Coconut-Banana Sundae Cake

So now that I'm done with school and I had a few bananas getting overripe and about to go really bad, I turned to one of my favorite baking books for a good recipe I could make. The credit for this cake goes to the recipe "Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake" from the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The cake turned out very yummy, looked delicious (it's a two-layer), I saved four bananas from going in the trash, AND I had lots of fun playing around with the cake when dressing it up.

Although it doesn't say it in the recipe, I filled and drizzled the cake with chocolate ganache and topped it with maraschino cherries. But, I did follow the suggestion of frosting it with whipped cream. Basically, the cake reminded me of a sundae and that led me to give the cake a new name, hence the title. Now that I think about it, you can even top it with chopped nuts!

This cake has a lot of ingredients, so I suggest gathering everything you need before you start (I actually do this anytime I bake so nothing is accidentally forgotten).

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (or you can use granulated sugar)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, whole milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt (Note: I love this recipe because of the fact that you can choose from a variety of options in case you don't have one of the ingredients - I used sour cream when I made it)
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, preferably toasted (or an equal amound of moist, plump dried fruit, such as currants, raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries, blueberries, or halved cherries, or a combination of coconut and dried fruit - Note: I used only coconut)
  

1. To get ready, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, and tap out the excess. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together.

3. Working with a stand mixer, preferrably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.


4. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for a couple of minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. You should have a satiny batter.


5. Now lower the speed and add the bananas - the batter will curdle, but that's fine; it will come together as you add the remaining ingredients.


6. Still on low speed, add the dry and liquid ingredients alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 portions and the coconut milk (or whatever liquid you used - remember to begin and end with the dry ingredients).


7. Mix just until everything is incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the coconut. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

8. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cakes are a deep golden brown. They should start to pull away from the sides of the pans and a thin knife inserted into their centers will come out clean.


9. Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold and invert onto another rack to cool to room temperature right side up.

10. You can fill and frost the cakes with a variety of frostings, but as mentioned before, I chose to fill it with chocolate ganache and topped it with sweetened whipped cream. You can find the recipes for both below.

After we dug in! :

In fact, you don't even have to frost it because you can serve one layer sprinkled with confectioner's sugar accompanied by ice cream or whipped cream and/or hot fudge sauce. The fun is that it's totally up to you!
The cake will stay at room temperature for 4 days, but if you frost it with whipped cream, make sure it stays refrigerated!

Chocolate Ganache Recipe (Makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 stick (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into little pieces, at room temperature

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, then pour half of the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds.


2. Working with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the center of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles. Pour in the remainder of the cream and blend it into the chocolate, using the same circular motions.

3. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece. Don't stir the ganache any more than you must to blend the ingredients - the less you work it, the darker, smoother, and shinier it will be.


4. After it's done, let it sit until it thickens to the desired consistency.

Note: It can be tightly covered and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the ganache stand at room temperature to bring it back to the consistency you need; stir gently before using. You can warm it in very short spurts (5 seconds each) in a microwave, or put the ganache in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Whipped Cream Recipe (Makes about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:
1 cup very cold heavy cream
1-5 tbsp confectioner's sugar (to taste), sifted
1/2 -1 tsp vanilla (to taste, optional)

Working with stand mixer and whisk attachment or hand mixer, beat the cream and sugar together just until the cream starts to thicken. Start beating the cream slowly - don't rush the process - and inrease the speed as the cream gains texture. Continue to beat until the cream reaches the desired consistency (high peaks for a consistency to frost the cake). Make sure to not overbeat or else the whipped cream will become grainy and look like it will sepearate. When it is just about ready to be at the right consistence, quickly beat in the vanilla.

Chocolate Cheesecake

If you're a fan of chocolate and cheesecake, you will not get enough of this. It's rich, creamy, and chocolatey with an Oreo cookie crust. To make it even more delicious, I like to serve it with chocolate sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Go ahead and indulge with this irresistable desert...

Ingredients:
Crust-

• 30 Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Filling-

• 3 packages (8 oz each) of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 8 oz of bittersweet (baking) chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. To make the crust, place 30 cookies in a food processor and process for 30-45 seconds or until finely ground. Add butter; mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of pan. Set crust aside.

2. Put the springform pan with the crust in the freezer while the oven is preheating. After preheating, place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool while making the filling.

3. To make the cheesecake filling, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.

4. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the mixture is light. Beat in the vanilla.

5. Add the egg one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and melted chocolate.

7. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the springform pan with some space around it.

8. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure there is nothing left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.

9. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it so the water comes halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

10. Bake the cheesecake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, at which point the center should be set and the bottom wobbly. Turn off the oven and prop the door open. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another 45 minutes.

11. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before serving.

Recipe for Chocolate Sauce (Makes 3/4 cup)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tbsp sugar

1. Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan, and put the saucepan over medium-low heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring ocassionally to blend.

2. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until it is thick enough to coat a metal spoon: if you run your finger down the back of the spoon, the sauce should not run into the track you've created.

3. If you want to use the sauce in its pourable state, let it cool for about 10 minutes and then use immediately.

4. If you want to save it for later, pack it into an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.

5. The sauce can be stored by being kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks. If you want to use the sauce warm, heat it gently in a microwave oven or in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.

Mini Mango Cheesecakes

So I've been making cheesecakes for quite awhile now, and I wanted to try making mini cheesecakes using the same recipe as the bigger version. To make a long story short, I was experimenting this past weekend with various flavors and recipes, and I thought I would post this one first. This is a flavor I have wanted to try for a long time - I thought it would be something more exciting rather than the same old chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc. I have to say that it turned out pretty good. I did make some adjustments based on the recipe I used and I think this one should do it. So I hope you enjoy - these are certainly much more easier to make than large cheesecakes and bake much more faster (20 minutes vs. 1.5 hours!). And let's not forget they are just so cute and perfect for one serving!

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 mangoes
• ¼ sour cream/whipping cream
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners (foil liners are preferable).

2. With a mixer in a mixing bowl, on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.

3. Add the vanilla. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Again, scrape the bowl as needed.

4. Finally, add the sour cream and flour (if using) and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

5. Divide the filling evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cheesecakes are just set in the center, about 20 minutes.

6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, transfer the cheesecakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

7. Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container for at least overnight or up to 3 days.