recipe here.

My kids loved it, and honestly, I had a hard time restraining myself while they were cooling. I messed up my first batch because I tried to bake 8 cookies on a tray. And when I say messed up, I just mean they baked stuck together and I had to cut them so they looked like weird squares. Tasted great all the same :-). These cookies start out small but they do spread quite a bit. 6 Cookies go on a 15.5inch X 10.5inch rimmed baking tray.

I made this recipe 3 times over the holidays! Yep, they were that good! I was able to give them as gifts and as a treat at a New Year gathering. I did my cookie baking at night so I did not get to take too many photographs but here are some that I shared on Facebook while I was making them.

Here they are, “chilling out” in the fridge before baking.

Ginger Molasses Cookies – Prep

 

And here is the first batch cooling. Thank goodness for stackable cooling racks! I only have 3 racks but once the cookies cooled, I transferred them to a cookie pan to make way for the set coming out of the oven. I definitely need more baking trays. This will reduce the overall cooking time drastically.

Ginger Molasses Cookies Cooling

 

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Cookies for the holidays but are good enough for any time of the year.
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup sugar for rolling
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix butter and sugars until combined
  2. Add molasses and mix until incorporated
  3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs gently to break up the yolks
  4. Add eggs to the molasses mixture and mix until combined
  5. In a medium bowl, add dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
  6. Gradually add dry ingredients into molasses mixture and mix together with a spoon (or a mixer, if you like)
  7. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour
  8. When chilled, use a mini-scoop to grab small portions and then roll into smooth balls.
  9. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and assemble onto a baking tray. Allow to chill for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator
  10. Once chilled, place 6 balls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (I used a 15.5inch X 10.5inch rimmed sheet) leaving about 2-3 inches between each ball
  11. The balls waiting to be baked should remain in the refrigerator until ready to go in the oven
  12. Bake for 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven
  13. Bake in batches until the balls are finished. This recipe yields 54-56 cookies
Notes
Recipe from www.addapinch.com

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies for the Christmas Holidays

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies – Gift

 

I really enjoyed these cookies. They were delightfully crispy and had a satisfying crunch. I might make some more this week – just because! 🙂

 

 

 

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Happy New Year 2012!

Jan 3, 2012 by

I just wanted to start the year off by thanking everyone for all their support and encouragement since I created The Lovely Pantry. I have so many ideas for recipes and concepts for photographs. I’ve grown so much and met so many wonderful people along my journey so far. I’m excited and grateful to be able to continue my passion through this medium. The holiday season has been quite busy for me, to say the least. But it was wonderful to be around friends and relatives and to share meals and watch the children play together. I miss my own family immensely (parents, brother, cousins etc) but hopefully I will get to see them later this year. There’s nothing like having your own family with you during the holidays! I’m still very thankful and blessed for those that I have around me that make me feel “at home”.

Now that things are slowing down a little bit, I have a lot of posts to catch up on! I have a few goals for myself which includes posting more often, improving my photography, meeting more foodies and making bread! Those are just a few things I have on my list. Below are some photographs of a meal I prepared for an informal gathering at my home during the holidays. No recipes today. 🙂 I still have to show you what I cooked for my own family after Christmas. I found a new love for cookies! My husband says he thinks he’s found his new favourite cookie – this may mean trouble for me! 🙂

The menu is as follows, served with Jamaican style Rice and Peas:

Lemon Herbed Salmon. I’ve made this before – here’s the recipe. Underneath that herbed crispy topping, is moist salmon. It was lovely.

 

Lemon Herbed Salmon with steamed veggies

 

Veal Pastitsio – a definite crowd pleaser. I really love it, especially because my children enjoy it.

 

Veal Pastitsio

 

My guests specifically requested Oxtail! I aim to please! I don’t have oxtail very often but I definitely indulge the few times for the year that I actually make it. It brings back memories of Jamaica.

 

Oxtails & White Kidney Beans

 

Perhaps I went a little overboard, but you have to know that I enjoy feeding people. I also love getting feedback from my experiments! So basically I used the Ginger Carrot Bread recipe and modified it. I split the batter in 2 and used smaller loaf pans to bake them in. I made a plain Ginger Carrot Bread, and another with raisins. I modified the same recipe and used Vanilla Chai Soy beverage instead of carrot juice. I made it before so I knew what it would taste like however, this time (again, I split the batter) I made one with dark chocolate chips and the other with dried cherries. Then of course I made a cake that I had not tried before – Orange cake made with orange rind and freshly squeezed orange juice. Heavenly! I will be posting that recipe very soon!

 

Orange Cake, Vanilla Chai Bread x2, Ginger Carrot Bread x2

 

After a night of entertaining, I decided to make cookies. I don’t usually make cookies but I realized if I’m going to be a kitchen Goddess, I need to be able to make everything! 🙂 They turned out to be a success and I was even able to give them as gifts during the holiday season. Well, not the one’s my hubby loved the most.

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

 

And finally, this is the reason my husband adores me. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. No flour required. I was even able to use low-fat peanut butter, clearly for my own satisfaction. I plan to use organic peanut butter next time to see if there’s any major difference in the taste. That’s our secret though. He doesn’t have to know.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed ringing in the New Year. I wish everyone the utmost success in everything they hope to achieve and accomplish this year and beyond. 2012 is going to be an awesome year filled with personal growth and wonderful friendships! I believe this, so I know it will become reality!

Join me on Facebook as I will be sharing some more photographs there too. I share my own recipes and photographs, as well as beautiful recipes by culinary artists all over the world on Twitter. Follow me!

Say hello to me anytime.

Take care.

 

Lyn

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