Banana Chocolate Chip Minicakes

Did you know that you could freeze bananas?  

Yes, indeed you can. 

You may not want to eat it plain once it's thawed out, but it's perfectly fine for smoothies and cakes. After all, the bananas will be all mashed up. 

So the next time you have over-ripe bananas at home, don't throw them out! Save them in the freezer for a yummy, healthy bake!

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MINICAKES

Makes about 8 minicakes.

1 egg

20g brown sugar + 40g white sugar  (or just 60g white sugar)

2 tbs maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

80ml oil 

200g mashed bananas (about 2 med sized bananas) 
125g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
30g chocolate chips, more or less as you desire

Beat egg and sugars till light and creamy.
Add maple syrup, vanilla extract, oil and mashed bananas and beat till well combined.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, and give a quick whisk. 

Fold in flours and chocolate chips into the wet ingredients until no traces of flour remain. 

Spoon into cupcake liners.
Bake at 160*C for 18-20 min till done. 

Enjoy warm! 

Banana Walnut Cake

This is another favourite of mine :)
Bananas and walnuts make such a great combination, don't you agree?
I made this on Sunday afternoon, and by the next morning, it was all gone!

This recipe makes a soft and very moist cake.

Ingredients:
1 egg
30g brown sugar
30g white sugar
1 tbs condensed milk
3 tbs yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
90 ml oil
1 banana, mashed
125g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
20g walnuts, crushed and dusted with flour
3-4 tbs ground peanuts for topping


1 - Cream egg and sugars till light and creamy.
2 - Add condensed milk, yoghurt, vanilla essence, cinnamon and oil. Mix well.
3 - Add mashed bananas and mix well.
4 - Sift flour and baking powder into egg mixture and mix till just combined.
5 - Fold in walnuts.
6 - Pour into 6" square pan (greased and floured). Sprinkle peanuts on top of batter.
7 - Bake at 160 degC for about 30 min till a tester comes out clean.

Banana Walnut Minicakes

This recipe combines the classic flavours of bananas and walnuts, and the aromatic sweetness of brown sugar to produce a tasty and moist cake. Perfect with a cuppa!

This was originally from a cake recipe, but as I like small portions (it also shortens the baking time), I baked them in muffin cups instead.

Ingredients for 20 mini cakes:
2 eggs
30g brown sugar
90g white sugar
2 tbs condensed milk
2 tbs yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp cinnamon
180 ml oil
2 bananas, mashed
40g walnuts, crushed
250g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder

Method:
1 - Cream eggs and sugar till light and creamy.
2 - Add condensed milk, yoghurt, vanilla essence, cinnamon and oil. Mix well.
3 - Add mashed bananas and mix well.
4 - Sprinkle some flour onto the walnuts. Set aside.
5 - Sift flour and baking powder into egg mixture and mix till just combined.
6 - Fold in walnuts.
7 - Fill cups till about 2/3 and bake at 150 degC for 18-20 min till tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

For most people, 160 degC is the typical temperature for this recipe. But because my convection oven is so heat efficient, I have to lower my temp setting by 10-20 degC, otherwise I'll get brown over-baked tops and uncooked insides. So adjust the temperature and baking time according to your oven.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Banana Cake Muffins

I had 1 egg left in the tray and 1 banana leftover from my Banana Chocolate Cake sitting all alone in the freezer....

Perfect for a banana cake muffin! So called because the recipe is actually for a banana sponge cake, but since I don't have a small 6" pan, I used my muffn pan instead. And what I ended up with was soft fluffy banana muffins.

This recipe is so simple, all it takes is a few utensils (aka less washing up) and 10 minutes to put everything together. 30 minutes later, sink your teeth into your bake!

the wet stuff:
1 egg
75g sugar
1 tbs condensed milk (or maple syrup)
1 tbs milk (or cream / yoghurt / sour cream)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
90ml oil
1 banana

the dry stuff:
125g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 - Beat egg and sugar till light and creamy. (I just used a balloon whisk, but you can use a mixer if you're in the mood for more washing.)

2 - Add the rest of the wet stuff and mix well.

3 - Combine dry stuff and sift into wet stuff. Fold gently with balloon whisk till just moistened.

4 - Pour into baking pan. Bake at 160 degC for about 20 min, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I drizzled some of the leftover chocolate from my Almond Cointreau Cheesecake, and promptly tucked into the muffin.

Banana Chocolate Cake

This is an excellent recipe for using up those very ripe bananas. And if you're just not in the mood to bake yet, pop the bananas in a ziploc bag and freeze them. The skin will turn almost black! But don't panic... the inside is still perfectly fine. Or, you could peel the bananas, chop them up in pieces, and freeze them.

This is a simple recipe that requires just 2 bowls and a whisk. It's done the same way as muffins - combine the dry, mix the wet, then stir it all together and bake.

Whisk the dry stuff:
100g sugar
125g flour
20g cocoa (up to 35g if you like a very rich chocolate flavour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk the wet stuff:
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cup very ripe bananas, mashed
120ml water
60ml milk
60ml oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Then:
Pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff and mix till just combined. The batter will be thin.

Grease an 8x8-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake at 170 degC for 30-35 min.  If you're using a light coloured pan, set the oven at 180 degC.

When done, allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before flipping it onto a cooling rack.

Good to eat on it's own.
Or better still, serve warm with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup!

Banana Cinnamon Muffins

This recipe produces the most moist and delicious muffins.  For banana lovers especially, one muffin is simply not enough!  My husband even gave up his must-have nightly nutella and bread supper for a few of these fluffy muffins!

'Nuf said...  here's the recipe for 18 fluffly muffins:


• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 115g butter
• 85g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• approx 500g very ripe mashed bananas
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
• (optional) chocolate chips


1 - Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder. 
2 - In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3 - Mix in eggs and mashed bananas till well combined.
4 - Add flour mixture and mix till flour is just moistened. (Do not overmix, or you'll get tough muffins.)
5 - Pour or scoop into muffin cups/tray. Top with slices of banana and sprinkle with cinnamon powder.
6 - Bake at 170 degC till golden brown and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. (I think it's about 10-12 min.)

Best served warm, with vanilla ice cream and a generous dusting of cocoa powder.


Or for nutella lovers like my husband, slather on some nutella!!