Caramelized Upside-Down Banana Cake

What do I do with over ripe Bananas? I am sure there is about a million things you can do with them. First and most common use of ripe Bananas is in Traditional Banana Bread and even though I love it, it sounds boring today. I am in the mood for something new, more exciting, adventurous, creative. Something I have not tried before. You get my drift...

I have made the authentic Upside-Down Pineapple Cake several times and another huge favorite is the Pear Upside-Down Gingerbread. Fear not, its Fall so I am sure I will be making it this season. So I am trying this Banana Upside-Down Cake inspired by yet another favorite of mine, "Banana Foster". Bananas go extremely well in baking, caramelizing with brown sugar and Flambeing so this should work well. This recipe is an adaptation from Avery Cooks.

Caramelized Upside-Down Banana Cake

RECIPE: Caramelized Upside-Down Banana Cake

Ingredients
1 stick Butter, unsalted
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3-4 Bananas, sliced in half horizontally, then slice each half vertically into 3-4 pieces
1 TBSP Rum, optional
Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Buttermilk (you can substitute it with half cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar mixed in)
1/3 Cup Greek Yogurt
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Have a 9" Springform pan ready. A regular 9" cake pan will be too shallow. You can also use a flat bottom glass bowl if you have it.
2. Melt the butter and pour into the cake pan. Swirl it around to cover all the nooks and crannies.
3. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and fan the banana slices over it like a wheel and place them close together. Fill in all the gaps with smaller pieces. You can also put some slices around the circumference of the pan. If using the rum pour it over the banana slices.
4. Whisk together the dry ingredients 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
5. In another bowl whisk the wet ingredients. 1 large Egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup greek yogurt, 3 tbsp canola oil and 2 tsp Vanilla.
6. Fold in the wet ingredients with the dry using a spatula. It will be lumpy so do not over mix, just enough to mix it in.
7. Carefully pour the batter into the pan so as not to move the banana slices.
8. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until it is set. insert the toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.
9. Make sure you allow the cake to cool before you invert, slice and serve. You can serve it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients you will need

Sliced Bananas

Melted butter in the springform pan

Layer the brown sugar evenly on top of the butter

Fan the banana slices over it like a wheel and place them close together. Fill in all the gaps with smaller pieces. You can also put some slices around the circumference of the pan. You can pour a TBSP of Rum if you want at this point.

Whisk together the dry ingredients 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl.

In another bowl whisk the wet ingredients. 1 large Egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup greek yogurt, 3 tbsp canola oil and 2 tsp Vanilla.

Fold in the wet ingredients with the dry using a spatula. It will be lumpy so do not over mix, just enough to mix it in. Pour it over the bananas and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven

Hope you enjoy this special treat with your friends and family. Please tag me on facebook and Instagram or send me pictures of things you try and don't forget to recommend this site to your friends.

Apple Coffeecake Mini Loaves

So many happy occasions today, my neighbor was blessed with twins, a boy and a girl a couple weeks ago. I have a little something for the babies but I wanted to bake something special for the mom so I decided to make these as mini loaves today. We can celebrate the babies and its the first day of Fall so this Fall Classic absolutely fits the bill. My house smells divine with the aromas of stewed apples, cinnamon and caramelized brown sugar. 

I usually make it in a bundt pan or a 9" round cake pan (baking time would be 350 degree for about 50-55 minutes).

I ALWAYS buy organic apples as apples are more susceptible to bugs, hence the use of heavy pesticides in Apple farming. I also keep the skin on the apples, I don't like to peel and throw away the most nutritious part. Apple skin contains most of the fiber and vitamins. Apple skin also helps in breathing, protects your memory and prevents certain cancers. I have read so many articles on why you should never peel your apples. To read an article from the Huffington Post click here.

Apple Coffeecake Mini Loaves

RECIPE: Apple Coffeecake Mini Loaves

Ingredients

For Cake:
1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup (half Stick) Butter
1 Egg
3 Apples, Medium size, cored and chopped (I like to keep peel on)

For Crumble:
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
1/2 Cup Chopped Macadamia nuts or nuts of choice
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9" round pan or in this case 4 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, egg , flour, baking powder and salt. It will be very crumbly the moisture will come in from the apples while baking.
3. Stir in the apples and spoon into prepared pan.
4. In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and macadamia nuts for the crumble.
5. Spoon in onto the cake mixture and bake it in the oven for 37-40 minutes.
6. Let it cool in the pans a little before you put them on a platter. 

Chopped Apples with Peels

beat the sugar, butter, egg , flour, baking powder and salt. It will be very crumbly the moisture will come in from the apples while baking.

Whole Hazelnuts

Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and roughly crushed Hazelnuts for crumble

Cake mix with apples spooned into the pans

Crumble mix on top of cake mixture

Let it cool a little and unmould

Serve it warm with a cup of coffee or a dollop of ice cream on top. Hope you and your family enjoy making this treat.

Marbled Choco-Coffee-Banana Loaf

The name is quite a mouthful. I love marbled Chocolate cake as well as Banana bread so here I have decided to marry the two with a dash of instant coffee granules (as an afterthought) to the mix and it turned out amazing.

RECIPE: Marbled Choco-Coffee-Banana Loaf

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

2 Eggs

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Granules

Cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease your loaf pan with some oil.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, eggs, and yogurt; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
4. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
5. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. 
6. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 
7. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Step-by-step-process,

Preheat oven to 350° and grease your loaf pan with some oil or butter.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, 2 eggs, and yogurt; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.

Banana, eggs, yogurt

Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.

Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Add a Tbsp of the instant coffee granules (this was a last minute addition).

Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. 

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.