More Banana Bread

Are you seeing a trend here? It's obvious that I'm more baker than cook. I love my carbs. One of these days, I will post something for the stove top, but Sister Ahlborn has been waiting for this recipe for three weeks now . . . sorry Mom.

Banana Bread from The America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz.) all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole or low-fat plain yogurt  
(you can substitute sour cream, which I usually do because I always have sour cream in the fridge and hardly ever have plain yogurt.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla together. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix - REALLY, do not overmix!) Fold in the walnuts is using. The batter will look thick and chunky.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 55 minutes.

4. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool one hour before serving.

This is far and away my favorite banana bread ever. I avoid eating my bananas just so that I can let them go dark and bake this bread. Hope you like it too!

Honey's Banana Bread

FYI: Today's recipes are brought to you per request of Elder and Sister Ahlborn. I welcome all recipe requests as they keep away blogger's block in my tired, new mommy brain. Thanks!

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Honey is my mother-in-law. When Pete and I were engaged, his sister told me that their mom had always liked the idea of being called "Honey" by her future grandchildren. Eight years, three marriages, and six grandchildren later, Honey is about all that Peter's mother gets called these days. It fits both because she's about the sweetest person around and because she makes such tasty food. Peter could live off of her banana bread, so it's good that the recipe makes a lot.

HONEY'S BANANA BREAD

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
6 large and ripe bananas, mashed well
5 cups all-purpose flour
7 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three large loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs. Add the banana. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add one third of the flour mixture to the banana batter. Stir in half of the milk. Continue mixing in the flour and milk alternately just until the batter is moist and combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 55-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

The Best Carrot Cake Ever

This is a carrot cake for the masses. Even people who claim that they don't like carrot cake love it. My sis-in-law, Sheri, led me to the recipe on the Pioneer Woman Cooks website. Here's a handy link if you'd like a printer friendly version. However, I've shared the recipe with a few friends, and they've had mixed results. Some of the directions are a bit vague, including the baking times and temperature. I try to clarify on those things below, but it still may take a little trial and error because every oven is has a mind of its own. I do suggest that you grate your carrots on a box grater -1 cup of finely grated and one cup of coarsely/large grated. Also, don't pack the carrot shavings into the measuring cup. Measure them loosely like flour, not tightly like brown sugar. That's all I've got, so good luck!

SIGRID'S CARROT CAKE

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 whole eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots

FOR THE FROSTING
1 stick butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs one at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine. Stir in the carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured pan and bake at 350 degrees until done, 25-50 minutes* depending on your pan. Cool completely before frosting.

*I usually bake this as a sheet cake for 25 minutes. I've also made it in rounds, which take more like 30-35 minutes, and as a 9x13 pyrex which ends up taking 35- 40 minutes. I've never tried it as a bundt, but I am guessing that it would take at least and hour in my oven. Hope that helps!

Frosting:

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Mix in 1 pound of powdered sugar and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread over the carrot cake.

Lisa's Alternate, Preferred Cream Cheese Frosting:

Don't get me wrong, I love traditional cream cheese frosting, but it can be a little much on a thin sheet cake. This is a lighter textured, less sweet cream cheese frosting that both Pete and I prefer for this cake. You will need:

1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 cup heavy cream, very cold
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Increase the speed to medium and whip until the frosting is light and fluffy. Spread over the carrot cake. Cover and keep leftovers in the fridge.

Buttermilk Syrup

I don't have any great stories about this syrup. I probably shouldn't tell you that Lily and I eat it by the spoonful, but we do. It's that yummy. The acidic buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create a foamy vanilla caramel syrup that's heavenly on a thick slice of cinnamon French Toast. Or pancakes. Or right off of your finger. But let it cool a bit before you go dipping your fingers into the pan. It's really hot syrup.

BUTTERMILK SYRUP

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and buttermilk, and bring the syrup to a gentle rolling boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup begins to thicken. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla. Serve immediately.

Lemon Cheesecake

Per Lorraine's request, here is Mom's recipe for lemon cheesecake. A neighbor shared it with her years ago in Twin Falls, Idaho, but Mom thinks that the recipe originally came from an issue of Bon Appetite magazine. It may look like a long list of ingredients, but it's well worth it! The graham cracker crust is filled with smooth lemon cheesecake and topped with sweetened sour cream. As a grand finishing touch, everything is covered with a layer of tangy lemon glaze. In the past, I've replaced the graham cracker crumbs in the crust with an equal amount of Nilla Wafer or animal cracker crumbs. They have a lighter and more delicate taste that bring out the creamy and tangy lemon flavors of the filling and toppings. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Crust -
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
6 T. melted butter
2 T. granulated sugar

Filling -
3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping -
2 c. sour cream
3 T. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze -
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 c. boiling water
1 egg yolk
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 T. cold butter
1 T. fresh lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the ingredients for the crust. Press the crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 5 minutes.

As the crust bakes, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until they are well mixed and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time on a low speed, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Mix in the lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Pour the filling over the hot crust and bake for another 30 minutes.

Blend the ingredients for the sour cream topping. Pour over the hot cheesecake and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool the cheesecake on a rack for 30 minutes before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a microwave safe container. (I like to use a 2 or 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Whisk in the 1/4 cup cold water and stir into a smooth paste. Add the 1/2 cup boiling water and stir well. Microwave the glaze on high for 60-90 seconds until it is clear and bubbly. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk. Add about 2 Tablespoons of the hot glaze to the egg and mix until smooth. This tempering will keep the glaze smooth and free of scrambled eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the glaze and whisk it all together with the lemon juice. Microwave for another 30-60 seconds. Be careful at this stage, because overcooking the glaze will make it thick and clumpy. Stir in the butter and lemon zest and microwave the glaze one last time for about 30 seconds. Pour the warm glaze over the top of the cooled cheesecake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight, before serving.

Bread Baking

I know, I have not done well at keeping this blog current. I have not done well at keeping my clean laundry current either . . .

I would love to have more contributors, so if you're interested in making posts and/or sharing some recipes, please leave me a comment and I'll add you as an author pronto! In the mean time, here is a food related post I made on our family blog earlier this evening.

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My mom is an expert at making the best homemade, 100% whole wheat bread in the world. Up until now, I've managed to avoiding making it for myself. Sneaking a loaf of warm bread was one of the advantages of living so close to Mom and Dad. I went without this bread for two years while my parents lived in Germany during their first LDS mission. I only lasted four months into this mission before getting desperate and brave enough to try to make some myself.

Now, let me be clear, this bread is not difficult to make, but it does take precision. My parents even made a DVD of the whole process so that one can learn Mom's tricks and techniques. So, I was super proud when my dough reached the perfect elasticity. I was thrilled when the unbaked loaves rose and domed high above the pans. I beamed when Andy came into the kitchen as the bread was baking and sighed, "What's dat good smell?" I even called my Mom on Skype* so that I could show off my perfect bread as I pulled loaf after loaf from the hot oven.

Perfect in every way but one . . .



. . . I forgot to grease the pans. My pride got the best of me. How could I do everything right and then forget to grease the pans??? Mom watched and smiled from my computer screen as I sawed out each loaf with a plastic knife (so as not to damage her magic bread pans). The bread tasted divine. The crumb was perfect, and the crust was golden.

But I'll admit, I was a little bummed that they weren't perfectly pretty.

Wacky Cake

I have so many fond memories of Wacky Cake. According to Mom, the recipe was brought home from a scouting activity by one of her younger brothers. (She'll have to clarify that if I'm mistaken.) Wherever it came from, wacky cake was my favorite childhood treat for one simple reason: the batter. Because it is an egg-free recipe, it was the only batter that Mom allowed me to lick from the bowl. I liked it so much that she'd often spoon a little of it into one of the silver ice cream dishes and let me eat the tangy batter like pudding.

Traditionally, Mom frosted her Wacky Cake with a basic chocolate icing. I believe that she made it from cocoa powder, hot water, shortening/butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. (Again, Mom, please clarify my mistakes.) I remember how lovely the cocoa powder smelled when Mom whisked it with a little hot water. It was rich and glossy, and I couldn't resist it. As soon as Mom turned her back, I dipped my finger into the bowl and quickly licked it clean. There was no hiding my thievery - my face said it all. Mom had not yet added the sugar. All she could do was laugh at my expression. I'd rather suck a lemon than eat another mouthful of unsweetened cocoa. I wonder how many of my siblings made this mistake as well?

These days, Mom prefers to top her wacky cake with a shell of dark chocolate. She sprinkles finely chopped or shredded chocolate over the hot cake and carefully spreads it over the surface when it has softened. She allows it to cool and harden before serving.

As kids and teens, Leslie and I enjoyed many a slice of leftover wacky cake Dorothy style - swimming in a bowl of cold milk. Dad couldn't stand to watch us eat it, but I suggest you try it. Immediately. Here's the recipe so you can get started:

WACKY CAKE
(makes one very large sheet cake)

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 T. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups water
1 cup oil
3 T. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an over-sized sheet cake pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, and salt. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake immediately for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.


*You could also make a standard 13x9x2 inch sheet cake plus a 9 inch round from the above recipe OR three 9 inch round cakes OR 36 cupcakes.

**I usually halve the recipe to make two rounds or 24 cupcakes.