Old-fashioned Banana Cake

Posted in Cakes by Spatula in My Pocket

Quick and easy: the perfect tea-time snack!

Easy banana cake recipe makes for the absolute best banana cake you’ll ever try. It’s moist and fluffy, packed with banana flavor with an added punch from the cinnamon.

Typically, having a bunch of overripe bananas lying around means only one thing in our house… Banana bread! But I decided to switch things up this time around and make a Banana Cake instead.

This easy banana cake recipe makes for the absolute best banana cake you’ll ever try. It’s moist and fluffy, packed with banana flavor with an added punch from the cinnamon. Perfect for teatime or snacking!

asy banana cake recipe makes for the absolute best banana cake you’ll ever try. It’s moist and fluffy, packed with banana flavor with an added punch from the cinnamon.

Tips for Making this Banana Cake

Use dark, spotty bananas for a pronounced banana flavor, and to ensure your cake is deliciously moist.
Make sure you’re using room temperature ingredients. This ensures everything mixes together evenly without over mixing.
Don’t over mix the batter, otherwise it can get tough. This will help create a tall, light cake.
I used an 8 inch square cake pan but a round pan would work too.
This cake is perfect on its own or frosted with a layer of Nutella. You can even drizzle the cooled cake with Caramel Sauce.
The baked cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. If the cake is frosted then it definitely should be refrigerated.
You can add a cup of toasted walnuts to the batter for an added texture.

If you have got a bunch of overripe bananas lying around – then I highly recommend you skip the banana bread and make this simple moist banana cake. It is tender, comfy, and has a delicious hint of cinnamon.

For more banana recipes – try these other favorites:

Old-fashioned Banana Cake

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

· ½ cup (120g) butter, softened

· ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

· 2 eggs, at room temperature

· 1 cup mashed banana (3 large bananas)

· 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

· 1 tsp baking soda

· 2 Tbsp hot milk (heat in microwave for 20 secs)

· 1¾ cup (220g) all-purpose flour (leveled)

· 1 tsp cinnamon powder

· 1 tsp baking powder

· Nutella for topping *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8 inch cake pan and line the base with wax paper.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in bananas until combined.
Mix baking soda and hot milk together before stirring into the banana mixture.
Sift in flour, cinnamon and baking powder; fold into the mixture until combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until cooked (insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean it is cooked).
Let the cake stand for 5-10 mins before inverting onto a wire rack to cool. Frost with Nutella if desired.

31Aug2018

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Posted in Breakfast by Spatula in My Pocket

This is the ultimate recipe for the ultimate stack of pancakes, sweetened with bananas, and loaded with melty gooey chocolate chips.

Confession: Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day.

I’ve had a cup of plain coffee every single morning for as long as I remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I love breakfast food: pancakes, waffles, omelets, scrambled eggs! I’d eat “breakfast food” for 90% of my meals. But I just don’t like eating at breakfast time.

I’d much rather have an omelet for lunch, granola for snack, and a stack of waffles for dinner.

And these pancakes, these gorgeous banana chocolate chip studded pancakes, I could have at any time of the day.

These are seriously everything!

The ultimate recipe for the ultimate stack of pancakes, sweetened with bananas, and loaded with melty gooey chocolate chips. #banana #chocolatechip #pancakes

Extra fluffy, soft, slightly sweet from the bananas, slightly bittersweet from the chocolate, perfectly golden brown.

In short, these pancakes are a blessing from the heavens.

I, sometimes, intentionally set aside 3-4 bananas and let them ripe just so that I can make these pancakes or my banana chocolate chip bread.

Whoever first thought of pairing up bananas and chocolate chips deserves a wildly prestigious prize in my book.

Making these pancakes is incredibly simple and if you want your pancakes to be as scrumptious as mine, I suggest you read the following tips along with the written recipe.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE TIPS:

Use slightly over ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter they are.
DON’T OVERMIX: Mix the batter just until you see no more streaks of flour. It will be slightly lumpy. If you overmix the pancake batter your pancakes will turn out dense.
Make sure your frying pan/griddle is hot before adding the pancake batter.
Cook on low-medium heat to ensure that the pancake gets cooked in the middle and develops a crisp golden brown “crust” on the top.

If these next two pictures don’t make you seriously consider why you aren’t in your kitchen right this second making these pancakes, I don’t know what will.

This is a recipe you’re going to want to hold onto forever.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 1⁄4 cups milk, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or melted butter

1⁄2 cup banana, mashed (3 small)

1 egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. In another bowl whisk together the milk, oil, banana, egg and vanilla.

3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

4. Fold in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

5. Heat a non-stick frying pan or a griddle, greased lightly with oil on medium heat. Pour 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per pancake on to the pan. Scatter some chocolate chips on top.

6. When the top looks slightly dry and bubbles have appeared, flip the pancake and cook the other side for another minute or until golden.

7. Prepare remaining pancake batter as directed greasing pan with more oil if needed.

8. Stack the pancakes, top them with maple syrup if desired and tuck in.

28Dec2017

Banana Nut Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, Random shizz by Spatula in My Pocket

Kindly excuse my sporadic blogging schedule. I have been all over the place this year; the first half of which went by so quickly and the rest…excruciatingly slow.

Nothing remotely exciting happened in 2017 apart from the fact that I graduated from my university and was left at a tailspin of what to do next. Bouts of depression, tears, and heartbreaks is what tainted the last couple of months.

To say I’m looking forward to 2018 would be an understatement.

I hope it brings the much needed miracles, smiles, and opportunities.

anana Nut Muffins. The squishiest, most delicious muffins you’ll ever eat.

It’s fitting to end with a blog post featuring a recipe I found and fell endlessly in love with this year.

A combination of sheer boredom and moldy bananas is what led me to first make these muffins.

I’ve gone on to make these many more times since then, and I can safely say my family and I are hooked!

They’re soft, not overly sweet, full of nuts and O so moist! There is simply no other way to describe how soft and delicious these banana walnut muffins are.

You won’t be able to have just one.

anana Nut Muffins. The squishiest, most delicious muffins you’ll ever eat.

And they’re highly adaptable too. Add in a swirl of peanut butter, a giant dollop of Nutella

…

anana Nut Muffins. The squishiest, most delicious muffins you’ll ever eat.

…or leave them plain.

They’re delicious either way!

anana Nut Muffins. The squishiest, most delicious muffins you’ll ever eat.

These muffins are best served fresh out of the oven with a cup of tea.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and warmed in the microwave before serving.

If you make these muffins, do share a picture with the hashtag #spatulainmypocket on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations 🙂

Banana Nut Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes Yields: 12

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt¹

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4-5 bananas)

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

¼ cup milk, at room temperature²

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Line a standard-size muffin pan with paper liners, set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, milk and egg. Pour over the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add half of the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold gently until just combined

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chopped walnuts.

Bake until golden brown about 20-25 minutes. They should spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the muffin pan before devouring.

Notes:

1. If using salted butter, omit the salt

2. Make sure that the milk is at room temperature or even slightly warm. Cold milk will cause the butter to solidify.

Recipe adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker

Banana Nut Muffins. The squishiest, most delicious muffins you’ll ever eat. #muffins #bananamuffins #banana #breakfast

17Sep2015

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Posted in Breads by Spatula in My Pocket

A spin on the classic – super moist banana bread studded with chocolate chips!

I know, I know, I’ve been MIA this whole past week. What with the wedding and then college starting, and three very exciting new things happening that I can’t disclose right now, I barely had time to Instagram! And for all those who don’t know…I made my first ever Wedding Cake (nazar na lagay, like my mum says)!

I tried to make it as pretty as a pinterest cake.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Noor | spatulainmypocket (@spatulainmypocket)

It was one crazy cake that I had a crazy time making.

It had me:

Scouring the whole of Islamabad for a frickin’ (cursing is bad) 6 inch cake pan. Who bought all the pans?!
Attempting ombré for the first time ever.

Attempting a tired cake for the first time. ( had more success as a tilted cake actually)
Baking six cake layers in one day! (The most I’ve ever done.)
Making use of 700 grams of butter in one go! (My mother had words about that one.)
Making do with droopy roses I got from the so-called fresh flower shops, and some stolen ones from the neighbor’s garden (stealing is bad).

Aaaaanyway, it looked okay in the end, tasted good and (most importantly) the bride loved it.. So yay!

But this post isn’t about cake (well, not all of it). It’s about this bread…oh this bread! Slice after slice of warm softness with pockets of melty chocolate. Together with a glass of cold milk or a cup of tea, it makes for the ultimate comfort food!

Banana and Chocolate – match made in food heaven! Be it banana chocolate chip muffins or banana chocolate chip pancakes or banana chocolate chip cake, it is always divine.

For those of you who just went all ew at ‘banana’, trust me, you’ll love this! Even my sisters (who are strictly against nutritious food), went bananas over this bread.

Below are few pointers to keep in mind before you make this recipe and get busy stuffing your face.

*Bananas: the browner and moldier, the better. Seriously, if you have very ripe bananas lying around your home (that your mother bought in hopes of feeding you healthy), do not throw them out! They are precious! Precious to a good, moist, flavorful banana bread.

*Yogurt: I always use and recommend Nestle unsweetened yogurt, but you can use whatever you like. Greek yogurt is originally used but we don’t have it commonly available in Pakistan. So, use any plain yogurt you can get your hands on.

*Chocolate chips: I use Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. Bittersweet or even milk chocolate chips can be used.

That’s it. Now go make this! Enjoy. 🙂

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Yields: one 9 inch loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped *optional

1 ½ cup mashed banana (about 3 very ripe bananas)¹

¼ cup (60g) plain yogurt²

2 large eggs, at room temperature

6 Tablespoons (90g) butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ – 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Grease and flour the sides and the bottom of a loaf pan. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together; the flour, sugar, baking soda, and walnuts.

In another bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, cooled butter, and vanilla.

Gently mix the banana mixture into the dry ingredient. Mix just till combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top is golden-brown.

Serve warm.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for a week. Warm in the microwave before serving.

Notes:

1. Use the ripest bananas you can get hold of. The riper the banana, the sweeter flavor it gives off. Mash bananas well.

2. Any unsweetened plain yogurt can be used. I always use and recommend Nestle unsweetened yogurt.

Adapted from The New Best Recipe Cookbook from Cook’s Illustrated

Quick and easy: the perfect tea-time snack!

Typically, having a bunch of overripe bananas lying around means only one thing in our house… Banana bread! But I decided to switch things up this time around and make a Banana Cake instead.

This easy banana cake recipe makes for the absolute best banana cake you’ll ever try. It’s moist and fluffy, packed with banana flavor with an added punch from the cinnamon. Perfect for teatime or snacking!

Tips for Making this Banana Cake

Use dark, spotty bananas for a pronounced banana flavor, and to ensure your cake is deliciously moist.

Make sure you’re using room temperature ingredients. This ensures everything mixes together evenly without over mixing.

Don’t over mix the batter, otherwise it can get tough. This will help create a tall, light cake.

I used an 8 inch square cake pan but a round pan would work too.

This cake is perfect on its own or frosted with a layer of Nutella. You can even drizzle the cooled cake with Caramel Sauce.

The baked cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. If the cake is frosted then it definitely should be refrigerated.

You can add a cup of toasted walnuts to the batter for an added texture.

If you have got a bunch of overripe bananas lying around – then I highly recommend you skip the banana bread and make this simple moist banana cake. It is tender, comfy, and has a delicious hint of cinnamon.

For more banana recipes – try these other favorites:

Old-fashioned Banana Cake

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

· ½ cup (120g) butter, softened

· ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

· 2 eggs, at room temperature

· 1 cup mashed banana (3 large bananas)

· 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

· 1 tsp baking soda

· 2 Tbsp hot milk (heat in microwave for 20 secs)

· 1¾ cup (220g) all-purpose flour (leveled)

· 1 tsp cinnamon powder

· 1 tsp baking powder

· Nutella for topping *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8 inch cake pan and line the base with wax paper.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in bananas until combined.

Mix baking soda and hot milk together before stirring into the banana mixture.

Sift in flour, cinnamon and baking powder; fold into the mixture until combined.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until cooked (insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean it is cooked).

Let the cake stand for 5-10 mins before inverting onto a wire rack to cool. Frost with Nutella if desired.

Share this:

This is the ultimate recipe for the ultimate stack of pancakes, sweetened with bananas, and loaded with melty gooey chocolate chips.

Confession: Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day.

I’ve had a cup of plain coffee every single morning for as long as I remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I love breakfast food: pancakes, waffles, omelets, scrambled eggs! I’d eat “breakfast food” for 90% of my meals. But I just don’t like eating at breakfast time.

I’d much rather have an omelet for lunch, granola for snack, and a stack of waffles for dinner.

And these pancakes, these gorgeous banana chocolate chip studded pancakes, I could have at any time of the day.

These are seriously everything!

Extra fluffy, soft, slightly sweet from the bananas, slightly bittersweet from the chocolate, perfectly golden brown.

In short, these pancakes are a blessing from the heavens.

I, sometimes, intentionally set aside 3-4 bananas and let them ripe just so that I can make these pancakes or my banana chocolate chip bread.

Whoever first thought of pairing up bananas and chocolate chips deserves a wildly prestigious prize in my book.

Making these pancakes is incredibly simple and if you want your pancakes to be as scrumptious as mine, I suggest you read the following tips along with the written recipe.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE TIPS:

Use slightly over ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter they are.

DON’T OVERMIX: Mix the batter just until you see no more streaks of flour. It will be slightly lumpy. If you overmix the pancake batter your pancakes will turn out dense.

Make sure your frying pan/griddle is hot before adding the pancake batter.

Cook on low-medium heat to ensure that the pancake gets cooked in the middle and develops a crisp golden brown “crust” on the top.

If these next two pictures don’t make you seriously consider why you aren’t in your kitchen right this second making these pancakes, I don’t know what will.

This is a recipe you’re going to want to hold onto forever.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 1⁄4 cups milk, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or melted butter

1⁄2 cup banana, mashed (3 small)

1 egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. In another bowl whisk together the milk, oil, banana, egg and vanilla.

3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

4. Fold in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

5. Heat a non-stick frying pan or a griddle, greased lightly with oil on medium heat. Pour 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per pancake on to the pan. Scatter some chocolate chips on top.

6. When the top looks slightly dry and bubbles have appeared, flip the pancake and cook the other side for another minute or until golden.

7. Prepare remaining pancake batter as directed greasing pan with more oil if needed.

8. Stack the pancakes, top them with maple syrup if desired and tuck in.

Share this:

Kindly excuse my sporadic blogging schedule. I have been all over the place this year; the first half of which went by so quickly and the rest…excruciatingly slow.

¼ teaspoon salt¹

¼ cup milk, at room temperature²