I hate over ripe bananas for eating. For me, a banana has to be just the right ripeness to greenness ratio for me to eat them. LOL So needless to say I often have bananas that are too ripe to eat plain, but are excellent for baking. This is one of my favorite recipes when I want to use up ripe bananas. :) My mother, Donna Rodman Gurney, made this cake often while we were growing up. It is quick, easy and always delicious! The milk icing recipe I got from my husband’s Aunt Rie (Mary Ellen Danhoff). She uses this on her Spice Cake.
BANANA CAKE
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp soda
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 cup mashed ripe banana
¼ cup sour milk or buttermilk (to sour milk, place 1 tsp of white vinegar in measuring cup then add regular milk)
Cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla beating well.
Stir in the banana.
Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with the sour milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 for approximately 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cake is good plain, but also nice with a butter cream icing or a cooked milk icing.
Cooked Milk Icing
Combine 1 cup milk and 2 TB corn starch in a sauce pan.
Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, combine granulated sugar, butter, shortening and vanilla beating with a stand mixer for 5 minutes or more until light and fluffy and sugar has dissolved.
When milk is cool, add to the sugar/ butter mixture and beat until smooth and no granules of sugar remain.
This makes a great filling for cupcakes, whoopee pies and tortes.
1/11/12
Things have been busy and my blogging has been put on hold at times. But I just HAD to put up this recipe.This is from The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl. I made this tart for the first time to take for dessert New Year's Day during our church small group. It was a big hit and I will do this often as it is fairly quick to prepare and looks fabulous!! It is reminiscent of a pecan pie, but not as overwhelmingly sweet due to is shallower pan and the tart cranberries.
CRANBERRY WALNUT TORTE
1 recipe sweet pastry dough (I used a basic butter pastry dough)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
4 TB butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups chopped fresh cranberries (I used frozen)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
10-11” fluted tart pan with removable bottom. If you don’t have this, you may use a regular tart pan or a 10” pie tin.
- Roll dough between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper into a 13” circle.
- Fit into tart pan and trim excess dough leaving a ½” overhang.
- Fold overhang inward and press into sides to reinforce crust edge.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Put rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425.
- Lightly prick crust with fork.
- Line with foil and add pie weights, dried bean or raw rice.
- Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove foil and weights. Bake an additional5 to 10 minutes more or until crust is pale golden.
- Remove to cook on wire rack.
- Lower oven temperature to 350.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt in medium bowl until smooth.
- Stir in cranberries and walnuts.
- Pour filling into shell and bake until golden, about 40-45 minutes. If crusts get too dark cover with foil or pie shields.
- Cool completely on wire rack. Remove rim before serving.
BASIC BUTTER PASTRY DOUGH
For a single crust pie or tart:
1 ¼ cup flour
1 stick (8 TB) cold butter, cut into pieces (May use 6 TB butter and 2 TB shortening)
¼ tsp salt
3-4 TB ice water
For a double crust pie:
2 ½ cups flour
2 sticks (16 TB) cold butter (May use 12 TB butter and 4 TB shortening)
½ tsp salt
4-6 TB ice water
Blend flour, butter and salt with a pastry cutter or pulse in a food processor until mixture resembles corn meal and butter is no bigger than the size of peas.
Drizzle water over dough and continue to mix (or pulse) until dough clings together and starts coming away from sized of bowl. Squeeze a small handful of dough, If it holds together well you are ready to roll. If it is still crumbly, add a little more water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency.
Do not over-work dough or pastry will be tough.
For double crust pie divide dough in half. Form each piece into a ball then flatten into a 5” disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
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11/30/11
I used a Brown Bag cookie press with an angel adding a festive flair to flatten the cookies.
BRAZILIAN COFFEE COOKIES
1/3 cup shortening
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 TB milk
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
2 TB instant coffee
Cream shortening, sugars, egg, vanilla and milk until fluffy.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Form into 1” balls and place on cookie sheet 2” apart.
Flatten cookies slightly with a cookie press or bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
History:
From the Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook.
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11/30/11
My step father loves coffee, so I've been planning on making coffee caramel corn for part of his Christmas gift. I made several varieties of caramel corn years ago but looked and looked and couldn't find my old recipes. I went on line and Googled coffee flavored caramel corn and found this recipe. Then I found out that he isn't supposed to eat popcorn. LOL so... I decided to use the same candy coating on Chex cereal. Worked pretty good for the most part, but I cooked the candy a little too long so it was hard to stir without breaking up the cereal too much. I used Starbucks's Via coffee in place of regular instant. It took 12 packets of regular Italian Roast via. Was a little too strong, probably because the Starbucks Via is a much fuller bodied coffee than a traditional instant. If I were to use Via coffee again I'd probably cut back the number of packets.
Other flavors I've done are: Lemon Cloud popcorn, chocolate candied popcorn, and I took my regular caramel corn recipe and changed the flavorings a little by substituting Rum flavor for some of the butter flavoring. Add or change the nuts; Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts, Pecans etc...
I have also done regular popcorn with different seasonings such as: Nacho cheese, taco, chili, ranch, Alfredo, etc... Just use a seasoning packet from the store.
Coffee Almond Caramel Corn
From HomemadeGiftGuru.com
Ingredients:
- 10 - 12 cups of popped pop corn (about 1/2 cup kernels)
- 1 cup whole almonds
- 1/2 cup butter cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup instant coffee (plain, no added sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pop popcorn kernels
- Pour popcorn into greased bowl and sprinkle almonds over top, lightly agitate so the almonds aren't bunched right on the surface
- Tip - spraying the measuring cup before measuring the corn syrup will help it come out easier too
- Preheat oven to 200° F
- In saucepan dissolve butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, coffee and salt over medium heat stirring frequently; bring mixture to a boil
- Boil mixture for 4-5 minutes without stirring (or until candy thermometer reaches 250° F)
- Tip - The trick when timing is to start the timer at the very first sign of boiling; if you wait until it is at a full boil to start the clock, your caramel will get way to hard; I highly recommend using a candy thermometer for best results, they are inexpensive
- Remove saucepan from heat and immediately add baking soda, almond and vanilla extracts, stirring quickly as it foams up, sizzles and settles back down
- Immediately pour coffee-caramel mixture over popcorn and mix using both spoons until well coated
- Spoon mixture onto the well greased large baking sheet
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring and flipping popcorn with spatula every 15 minutes
- If desired sprinkle chocolate covered coffee beans over mixture, they will melt just a little so don't mix again until completely cool
- Once cool break apart and store in an airtight container
Notes:
- Chocolate covered coffee beans add a delicious gourmet touch but they are totally optional depending on how much intense coffee flavor you want.
- The almond flavor can be completely removed from this recipe by replacing the almonds with more popcorn and replacing the little bit of almond extract with more vanilla extract.
11-12-11
I'm busy making assorted things for a craft fair next weekend. One of which is Biscotti. I made two kinds so far- Lemon Tipped Pistachio with Cranberry and Chocolate Peppermint.
LEMON TIPPED PISTACHIO BISCOTTI
Dough:
6TBL butter
½ cup sugar
1 TBL grated lemon zest
2 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose four
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup shelled pistachios, roasted and finely chopped
 |
| Baked biscotti logs |
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375.
Beat butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla.
 |
| biscotti slices baking |
Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to butter mixture.
Stir in nuts.
Stir in nuts.
On a floured surface, divide dough in half. Roll into log 2”x 9”.
Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly to make roll about ¾” thick and 3” wide.
Bake 375 until lightly browned and puffy, abt. 20 minutes.
Cool on sheet for 10 minutes. Slice into ¾” thick slices. Make each cut with one swipe of the blade. A sawing motion will make cookie crumble.
Place slices back on cookie sheet on their sides. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
 |
| Iced and decorated biscotti |
Turn slices over and bake another 10 minutes. Cookies should be light brown. Cool on wire rack.
Make icing adding more lemon juice as needed to make a glaze just thick enough to lightly coat biscotti.
Dip one end of cookie into glaze, turning to coat evenly. Let excess drip off then place on wire rack to dry before placing in an air tight container for storage.
11/1/11
CLASSIC SPRITZ COOKIES
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
3 ½ cups flour
Preheat oven to 375.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla, beating well.
Mix in flour and salt.
Color dough if desired.
Put dough in cookie press and choose pattern disk.
Press cookies onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 10 -12 minutes or until lightly golden.
For fall, I color the dough orange, red, yellow and green. I take a little of each color and roll into a log, place them side by side and put them as a unit into the cylinder of the cookie press, using the leaf disk.
This gives me a multi colored leaf cookie.
This is the recipe that came with my Pampered Chef cookie press. Love this thing!!
10/31/11
It's pumpkin time! Nothing embodies the fall season as well as pumpkins. I'm finding all kinds of yummy pumpkin recipes I want to try. The following recipe is a perfect example. Pumpkin Cheesecake! My home Group from church have volunteered to be my Guinea pigs and try out new recipes for me. They all lived through the experience and said this recipe was a keeper.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
Crust:
1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs
4 TB butter, melted
Filling:
2, 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 cup half and half
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
3 TB flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 TB sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Pre heat oven to 325
Prepare crust by combining gingersnaps and butter.
Press into bottom and 2” up of sides in a 9” spring form pan.
Bake for 5 minutes.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
Add half and half slowly and beat well.
Add pumpkin, sugar, egg yolks and next 6 ingredients; beat until smooth.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into filling.
Pour into prepared crust and bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Mix topping ingredients and spread over cheesecake.
Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from pan and let cool 30 minutes.
Loosen sides of cheesecake form pan with a spatula or knife and loosen the band.
After 30 minutes more,
Remove the sides and cool completely.
Store in the refrigerator. Can be made 2 days in advance.
Serves 12.
Note: I didn’t separate the eggs. I also made more crust and it didn’t seem enough to me.
This recipe is from Mary Jane’s Farm Magazine -October/Novemner2011
9/8/11
My hubby has been working very very hard lately and needed a pick-me-up, So I made him his very favorite pie. Banana Cream. Specifically, Harv's mom's recipe. Mom D. mailed me her recipe when we lived in Washington. But when I compared it to the one in her recipe box a few years ago I found she had written a different amount of sugar on my copy then what hers says. It is even hand written where the rest of the recipe was typed. Hmmmmmm..... Hers said 2/3 cup sugar I think. Anyway.... Harv likes it so I keep it the same.Mom Danhoff’s Banana Cream Pie
1 baked 10" pie shell
3 TBL oleo (margarine)
½ cup cornstarch
1 1/8 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Filling:
Melt oleo and stir in cornstarch and sugar off the stove.
Add milk and salt. Cook slowly, stirring constantly until thick and not lumpy.
Remove from burner and stir a bit into the beaten egg yolks.
(This keeps them from curdling the milk mixture)
Mix remaining yolk and milk mixture.
Return to the stove and cook a few minutes more until heated through well.
Remove from burner and stir in vanilla.
Slice a banana on the bottom of pie shell.
Top with a layer of pudding. Repeat layers.
Meringue:
In medium bowl, beat egg whites and 3/4 tsp cream of tarter until thick.
Beat in 2 TBL sugar, a little at a time, until stiff peaks form and meringue
is stiff and glossy. Spoon meringue on top of warm filling all the way to
the edge of crust. Using the back of the spoon, make decorative peaks.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
NOTE:
To make Butterscotch pie, use brown sugar instead of white and caramelize the sugar and butter on the stove before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
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9/7/11
My pitiful little rhubarb plants haven't produced much, due to poor soil I think, so I haven't had nearly as much as I like. I love the tangy quality of this plant that produces such a wonderful combination of sweet-tart in baking.
Rhubarb is typically a spring plant, but often it will continue to produce all summer long. My sister in law had a late harvest from her rhubarb patch and passed some on to me. Thanks Sharon!!!!!
I used this bounty to make some Rhubarb Bread and a pie. Below are the recipes I used. The pie recipe I received from my mother in law, Adrianna Danhoff. The bread recipe is one I adapted form a website. Sorry- I can't remember which one. This bread can also be done in a 9x13 pan as a coffee cake. YUMMY!!!
RHUBARB PIE
5 cups rhubarb, cut up
1 ½ cup sugar (this is a little sweet for me – I cut back sugar by ½ cup)
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2 TBL tapioca
2 eggs
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp lemon juice (I use juice from ½ lemon- probably about a TBL or so)
- Mix sugars and tapioca.
- Combine with rhubarb and let set 5-10 minutes.
- Beat eggs, lemon juice and spices.
- Toss with rhubarb mixture and pour into 10" pie shell.
- Top with another shell and crimp edges to seal.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn down to 375 for 30 minutes more.
Be sure to place a pie ring, tin foil or cookie sheet under the pie ~ this one almost always leaks as the juices bubble up during baking.
Streusel Rhubarb Bread
32 Servings
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar ( a little sweet for me- cut back sugar by ½ cup)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh or sliced frozen rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
TOPPING:
1/2 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon cold butter
Directions
· In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and oil. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla.
· Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into brown sugar mixture just until combined.
· Fold in rhubarb and nuts.
· Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans.
·
· For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Using table knife, swirl topping through batter.
·
· Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
·
· Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
· Cut with a serrated knife. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).
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Last week I made this carrot cake since I had extra carrots and it is one of my husbands favorites. He has a sweet tooth and gets a little deprived during the summer since I don't bake as much. We do not have central air and if it is too hot or humid my oven is rarely used. We did have company one night and he grudgingly allowed them to have a slice of cake, but he pretty much ate most of it. lol This is one of two, 10" layers. I was going to stack them, but got busy and left the cake in the pans too long. It started crumbling and it wouldn't release so I just left the second layer in the pan and iced them as 2 separate cakes. Might not have looked as pretty as it usually does but still tastes fantastic, so who cares?!
GOURMET CARROT CAKE
About 3/4 lbs carrots (2 cups grated)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 -8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2/3 cup raisins (optional)
Icing:
2 -8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
Butter and flour two 9" round cake pans. This recipe has a tendency to stick so don’t skip this step!
Shred carrots on finest setting to make 2 cups.
Sift dry ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Divide batter between cake pans.
Bake at 350 about 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool layers in pan for 5 minutes before running a knife around edge and removing cakes to wire rack to cool completely. Don’t wait too long or the cake will stick.
For icing:
Beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Place 1 layer on serving plate. Spread icing over top. Top with remaining layer. Ice top and sides of cake.
HISTORY:
This recipe is from The Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl, Houghton Mifflin Publisher. My daughter Crystal received two of this cookbook for her wedding so she gave one to me. LOVE this recipe and this cookbook!
Mom Danhoff's 88th Birthday
We are having a surprise party for my mother-in-law tomorrow and I am doing the cakes. Since there will be quite a few people I did a basic white cake that I decorated, and a 2 layer lemon cake that I spruced up a bit. :)
First the decorated cake. Mom LOVES mauve so I had to use that color! Because it is so hot and humid out, I decided to do the base in mauve and decorate in white. This way, if the cake sweats, the color will not bleed like it might onto a white base. Mom is a girly girl and loves pretty, fancy things, so I decided to add some frills.
Next the lemon cake.I used a basic lemon cake mix and added lemon zest. Bake as usual. I used some citrus syrup form a previous cake to soak the bottom layer. I then made a dam of icing from the first cake to hold the raspberry filling. Top with the second layer and soak that one also with the citrus syrup. I then made a lemon glaze with 1/3 cup butter, 1 lb powdered sugar and the juice of a large lemon. Heat for abt 45 sec in the microwave to melt it a tad and drizzle the glaze over the top in a criss-cross pattern, allowing it to drip down the sides. I then took more of the raspberry filing and made a swirl pattern from the outside edge to the center.
Next I drizzled the remaining citrus syrup in between the raspberry swirls. Finally, take a knife and draw it from the center to the edge all round the cake forming a "web" design. I topped it with a long curl of lemon peel to add a touch more decoration. (which I did after I took this picture. lol)
The decorated cake covers the birthday aspect, and the lemon cake offers another flavor explosion with the tart lemon, sweet raspberries and the moist lemon cake. This cake should look very pretty when sliced also. Adding a little visual interest always makes it taste better for some reason. ;)
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