Banana Bread Cake

Is January over yet? 

Most of this month has gone by insanely fast. Which is totally fine with me considering I am sick of this dang "polar vortex" crap and my favorite month is coming, February. Can it just be here already? I have lots of things I am soooooo looking forward to!

Over the last month lots of things have happened. Some awesome, some not so good. There is a chance that some big changes  are coming around here, and while I'm excited I am also getting anxiety from it. 

One thing I do to get my mind off of life things is baking. I love it. Not to mention it satisfies my HUGE sweets cravings. I always seem to have 7-8 bananas frozen in my freezer. I can never use them up. So I am always looking for yummy new ways to use them. I love bundt cake so this specific time I was trying to find a recipe to use my bundt pan and I found this keeper.

Probably the most moist banana bread I have ever had. And the sweet cinnamon swirl just added that little bit of extra sweetness to it that put the cake over the edge. I'm pretty sure I ate half myself.

Banana Bread Bundt Cake

adapted from Yes, I Want Cake

• 3 C flour
• 2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T lemon juice + scant 1 C milk
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1/2 C applesauce
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)

for the cinnamon swirl

• 5 T butter
• 1/4 C brown sugar + 2 T
• 1 1/2 T cinnamon

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add the lemon juice to a measuring cup, then pour the milk in. Mix, and let sit (don’t be frightened, it will curdle. It’s okay! or you could also use buttermilk, vinegar in place of lemon juice, or plain yogurt instead.)

Cream the butter, sugar, and applesauce together. Add the vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas and mix until combined.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the lemon juice + milk to the wet mixture. Mix until everything is well incorporated.

Combine the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl in a small bowl. Set aside.

Pour half of the mixture into a greased bundt pan. Then pour the cinnamon swirl over the batter. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan. 

Bake for 60 -  65 minutes. 

Blueberry Banana Bread

I have never been a huge banana fan other than if it is in banana bread. Little A does request bananas when we go to the grocery store and I, of course, always buy too many. Which means lots of over ripe bananas. I think I have 10 of them in my freezer currently! I am always looking for new ways to use bananas instead of the traditional banana bread. As much as I love it, I can only make it so many times so finding a new, yummy way to use the bananas is great!

When I found the recipe for the blueberry banana bread, I thought it was the perfect alternative to my traditional banana bread!! I have 10 quart size bags in my freezer filled with the blueberries we picked this summer. So not only am I using up the bananas, I am also using the blueberries! Score!

This bread is ah-may-zing!!! For real. I alone had eaten half the loaf within 1 day of making it. The bread is moist, is slightly sweet, and has the perfect amount of banana flavor. The juicy blueberries add just that little bit extra to take it over the top when you bite into a piece. The recipe doesn't skimp on blueberries either. Each slice of bread is LOADED with the berries. 

Have I mentioned that this recipe is insanely easy?! It literally took me 10  minutes to throw it together. How much better can it get? 

Blueberry Banana Bread

adapted from Eclectic Recipes

4 over ripe bananas
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unpacked light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 cups self-rising flour**
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries (or thawed, frozen blueberries)

1. Heat oven to 350*.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in egg until well combined. Add in sugars and vanilla, mix until combined. 
3. Mix flour and cinnamon together in a separate small bowl. Alternate flour mixture and milk. Adding 1/2 flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, then the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in blueberries.
4. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until deep golden brown and set.

**If you do not have self rising flour, use this recipe as a substitute using all-purpose flour**

Now seriously, go try this recipe. You will not be disappointed!

A Weekend Wrap-Up & A Heartwarming Recipe

 This past weekend it was cold here in wonderful Wisconsin.With a daily high in the low 60's it felt like October not July. We still enjoyed our usual summer weekend outing to the farmer's market though. The sweet scent of all the fruits and vegetables, the gorgeous brightly colored flowers and the to-die-for food vendors are enough to bring a person back every week.

 This Momma got to enjoy some much needed me time {with the little one, of course} and got to go shopping!! I see some great style on a budget posts in the future!!

With the weather being cool it made me crave a warm pot of chili {which pairs perfectly with the amazing sourdough we get from the market}. It's breakfast time here and I already want a bowl...especially since leftover chili is the best chili. This chili is a quick and easy recipe. It doesn't require hours to make it...just 1. It is better {of course} if you let it simmer for 2-3 hours but it isn't necessary. I typically make it the day before we are going to eat it and then throw it back in a pot to heat it up.

Chili

1 1/2 Lbs Lean Ground Beef

1 Large or 2 Medium Onions, chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Cup Celery, diced

1/2 Cup Green Bell Pepper, diced

1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper, diced

4-7 Tbls Chili Powder

2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Onion Powder

1 Tsp Black Pepper

2- 15 oz cans Red Kidney Beans

1- 15oz can Diced Tomatoes

1-15 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce 

6 oz Beer (or Water)

Hot Sauce, to taste

1. Cook ground beef in olive oil with onion and garlic until browned in a large pot. Break up meat with a spatula as you cook. Drain off fat.

2. Add bell peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and hot sauce (if desired). Continue to cook on low heat for 3 minutes while stirring. 

3. Add remaining ingredients and gently bring to a boil.

4. If enjoying right away, simmer for 1-2 hours. If you are making ahead of time, simmer for 30 min, turn off heat and allow to cool. Reheat when ready to enjoy. 

5. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped onion, and sour cream. 

I hope you all had a splendid weekend full of fun!!

I'm Back!! {&Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes!}

I am finally back after being gone for WAY longer then I thought I would. We are officially all moved into our new home and things have settled down...a little. We still have plenty of unpacking, organizing and decorating to do!


In the quick 3 weeks we've been in this house we have had a lot happen. We celebrated our first anniversary and Father's day, decided to really get our businesses started and I've managed to sneak in lots of baking!! A few batches of cupcakes, a banana cake, and a rhubarb pie! Today I am going to share my favorite cupcake recipe from the few I tried.

Strawberry White Chocolate. Just the name makes my mouth water. I heard from a few people that they tasted exactly like strawberry ice cream and I definitely agree with it! They were absolutely delish! This recipe is also perfect for this time of year because strawberries are in season! They are available in every stand at the farmer's market or you can go pick-your-own at one of the many farms in the area. The pick-your-own is my favorite, they always seem to taste so much better when you do all the work! We will be heading to one of these farms this week to do some picking and I am so looking forward to making some freezer jam too.

Now go get some of those fresh local strawberries and whip up this recipe now! You won't be disappointed,  I promise!

Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

recipe adapted from yourcupofcake.com

Vanilla Cake:

1 box white cake mix

4 egg whites

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.  

2. In a large bowl, gently whisk eggs whites, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract.

3. Add cake mix and stir until combined.

4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until and inserted knife comes out clean.

 

 

White Chocolate Ganache:

1/2-1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

 

1. Place chocolate chips is a heat proof bowl and set aside.

2. On the stove top, heat heavy cream just until bubbles form around the edges (don't let it boil)

3. Pour it over the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. (Depending on your brand of chocolate chips, you may need to add a couple more if it's too thin.)

Strawberry Buttercream:
(This is not the recipe that was used with the recipe above, I used my own!)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (no preference between salted or unsalted)
3 Tablespoons strawberry puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-5 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat butter for 2 minutes.
2. Add vanilla extract and pureed strawberries.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

To assemble cupcakes dip completely cooled cupcakes in white chocolate ganache. Set the cupcakes aside and let the ganache set for a few minutes then pipe on your strawberry buttercream. Top with thinly sliced strawberries and enjoy!



Recipes: Caramel Macchiato Angel Food Cake

 

 

Who doesn't love a quick and easy recipe?! I know I do! 

 

 

One of my absolute all time favorite cakes is angel food. The light and airy texture of the sweet cake is to die for. There is nothing better on a warm day then angel food cake so when my friend Jane mentioned she wanted to make something with angel food cake I immediately started looking for a quick easy recipe for a spruced up version. Unfortunately, my search for a quick & easy recipe only lead me to only homemade recipes. As much as I love cakes that are made from scratch, angel food required more work then what I was searching for.

 

 

My inspiration was from one recipe I found for a homemade Caramel Macchiato cake. I decided to make, what I like to call, a "semi"-homemade version. It has the perfect amount of coffee flavor and sweetness and the light whipped topping and caramel drizzle is the perfect pairing.

 

 

 

Caramel Macchiato Angel Food Cake

 

 

 

1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 1/4 cup STRONGLY brewed caramel(optional) coffee, chilled

Whipped Topping

Caramel Sauce (We used store bought)

 

 

 

1. Make the cake as directed on the box except instead of using water use 1 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee.

 

2. After cake has cooled, slice and top with whipped topping and caramel sauce.

 

3. Enjoy!