triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Best Banana Cake

One of the benefits of living in the inner city is the grocery shopping. Anything exotic which makes it to the store doesn't sell and winds up getting closed out. I got a dozen tins of King Oscar sardines with pesto for fifty cents each, and three bottles of Woodford Reserve bourbon for half price because it isn't Seven Crown or Crown Royal. At the same time, produce also gets closed out instead of discarded, because some of the customers are frugal enough to pay a bit for it. Last week I spotted nicely ripe bananas for nineteen cents a pound, and this is what my wee wifey did with them. It is rich, dense and moist, yet not heavy.

Best Banana Cake -

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar -- divided
2 egg yolks -- beaten
1 cup very ripe banana pulp -- mashed
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites

Butter and flour a 9" or 10" tube or Bundt pan. If a 10 inch tube pan is used, double the recipe; a high cake will result.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter until soft; gradually add the 1 cup sugar, beating constantly. Continue to beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.

One at a time, add the egg yolks to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, combine the banana pulp, sour cream and vanilla.

Gradually combine the wet and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry; beat the batter well after each addition.

Beat the egg whites until soft mounds form; gradually add the 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff. Fold them into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake the banana cake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool 10 minutes before inverting the pan.

NOTES : Makes one 9 or 10 inch cake. By the way, if you wind up with a little extra batter, as happened this time, baking it in a Corel coffee mug will distract would-be nibblers until it is time to present the cake. Serve with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, spread with your favorite frosting, or plain with Strawberry Coulis to spoon over the slices.

Strawberry Coulis (Strawberry Sauce)

1 package frozen strawberries in syrup

Defrost frozen strawberries. Dump into blender or food processor & blend on high.

Taste, if you want it sweeter add powdered sugar a bit at a time. I don't use any extra sugar.

Use as a sauce for ice cream, cake, pancakes or as a dipping sauce for sugar or butter cookies.

NOTE: You can make coulis with other fruits: Frozen fruit, dump in blender & add about 1/2 cup powdered sugar (to start). Taste. HOWEVER, blackberries & raspberries require straining of the seeds, blueberries sometimes need to be strained for the skin; peaches & strawberries are the easiest.

A CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/3 Cup milk
3 Oz. cream cheese
2 1/2 Cups confectioners suga -- sifted
1 Square unsweetened chocolate -- (1 oz.) melted
1 Tsp. vanilla
1 Dash salt

In mixing bowl beat milk and cheese until smooth.
Gradually add your sugar, beat again until smooth.
Stir in your melted chocolate, vanilla and salt, beat until blended.

Posted by triticale at February 24, 2005 08:42 PM