Chocolate-Banana Marble Cake & Nutella-Banana Bread

I wonder who among my friends visit the public and national libraries these days? I haven't went in a long time until one afternoon after I visited Bras Basah Artfriend and I had some time to kill before the next appointment.

Gosh! To my pleasant surprise, I find our national library very complete. It has a wide collection of books, at least for the baking and cooking and food section. But, if something like baking and cooking already have a detailed collection, what can we say about other popular categories? Even better I suppose. I notice they have the latest titles that I cannot even find in fishpond.com. For those who are running out of things to do, I would strongly recommend a visit to the library. If you do not have time to read or have no intention of borrowing (lest the hassle of having to return it), it is also nice to grab a book, find a comfortable spot in the library and enjoy the pictures while you waiting for your appointment. 

Anyway, i got hold of book "the art and soul of baking". I have heard pretty decent good reviews and wanted to check it out before making a purchase. It was a heavy big book of recipes! love it. 

A simple, down-to-earth marbled cake got hold of my attention. I have never made a marbled bread but there are such detailed pictorial instructions that I feel I should give it a try and I did. 

The process was fun and the cake was chocolatey and bursting with banana flavours.

Chocolate Banana Marble Cake (adapted from "the art and soul of baking")

makes a 9in-by-5in loaf 

Ingredients:

• 3 medium banana, very ripe, mashed with a fork, should yield about 1 cup
• 1/4 cup buttermilk ( i used non-fat yoghurt)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup, unsifted unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Van Houten's)
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• 1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, soften
• 1 cup sugar (I used190g)
• 2 large eggs, room temp, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 176degC. Butter a 9in-5in loaf pan.
2. Add buttermilk and vanilla to the cup of mashed banana
3. sift cake flour, baking powder and soda into a medium bowl. whisk to blend well. set aside
4. dissolve cocoa powder in the boiling water and stir until a smooth paste is formed. add extra water if it is too thick
5. Beat butter and sugar, at medium high speed until very light, and fluffy (4-5min)
6. Turn speed to medium and add eggs one by one
7. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with banana-buttermilk mixture. DO NOT over-mix. It is okay to see patches of flour.
8. transfer half the batter into another bowl and add the cocoa paste. Mix well, gently but thoroughly.
9. Drop alternating spoon of dark and light batters into prepared pan. Create marbling effect by using a spoon to gently turn the batter over in 3 places over the length of the pan.
10. Bake the cake for about 55-65min ( I baked mine for about 80min). Remove from oven and let cool. When cooled, slice gently using a serrated knife.

After I made this, my cousins suggested Nutella-Banana cake. What can I say more about Nutella? It has always been a winner. 

Nutella-Banana Chocolate Cake

Same recipe as above except that the cocoa paste was replaced with about 120g of Nutella.

Healthy Breakfast Breads - Banana Walnut Bread & Apricot Bread

Bread is one of my greatest loves in life. I have no idea why. I like to see bread, smell bread, buy bread and eat them! Baking them however is a challenge for a novice like me but....

One day...

I baked a banana walnut bread - yes, it is a loaf bread but definitely not cake-like. Full flavored and dense - just the way I like it...

But I was still not satisfied. I wanted to bake REAL bread - those that needed yeast and rising. And so...

Another one day...

I baked another bread... the apricot bread. This time, the entire process took me 3+ hours but i am so happy with the results.

Banana Walnut Bread (adapted from Women's Weekly)

Ingredients:

• 400-460 g mashed banana (overripe bananas)
• 180 g brown sugar (original recipe called for 220 g)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 40 g melted butter
• 125 ml plain yoghurt (original recipe called for buttermilk)
• 90 g mulberry molasses (original recipe called for treacle)
• 225 g plain flour
• 150 g self-raising flour (i used cake flour)
• 2 tsp mixed spice (i used cinnamon)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 80 g walnuts, toasted and chopped (not in original recipe)

Method:

1. preheat oven to 180DegC. Grease 14cmX21cm loaf pan; line base and long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm over sides
2. combine banana, sugar, eggs, butter, yoghurt and molasses in a large bowl. stir in sifted dry ingredients (do not over-mix). spoon mixture into pan.
3. bake for 1 hour. stand bread in pan 10 mms before turing, top side up onto a wire rack for cooling

Apricot Bread (adapted from Good Housekeeping)

Ingredients:

• 450 g bread flour, plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp salt
• 25 g unsalted butter, diced and plus extra to grease
• 75 g dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tsp instant dried yeast
• 2 tbsp mulberry molasses
• milk to glaze

Method:

1. put flour in a large bowl
2. add b the salt and rub in the butter.
3. stir in the apricots and yeast
4. make a well in the middle and gradually work in the molasses and about 225ml hand-hot warm water to form a soft dough. Knead 8-10 min until smooth and then transfer dough into a greased bowl. 
5. cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 1/4 hrs until double in size
6. punch the dough to knock back, then divide in half. shape each portion into a small, flattish round and put on a well flour baking sheet.
7. cover loosely and leave to rise for another 30 min
8. preheat oven to 220degC and put a large baking sheet on the top shelf to heat up
9. using a sharp knife, cut several slashes on each round and brush with a little milk (i must be so hungry that i totally forgot this step and went immediately into step 10.)
10. transfer the two doughs onto the heated baking sheet. bake for 15 min, then reduce temperature to 190DegC and bake for a further 17 min until bread is risen and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. cool bread on a wire rack.

Very BaNANA loaf

Banana loaf, banana cake, banana bread... what's the difference? Based on my little research, people use the terms interchangeably. But recipes for cake, bread and loaf differ to some extent. Banana cakes tend to call for more butter and oil as compared with banana bread and loaves. Banana cakes are also "fluffier" and taster richer than banana breads. Regardless, banana recipes are quick, simple and popular with beginners. They are hard to go wrong, unless you like unripe bananas......

There are easily over hundreds of banana cake/loaf/bread recipes available in recipe books and on the internet. I adapted my recipe from one called BEST EVER BANANA BREAD from allrecipes.com. Until I tried all the banana recipes in the world, there is no way to prove is the best ever banana bread. But I can tell you, this is a fail-proof recipe, not matter how you modify it.

(It is a pity that I did not have my camera with me when I baked this banana loaf. had to turn to a dinosaur 3G iPhone I inherited from Dear. with a 2 megapixel camera only, the pictures are really quite a blur)

ba-NANA loaf

Ingredients

• 220 g plain flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional) 
• 110 g caster sugar 
• 110 g packed brown sugar (okay to use all caster sugar if you have no brown sugar) 
• 2 Eggs, light beaten 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional) 
• 120 ml  vegetable oil 
• 80 ml plain yoghurt (original recipe calls for buttermilk and if using buttermilk, increase sugar to 300g) 
• 3 Large bananas, smashed (always use Dole Bananas! =) 
• (You may add pecan or walnuts) 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 165degC. Grease and line a 9-by-5 in loaf tin. 
2. Beat eggs lightly with vanilla essence 
3. Blend together the smashed bananas, yoghurt, and oil and egg-vanilla mixture 
4. Sift together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt 
5. added 4 into 3 and mix well 
6. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake in oven for about 1hr 20min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 

Simple as it may be, it was very well-received. I am very heartened by the comments given by my friends. *big grin*

I will definitely make it again!