The Recipe Room

This banana and blueberry cake is so full of fruity goodness that I find it hard to resist snacking on every time I go into the kitchen, although I generally prefer to eat it at breakfast along with a cup of coffee or tea.  Another fruity option in the morning is this berry messy breakfast.

If you want to make it a tad heartier and healthier, try replacing a bit of the flour with bran or rolled oats.  The bananas should be very ripe for best results, but don’t worry too much as long as they’re not still green.  The recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but the frozen ones will work just as well, and you can hardly notice the difference.

Ingredients:

• 120g butter, softened
• 400g plus 1tblsp granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125g bananas, mashed (about 2 small sized bananas)
• 375g plus 1tbsp flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1.5tsp baking powder
• 125ml whole milk
• 500g fresh  blueberries

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
2. Grease and flour a 24cm fluted Bundt pan and set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter.
4. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to mix.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the mashed bananas and mix well.
7. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder.
8. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just blended and smooth.
9. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar to coat.
10.  Stir coated blueberries into the batter and pour into the prepared pan.
11.  Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with just a bit of crumb on it.
12.  Remove the cake from the oven and place on wire cooling rack.
13.  Cool the cake in its pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and continue to cool, right side up, on the cooling rack.
14.  When the cake has completely cooled, slice and serve.

 

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cooking Time:  65 minutes

Serves:  10-12

Difficulty:  Medium

We buy and eat a LOT of bananas at my home, but no matter how hard we try, we never seem to be able to eat them all before they start to turn brown and mushy.  Some people claim to like them that way, but I’m definitely not one of them!  So what better solution to the mushy banana problem than making banana bread!?

The loaf is a breeze to prepare and the result, frankly, is out of this world!  The outer crust seems to somehow soak up a higher sugar content and turns into a sweet and crunchy delight, while the inside stays incredibly moist and chewy and almost melts on your tongue.  Plus, it’s made out of bananas, so it can’t be too fattening! At least that’s what I like to tell myself as I wolf down my third piece…

The bananas don’t necessarily have to be brown and mushy for this recipe to work, but they do have to be fully ripe.  Green ones will definitely ruin the effect.  Your best bet is to do like me and buy lots of yellow bananas to eat alone or in blueberry and banana smoothies, but whenever the extras start to go bad, you’ve got the perfect excuse to make yourself a (relatively) healthy dessert!  The loaf freezes very well too, so go ahead and double or triple the recipe and stick the extras in the freezer for later.

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 200g granulated sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 185g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 175ºC.
2. Butter and flour a 21cm x 10cm loaf pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas into the sugar with a fork or potato masher.
4. Add the egg and mix well.
5. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture and mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into the buttered and floured loaf pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a fork inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to make a cake for her daughter’s birthday party,  but it turned out that her daughter didn’t like chocolate, vanilla, or any of the other typical birthday cake flavours.  At first I was at a bit of a loss about what to make, but after a bit of thinking, inspiration struck.  This banana cake with orange frosting was the result, and her daughter absolutely loved it!

The cake is really just a traditional banana bread recipe, but doubled and baked in a round tube pan instead of its usual rectangular shape.  The frosting is cream cheese-based and flavoured with the juice and rind of a fresh orange.  If you don’t happen to have any fresh oranges at hand, you can substitute with store-bought orange juice.  It won’t be quite as tasty and tangy, but it’ll do in a pinch.

If you prefer veggies over fruits, you can try this carrot cake recipe, which tastes very similar and is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

• 6 very ripe bananas
• 400g granulated sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 370g flour
• 1tsp salt
• 2tsp baking soda
• 8tbsp melted butter
• 1tsp cinnamon

For the frosting:

• 200g of cream cheese
• 320g (2 ½ cups) of icing sugar
• Juice from one medium orange
• 1tsp orange zest

Instructions:

For the sponge:

1. Preheat oven to 175ºC.
2. Butter and flour a 27cm diameter round tube cake pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas into the sugar with a fork or potato masher.
4. Beat in the eggs and mix well.
5. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture and blend well.
7. Pour the mixture into the buttered and floured pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the side comes out clean.

For the frosting:

1. Combine all the ingredients and blend very well, either by hand or with an electric mixer.
2. Cool the icing in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  If it is too runny, add more icing sugar.
3. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and serve.

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Cooking Time:  60 minutes

Serves:  10-12

Difficulty:  Medium