The Best Ever Banana Bundt

Chai point outlets have some amazing banana cake available. To make a similar one I have searched and sifted high and low for a recipe that comes close, Hummingbird High by Michelle Lopez had this recipe. She rightly calls it the best ever banana bundt – the bananas, the brown sugar and the sour cream makes this cake super moist and it indeed tastes better the next day because the flavours intensify.

Here’s how to make this cracking of a bundt cake

INGREDIENTS:

• All-purpose flour 3 cups (383 grams)
• Baking soda 2 teaspoons
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Sour cream, at room temperature 1 cup (227 grams)
• Vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup (227 grams)
• Light OR dark brown sugar 2 cups tightly packed (425 grams)
• Eggs, 2 large at room temperature
• Very Ripe and peeled bananas 397 grams (That’s around 1 ¾ cups mashed bananas, from around 3 large bananas or 4 medium ones)

For the Honey Glaze

• Confectioner’s sugar, sifted – 1 ½ cup (170 grams)
• Honey – 1 ½ Tablespoons
• Whole milk – 1 ½ Tablespoons
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon

Steps to make the batter:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and the vanilla. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully mixed through, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.

With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. Add the bananas a handful at a time and beat until broken into pieces and distributed evenly throughout the batter, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.

Generously spray or grease a 10 cup capacity bundt pan with oil or butter and flour it Immediately pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Place into the oven and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place a serving plate or second wire rack over the bundt cake and flip the cake to turn it out of its pan. Cool completely before glazing.

Once the cake is cool, make the honey glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, honey, milk, and salt for the glaze until smooth. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin layer on top of the cake. Let any excess glaze drip off and transfer to a wire rack to dry for 1 to 2 hours.

Serve at room temperature. The assembled banana bundt cake can be stored at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days. Press a sheet of plastic wrap against any cut surfaces to prevent the cake from drying out.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

It’s one of those days when I’m searching for something that I haven’t tried baking before and rightly my mother in law had given me organic pineapples all the way from Kerala. So to put them into use I went onto my all time favourite website Joy of Baking and followed her recipe to the tee.

INGREDIENTS:

Topping :

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut in small pieces (1/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 12-15 slices of pineapple

For the Cake Batter:

• 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour (195 grams)
• 2 teaspoons Baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, at room temperature (113 grams)
• 1 cup Granulated white sugar (200 grams)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 large Eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Steps to make the cake:

Preheat oven to 180 C. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) a 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pan with three inch (7.5 cm) sides and keep aside.

Now for the Topping: Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, for a few more minutes or until bubbles just start to appear around the outside edges of the mixture (the sugar starts to caramelise). Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Evenly arrange the fresh pineapple slices on top of the sugar mixture.

For the Cake Batter: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar just until the whites hold a firm peak. With a large spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in two additions. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 -55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan (a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the pineapple) will come out clean). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate. Serve with softly whipped cream