Banana Bread

Winter holiday has come and gone, and now I'm back in the Good Old Land of Wahoo-Wah. Sorority rush started yesterday, my work at Ragged Mountain Running Shop starts today, and classes start Wednesday; with everything so hectic already I'm so blessed to have had such a wonderful month-long break full of family, friends, fun, and of course delicious food.

Below is one of the last little goodies I made before heading back to school, our family's favorite banana bread. Made in one bowl with nothing more complex than a whisk and a spoon, it's not only super easy, but super delicious. Perfect slathered with cream cheese, butter, or just plain hot out of the oven.

Even though I'm back at school, I still might try to do a few posts here and there :)

Banana bread

For bread

3 ripe bananans

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips or nuts, optional

Make bread:

Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a loaf pan.

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in eggs one at a time. Whisk in the sugar, followed by the flour, baking soda and salt. Finally fold in the chocolate chips or nuts, if using. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee or a refreshing glass of orange juice.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I don't know who went grocery shopping last, but we are currently experiencing a buttermilk overload in the Arquiette house. Not that I'm complaining though, because I love me some buttermilk baked goods. They're always so light, fluffy, and have such a unique flavor that I absolutely adore.

So today, buttermilk coffee cake. Tomorrow, buttermilk pancakes. YUM.

This coffee cake is absolutely delicious. I actually like it better than Ina's Sour Cream Coffee Cake and I'm also going as far to say that it's right up there with our family's traditional German coffee cake. It's that good. As mentioned earlier, the buttermilk has it's own special way of making the cake light and fluffy despite oil being used instead of butter (which can sometimes weigh goodies down) but that is not the case in this dessert. And the slight hint of cinnamon, the crumbly topping, and overall scrumptious-ness of the cake is divine. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

For cake & topping

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Make cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a spring-form pan (a 9x13 inch pan may also be used).

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon well and then stir in the oil. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and set aside in a small bowl. Add the chopped walnuts to this mixture, this is now the crumb topping.

Stir the buttermilk, egg, baking powder and baking soda in the large bowl until just combined. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and top with the crumble top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake

Last year when I returned home for break it snowed. And I mean it snowed. Last winter was snowy in general, we received seventy-some-odd inches of snow. And a good portion of that snow was when I came home for break. So, picture this... Katie is so happy to be home, it's snowing outside so she can't go anywhere (not that she wanted to), so what else was there to do but bake? I'm not going to list off all that I made, as many of them will be out of the oven and on here in the next few days, but I made a lot. And it was amazingly fantastically delicious.

Here's a repeat from last year- cranberry vanilla coffee cake. The vanilla infused sugar radiates in every bite in a subtle and delicate way, yet providing an amazing background and base flavor for the cake. And the cranberries; personally, I think cranberries are one of the most underrated and underused fruits/berries out there and this cake truly lets them be the star and have them shine as the star. Together the cranberries and vanilla sugar take the cake, literally.

Oh, and might I add that the crumb topping it absolutely fantastic. I always save it for my last bite :)

Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake

Adapted from Gourmet, December 2008

For Cake

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 cups fresh cranberries (or thawed frozen ones work as well)

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk (not skim)

Make Cake:

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9x2 inch circular cake pan and then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Pulse vanilla and sugar together in a food processor until thoroughly combined, place in bowl.

Back in the food processor, pulse together the cranberries and 1/2 cup of vanilla sugar until the berries are finely chopped. Be careful not to over-pulse or the mixture will puree and make the cake soggy.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of the vanilla sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon of butter to make a crumb mixture: set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. In a stand mixer, cream the stick of butter and 1 cup of the vanilla sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour until just combined.

Spread half of the batter in the pan (batter will be thick!) and then top with the cranberries, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Top with the remaining batter and smooth the top. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top portion of the cake comes out clean.

Sweet Monkey Bread

And I thought the herb-parmesan bread monkey bread I made earlier the summer was good. Wow. Now, don't get me wrong that was really good. And I mean really good. But this monkey bread right here? It's gooder than good. It's the goodest stuff around. So good, I could eat it every day for breakfast with a cup of coffee. Nom on it as my afternoon snack. And then finish the day with a sweet bite as my dessert before bed. It's that good.

The brown sugar and butter caramelize in the oven, leaving the sweet and doughy pull-apart pieces engorged in a sweet and gooey caramel crust. And the glaze. Oh, the glaze. I mean really, cream cheese and sugar- can it get any better?

To describe this in one sentence: it's the best cinnamon bun you've ever had on the strongest steroids you can get, and then some.

Sweet Monkey Bread

For dough:

1 1/8 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups flour

2 tsp. yeast

For coating:

4 tbs. melted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 tbs. cinnamon

For cream cheese glaze:

2 oz. block cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 tbs. milk

Prepare dough on the dough cycle of your bread machine. Upon completion, grease a bundt pan and prepare one small bowl to hold the melted butter, and another small bowl to hold the combined sugar/cinnamon. Breaking off small sections of dough at a time, roll them into approximately 1 inch ball sizes and then dip in melted butter, followed by sugar. Arrange the coated balls in the bundt pan snugly. After all the dough has been used, drizzle any remaining butter/sprinkle any remaining sugar over the top. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. When the dough has risen for the right amount of time (it should have risen to almost the top of the bundt pan) bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and delicious smelling.* Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before placing on a serving platter with prepared glaze, below. Best when served warm :)

To prepare glaze, simply beat the cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add in the milk first followed by sugar. This makes a pretty thick glaze, how I like it, but you can always add more milk if you like it more "glaze-y."

*Also, it's a good idea to place the bundt pan on another baking dish as the caramelized brown sugar may seep through the pan.

German Coffee Cake

There are two possible ways I could go about explaining why I decided to make this coffee cake and why it's so special to my family...so instead of leaving you in suspense for the rest of your wonderful lives (because obviously you'd be missing out) I'll give you both. Thank me later :)

First, the family reasoing- my mom practically grew up on this stuff. Well, I shouldn't exactly say stuff, because something so delicious and classic as this coffee cake really isn't stuff. Rather, a culinary work of art: a gourmet breakfast that my mom's grandma, more specifically her mumum, would make for them while she lived in their house. I never got to meet my mumum, but hearing about her cooking and baking all my life makes me think we'd get along perfectly like butter and honey, chocolate and caramel. Catch my drift?

Second, my mom loosely challenged me this summer in saying that "if you can perfect mumum's cake then I'll send you over to culinary school in France." HELLO, how could I say no to that?

And well, I kind of lied. Third, our good neighbors just had a baby. This makes two cakes and is the perfect little treat.

So we had some buttermilk. Our neighbors had a baby. I'd never made it before. I wanted to give my mom a slice of her childhood. And yes, I was secretly crossing my fingers about the culinary school bet...

German Coffee Cake

4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

2 cups of well shaken buttermilk

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease two 9 inch cake pans. In a measuring cup, stir together 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and 2 tsp. baking soda. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer. Then, re-sift the mixture into a separate bowl for a total of two "sifts." Cream the butter in the mixer on medium speed. Slowly begin to add in the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time until the consistency is even. *Adding the flour into the creamed butter eliminates the chance that you have a flour explosion, and the creamed butter allows for an even lighter cake. Measure out 3 cups of this mixture and set aside.

To the flour/butter/sugar mix, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups buttermilk and eggs until smooth before adding the standing 1/2 buttermilk/soda mix.

Divide the batter evenly among the two pans and then top each with 1 1/2 cups of the set aside flour mix. Sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon (about 3 tbs. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon usually does the trick). Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Granola #2

I know I've already posted a granola recipe on here, but after seeing how pretty my breakfast this morning looked with the fresh batch I made last night I couldn't resist :) Granola really is a perfect staple to have in the house, and the ingredients are so everyday I'm sure that even the non-cook/baker has most of them already in their pantry! And even if they don't, granola really is all about what you like- your interpretation. Don't like almonds? Add hazelnuts! Not a raisin fan, add dried pineapple, dried mango, or anything!

This morning I topped off some of my favorite Fage Greek style yogurt with sliced bananas, granola, and our friend's homemade honey (which, by the way, is to die for...one bite of this honey and it'll turn anyone into a honey fan), the perfect breakfast to get me fueled up for a day at the bakery.

Granola #2

3 cups oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tbs. cinnamon

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a large sheet pan. Measure out the honey and vegetable oil in a cup, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, being sure they are thoroughly mixed through before adding in the wet mixture next. Pour the liquid over the dry mixture and incorporate by folding in with a spatula. Spread onto the sheet pan and bake for 20 mixing, stirring once at about the 10 minute mark.

Blueberry-Lime Morning Cake

You might see the title to this recipe and think to yourself "what is this crazy girl thinking? Lime AND blueberries, that's not right?" But really, it's way more than right, in fact, it's amazing. Everyone is so used to the usual pairing of lemon and blueberries- they pretty much go hand in hand when it comes to baking for breakfasts, brunches, or even some desserts. I mean, people even paint their kitchens blue and yellow sometimes and have a bowl of yellow lemons prominently displayed on their counter, coincidence?

Anyways, back to the lime and blueberries: it really is just fabulous. If you thought lemon and blueberries tasted fresh, the lime exceeds that and goes way beyond. It's not even that, it's more of the unexpected greatness and explosion of flavor when you take the first bite, kind of like a surprise birthday party- you're shocked and overwhelmed with excitement. Yup, you get that from this cake. Not to mention how creamy, moist (yes, I just said the infamous "m" word) and light the actual cake is from the sour cream...I tell you, sour cream makes everything better.

I really wish I had a better camera so I could really capture the beauty of this cake, or at least the lighting in my kitchen was just a tad bit brighter at times, but I make do with my dinky little Nikon flash camera, or at least try my best.

I should also mention that yesterday I made probably the most intense and delicious cake for my best friends birthday...more details on that later

Blueberry-Lime Morning Cake

6 ounces (3/4 a stick) of softened butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

Zest of 1 lime

3 eggs

7/8 cup sour cream

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen work fine

A sprinkle of confectioners sugar for dusting

Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Cream soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lime zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the sour cream, and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup flour (this prevents them from all sinking to the bottom of the cake, thanks Ina!). Combine the remaining flour and baking powder and sift the mixture into the batter as to remove any nasty clumps that could ruin the texture of the cake, and mix just until combined. Gently fold in the berries. *I used the frozen wild blueberries my mom buys in bulk at costco, and took them out of the freezer just before using them so they don't turn the entire cake purple upon defrosting and breaking.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Let cool completely, and dust with confectioner's sugar just before serving, enjoy!

Banana Bread

This bread almost shouldn't qualify as a breakfast food because it is as sweet and delicious as a dessert, but the bananas make it healthy right? It's the best way to use up those bananas lying on the counter that seem to just get darker by the minute...and the batter, well it's almost like a mousse, so if you happen to try some off of the spatula I won't judge at all, I did it myself as well...

Sour Cream Chocolatey Chip Banana Bread:

1 stick of salted butter, softened to room temp.

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 to 3 large ripened bananas mashed

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbl. cocoa powder

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5 loaf pan (or, two make two smaller loaves, 2 mini pans) with non-stick baking spray. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in, by hand as to not overbeat, the egg, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended. Add baking soda, cocoa, and flour. Add chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan (or pans!) and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 20 minutes before inverting and cooling on a wire rack!

*Perfect to serve when warm with a large slab of butter and a cup of hot coffee in the morning, or even with a heaping scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream for dessert!