Saturday, May 28, 2011
My Blog Manager
I just wanted to introduce the manager of my blog. It helps to have an 11-year old to do these things.
Banana Cake with 2 Types of Frosting
Our family loves this banana cake. I've made it for a while now and never put frosting on it - it doesn't need it. However, we had some extra time on our hands and a recipe to test so this is the result!
Make sure that you use ripened bananas -- the ones with the black spots on them -- you know the ones the kids won't eat anymore.
Gather your ingredients
Add in 1 small assistant.
Beat your egg whites until stiffened.
Sour cream
This is the what the sour cream looks like after adding the baking soda. This is Chemistry folks! The acidic nature of sour cream reacts with the alkaline nature of baking soda (this is also known as sodium bicarbonate -- NaHCO3 -- for those that like abbreviations). The product of this reaction is carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles which help the baked goods rise and give them a light and airy texture (tasty), not a dense and heavy one (not tasty).
Mash your bananas.
Ready to go in the oven.
Banana Cake Recipe
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
Directions
Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. Dissolve baking soda into sour cream and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Add mashed bananas. Alternating sifted flour (dry) and sour cream mixture (wet), add to the creamed butter mixture (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry, wet). Fold in beaten egg whites.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Divide mixture evenly between pans. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake separates from the edge of the pan.
Frosting Recipes
Now I had to make 2 frostings because of the different palates in our house. Some like vanilla, while others (like the y chromosomes) like chocolate. The big tip I'm giving you here is how to make a nice fluffy frosting. I used this for both recipes below. You put the ingredients in a mixing bowl - I always use my Kitchen-Aid mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on LOW and walk away! That is the big secret! Check on it periodically to see that it is the correct texture, adding more cream for consistency. Come back in 10-15 minutes and you will have fluffy frosting every time!
Honey Frosting
Chocolate Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6-8 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put all in ingredients in a mixer. Turn on low for 10-15 minutes. Check the consistency, adding more cream if necessary.
Finished Cakes. Yum Yum!
One resting assistant.
Make sure that you use ripened bananas -- the ones with the black spots on them -- you know the ones the kids won't eat anymore.
Gather your ingredients
Add in 1 small assistant.
Beat your egg whites until stiffened.
Sour cream
This is the what the sour cream looks like after adding the baking soda. This is Chemistry folks! The acidic nature of sour cream reacts with the alkaline nature of baking soda (this is also known as sodium bicarbonate -- NaHCO3 -- for those that like abbreviations). The product of this reaction is carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles which help the baked goods rise and give them a light and airy texture (tasty), not a dense and heavy one (not tasty).
Mash your bananas.
Ready to go in the oven.
Banana Cake Recipe
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
Directions
Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. Dissolve baking soda into sour cream and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Add mashed bananas. Alternating sifted flour (dry) and sour cream mixture (wet), add to the creamed butter mixture (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry, wet). Fold in beaten egg whites.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Divide mixture evenly between pans. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake separates from the edge of the pan.
Frosting Recipes
Now I had to make 2 frostings because of the different palates in our house. Some like vanilla, while others (like the y chromosomes) like chocolate. The big tip I'm giving you here is how to make a nice fluffy frosting. I used this for both recipes below. You put the ingredients in a mixing bowl - I always use my Kitchen-Aid mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on LOW and walk away! That is the big secret! Check on it periodically to see that it is the correct texture, adding more cream for consistency. Come back in 10-15 minutes and you will have fluffy frosting every time!
Honey Frosting
Chocolate Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6-8 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put all in ingredients in a mixer. Turn on low for 10-15 minutes. Check the consistency, adding more cream if necessary.
Finished Cakes. Yum Yum!
One resting assistant.
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