This was supposed to be a Tropical Crumble with mangoes and bananas, but like I mentioned when I made jam, I have apricots and plums up the wazoo right now.  So this became a Stonefruit Crumble instead, with apricots and yellow plums (look, I kept the colors similar!), and a little red plum ice cream for good measure.  I tried to keep my version along the same lines as the original, flavoring the fruit with ginger and citrus, but since my fruits were small and soft, I didn’t pre-cook my filling before baking the crumble and I added a sprinkling of flour to the fruit mix to help thicken the juices.

Does anyone know if theree’s technically a difference between a crisp and a crumble??  Maybe there is, because my topping wasn’t as crunchy as I thought it would be.  It had pecans, brown sugar and butter (cut back from the original recipe by a couple of tablespoons), so it wasn’t bad, but it did just kind of meld into the smooshiness of the baked fruit.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Laws of the Kitchen, as it was Gaye’s turn to pick again.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

I had a quick thought of skipping these Devilish Shortcakes and this week’s TWD.  Then on Sunday, after the last of our Thanksgiving pie had disappeared, my husband asked what we’d be having for dessert.  Seems as though someone’s not worried about putting on extra holiday pounds!

I’d never made chocolate shortcake biscuits before (never even thought about chocolate shortcakes before), and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.  Fruit and chocolate combos aren’t usually too appealing to me, and anyway the berries right now look downright sad.  But then I found a sudden burst of inspiration sitting on my counter– a banana!  I caramelized banana slices with a little brown sugar, added a spoonful of peanut butter to my whipped cream, and grabbed a handful of salty peanuts and two baked shortcakes.  Bingo!

The photo is a little…well…unappetizng, but these were good.  It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate, peanuts and bananas, I guess.  The shortcakes themselves weren’t very sweet, so I was glad I’d caramelized the fruit.  I have a few more shortcakes in the freezer, so I’ll be looking through the TWD Blogroll for some more ideas for what to do with those.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or Love Big, Bake Often, as it was Tania’s pick of the week.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

OK, I am the first to say that my Fresh Apple Cake cake looks an awful lot like a meatloaf, but it is in fact the perfect sweet way to welcome fall and apple season!  I scaled back the recipe to make a standard loaf cake, but to tell the truth, we could have easily polished off a full-sizer.  It’s moist texture reminded me of  banana bread (and I even swapped a third of the oil for unsweetened applesauce), but the taste here is all about apples, walnuts and vanilla.  Yes– vanilla, a welcome change from the usual cinnamon!  A brown sugar glaze makes an addictively sticky topping.

This is the last cake the group is baking from Southern Cakes.  Not all of the cakes I’ve made from this book have been so successful, so I’m glad to go out on a high note with this one.  Speaking of going out on a high note, this is also the last cake I’ll be baking with The Cake Slice group.  I’ll certainly still be following the other blogs as they move on to the next book, but I think I need to ease off the baking commitments for a bit.  Thanks so much, Katie, for all the hard work in keeping this group going– I’ve had such a great time!

Here’s a printable link to the recipe.  Or get your hands on a copy of Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.  Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our apple cakes this month!

I think about the two years we spent in Australia everyday, sometimes for bizarre reasons.  For example, when I looked at the recipe for this week’s TWD pick, the first thing that popped into my mind was that when we first moved to Sydney, the country was just beginning to recover from a banana shortage.  I let my little trip down memory lane steer me in a particular direction while making this cake…it is called “Lots of Ways Banana Cake” afterall, so I didn’t really feel like I was overstepping any bounds by adding macadamias, wattleseed and chocolate to the bananas and coconut already in the mix.

While I could have chosen to go the layered and frosted route with this cake, that wasn’t what I was in the mood for.  I just wanted an unfussy snack cake, so I baked half a recipe in an 8″ square pan and left it at that.  (It only took 25 minutes to bake, instead of the 45 I was expecting.)  It was delicious– soft, and full of things that taste great together!

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Kimberly’s post on Only Creative Opportunities.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

I know I’ve told you before that I’ve been turning my nose up at raw bananas since I was a kid.  But I try to keep an open mind, and I want to bake along with everyone, so I always give banana recipes a go anyway.  Well, guess what.  I think I’m starting to accept them…maybe even like them a little.  I didn’t at all poo-poo Spike’s choice of Banana-Coconut Ice Cream Pie for TWD this week.  In fact, I enjoyed it!  What’s happening to me?? 

An ice cream pie is what it sounds like– a crust (cookie-coconut in this case) topped with ice cream.  I made mine in a springform rather than a pie plate, but that’s a nitpicky detail.  Dorie uses chocolate ice cream as the base in her recipe…I assembled this pie at the same time I made that burnt sugar ice cream, so I used it instead.  I didn’t want to miss out entirely on the chocolate, though, and made a cocoa fudge sauce to go on top.

Raw bananas make three different appearances here.  There’s a layer of them between the crust and the ice cream, there’s a rum-banana smoosh stirred into the ice cream, and there are a few decorative slices for the top.  Further proof that I am beginning to appreciate bananas: I thought the burnt sugar ice cream with rum and bananas stirred in was just killer!

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Spike Bakes.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Meet my latest addiction– Vanilla-Caramel Roasted Pineapple.  Pineapple is delicious and sweet as-is, but cook it in rum and vanilla-infused caramel, and you may not be able to eat it any other way again.  The first time I made it, I did just half a recipe, with half a pineapple.  How silly!  It was gone in a flash, and I had to make it again!

If you can manage to control the urge to eat every last piece with your fingers and then drink the syrup, you might like to know that it makes for a great tart, and it transforms Greek yogurt into something even tastier than my childhood favorite Breyers flavor.  It’s a shame I don’t have some vanilla ice cream in the freezer right now, because I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to make an incredible, syrupy pineapple sundae.  Don’t even get me started about pineapple pancakes…

The original recipe comes from Pierre Hermé…I’ve made some minor modifications to it below, basically just to make it a bit quicker/easier to cook and a bit more economical.  If you don’t have banana or ginger, you could modify it further and leave them out, with no ill-effects, I’m sure.  I do recommend roasting the pineapple in quarters, then cutting them into chunks later, as I imagine the smaller pieces could get mushy otherwise.

Vanilla-Caramel Roasted Pineapple
modified from a recipe by Pierre Hermé

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cored
120 gr granulated sugar
30 gr (about 1/2) mashed banana
1 vanilla pod, scraped
20 ml (4 t) rum
4 thin slices of fresh ginger
60 mL (1/4 c) cold water

-In a small heavy-bottomed pot, make a dry caramel (no water) by heating the sugar over medium heat.  Wait until the caramel is deep amber. If part of the sugar is caramelized while the rest has not melted yet, turn your pot to move the hot spots under the unmelted sugar.

-Meanwhile, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the caramel along with the ginger slices. Leave 10 seconds, then pour the cold water into the caramel to stop the cooking process (don’t worry if it seizes).   Bring it to a boil and cook gently until the caramel is liquid.  Remove from the heat and add the rum and mashed banana.

-Leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight to infuse.  The syrup will be quite intensely flavored, but will mellow when it cooks and mingles with the pineapple juices.

-Fish out the vanilla pod (save it) and pass the syrup through a fine sieve.

-Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and lay your pineapple quarters in the smallest oven proof dish that will just hold it. Pour the vanilla-caramel sauce over the pineapple, toss in the saved pod, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, turning and basting the pineapple every ten minutes. It is important to check that the caramel remains liquid or else it will burn. If too thick, just add a splash of water.

-When cool, cut the quarters into slices or chunks.  Store them in the fridge in an airtight container, submerged in the syrup.

This is the second time I’ve made a banana cake with The Cake Slice Bakers.  The two are quite different, but my reaction is the same:  bananas make for a darn good cake!  The cake itself was so moist and flavorful.  I can see it being great with a little cinnamon or espresso powder mixed in, or re-engineered as a snack cake.  It’s one I’ll make again, for sure…

…The chocolate frosting, though was a different story.  It turned super thick after I added the last addition of powdered sugar.  So thick, that I couldn’t spread it.  Rather than toss it in the bin, I put it over gentle heat until it just started to soften.  Then it was use it or lose it time, so I immediately swiped it on the cake in one pass.  I think I did a reasonably good job, all things considered, but can you see how the frosting looks a little dry and crackly?  It tasted good, and had quite a fudgy consistency, actually, but I think I’ll go with a tried-and-true chocolate frosting next time and save myself the stress.

Here’s a printable link to the recipe.  Or get your hands on a copy of Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.  Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our banana cakes this month!

Wow–super-busy week at work.  If I hadn’t made this Cocoa-Nana Bread, chosen for TWD by fellow Steph of Obsessed with Baking, early last week, it just wouldn’t have happened for me.  The bakery I work for was featured in a segment on national TV a few days ago, and it sent mail orders pouring in all weekend.  Terrific for business, but the owners neglected to give the kitchen the heads-up that it was airing!  Saying we we’ve been in the weeds would be an understatement, and my arms are about to fall off from so much brownie mixing.  Anyway, back to matters at hand…

A healthy dose of cocoa powder makes this loaf pumpernickel-dark.  And bananas make it moist.  It’s really much more cocoa than nana….and also more loaf cake than bread.  Dorie intends it to be for breakfast, but we thought it made a fine dessert.  Leftovers are a yummy trifle base, BTW.

To all my Aussie friends–happy Australia Day!  I’ll be celebrating here with homemade sausage rolls, a Cooper’s Sparkling and some good tennis!

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Obsessed with Baking.   Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a publicist about a new cookbook called DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style by David Guas and Raquel Pelzel.  She showed me a couple of recipes…this book is chock full of classic New Orleans sweets (think beignets and pralines), with stories and gorgeous photos to boot.  I was drawn to a recipe for Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble…odd, since I’m not usually that into bananas, but I am a “selective appreciator,” and the husband loves nursery desserts.

This is definitely a high-class version of the dessert I remember as kid– all the traditional bits are there, but they’ve been optimized.  With five yolks, it is a rich and delicious pudding, and with a nice glug of booze, I made mine decidedly not-child-friendly.  Frankly, I wouldn’t use anything but Nilla Wafers in banana pudding, and the crumble is an easy way to jazz them up and keep them crispy.  Whether you live in New Orleans or in New York, I think you’ll like this recipe!

BTW, book author David Guas will be hosting a live chat every Sunday morning (starting today!), November 1- December 20, from 9:30-10:30 am.  Chatters can log on and ask Chef Guas dessert questions or get advice.  If you’re interested, go to his website and click on the Red Velvet Cake.

Banana Pudding- makes 6 servings
from DamGoodSweet by David Guas and Raquel Pelzel (Taunton Press, 2009)

For the pudding:
5 large egg yolks
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons banana liqueur (or 1 teaspoon banana flavoring)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas

For the crumble:
1 cup vanilla wafers (about 15 cookies)
2 teaspoons sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

-To make the pudding:  Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture. Once the bottom of the bowl is warm, slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk. Pour the mixture back into a clean medium saucepan (cleaning the saucepan prevents the pudding from scorching), add the banana liqueur, and whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Cook while constantly whisking until the pudding is glossy and quite thick, 11/2 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pudding to a clean bowl.

Add the vanilla and butter and gently whisk until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
 
-To make the crumble:  While the pudding sets, heat the oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place the wafers in a resealable plastic bag and seal (make sure there is no air in the bag prior to sealing). Using a rolling pin or a flat-bottomed saucepan or pot, crush the vanilla wafers until they’re coarsely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use a spoon to evenly stir in the melted butter, transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. (The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months; re-crisp in a 325°F oven for 6 to 7 minutes if necessary.)

-To serve:  Slice the bananas in half crosswise and then slice in half lengthwise so you have 4 quarters. Slice the banana quarters crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces and divide between 6 custard cups or martini glasses (sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like—this helps prevent browning). Whisk the pudding until it is soft and smooth, about 30 seconds, and then divide it between the custard cups. Top with the vanilla wafer mixture and serve. (If not served immediately, the pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, with plastic wrap intact. Sprinkle the crumbs on just before serving.)

At the end of every month, just before the new list of TWD recipes comes out, I do a little dance in the hopes that a Bundt cake will be chosen.  My efforts to summon the cake gods have gone unrealized every time, but leave it to Mary The Food Librarian, herself a lover of all things Bundted (seriously, she has made a bazillion of them), to finally chose Dorie’s Classic Banana Bundt.  Yay!!  (Now I am doing my happy dance!)

I love Bundt cakes, and this banana one is no exception.  It’s dense and moist, not unlike a banana bread.  It’s full of banana flavor, and the inside is full of those little black squigglies…do you know what I’m talking about?  Those fascinate me, and I must study them in every slice.

I made half a recipe of this cake in my treasured six-cup Bundt pan.  I switched out a quarter cup of the AP flour for whole wheat, and added in a sprinkle of nutmeg.  I also used half sour cream and half yogurt in the batter.  The coolest thing about any Bundt is how pretty it is, no thanks to me– it just comes out of the pan that way (provided I spray it well)!  I drizzled a quick and easy milk chocolate ganache over this one, because hey– bananas and chocolate are great together!

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read The Food Librarian.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!