Banananana Bread*

A friend posted on her Facebook the other day how hard it was to buy the right amount of fruit for her family. She found that she always seemed to be running out or having way too much (I believe she said something about "enough bananas for a monkey's tea party"). I often find the same thing, with the kids craving bananas, then suddenly not wanting them at all. So banana bread is the answer! I often throw those unwanted bananas into the freezer (don't need to peel or wrap them), then make a double batch at a later date. (My friend tried that, I guess she just threw out 9 bags of bananas).

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed bananas
3 tbsp sour milked
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour (I use half white, half whole wheat)

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and bananas. Stir baking soda into milk, then add to butter mixture. Stir in flour in a few batches. Pour into 9x3 inch loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes. You can also add 1 cup chocolate chips (some people like it in my family, some don't)

* title courtesy of Emily. (and don't forget Hailey, who "can't say banana")

Sugar Doughnut Muffins

A friend from work saw this recipe in the newspaper and said I had to make it. I think she wanted me to make them and bring them to work for her, but I made them on a weekend. These are supposed to taste a lot like the mini donuts you can get at the Stampede. I found the taste pretty close, but the texture is off. I guess you need to deep-fry to get that puffiness.

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

topping:
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. And in a measuring cup, combine the oil, milk and vanilla. Add the dry and wet ingredients to the egg mixture in two batches. Divide between 24 mini-muffin cups and bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.

After allowing to cool for 5 minutes, remove from cups and brush top with melted butter and dip in sugar/cinnamon. They taste really great covered all over in the cinnamon sugar, but are very messy (just like mini donuts).

I found I had enough batter for 36 muffins, but I used small muffin cups. Just fill the cups about 3/4 full.

Hope you enjoy!

PS- See, Rhona, no chocolate today!

Mini Brownies

This is a quick and easy brownie recipe, and the only one I've found that lends itself to individual, mini brownies. Most others I tried overflowed the cups or were hard and tough.

2 ozs unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour

Melt chocolate and butter. Whisk eggs and sugar, then add vanilla and chocolate. Fold in flour. Pour into greased mini-muffin cups and bake at 325F for 18-20 minutes.

I melt my chocolate in the microwave, zapping it at 5o% power for a minute at a time, stirring and checking a lot. No fun scorching chocolate! I use a 4-cup glass measuring cup to mix these, so I can pour the batter with the spout. I also use silicon muffin cups, the brownies pop right out. You can tell the brownies are done when they start to pull away from the edges of the pan. Moist brownies sometimes don't pass the skewer-test.

I made these today, as well as some rolls to go with the chicken soup I'm planning on for supper. I find it so easy to bake two things on the same day. The measuring cups are already being used, the ingredients are out and the oven is on.

Chocolate Cake

This is a fairly simple recipe for a rich, moist chocolate cake. It is good with the mousse icing I posted last time, or with a ganache icing (I'll post that some other day) or even a simple buttercream.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 ozs unsweetened chocolate (melted)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then melted chocolate. Alternately blend in dry ingredients (1/3 at a time) and sour cream, beginning and ending with dry. Add boiling water and blend well.

Pour batter into 2 waxed paper lined 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove and finish cooling on racks before icing.

I use Baker's unsweetened chocolate (in the blue box here in Canada). This is one time when I don't use European chocolate because I've never found an unsweetened one. You can't use a dark chocolate, even a high cocoa one, the cake just won't turn out right.

I have used this recipe for a long time, and always get raves. I have done shaped cakes with it, but you have to watch the baking times carefully.