Amazingly Delightful Banana Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Frosting

Forget banana bread, this cake is awesome!  It is a fabulous way to use up those last two overly ripe bananas that are laying around.  Slightly tweaked from ButterYum's recipe, this one is a keeper!

Banana Cake (yields 1 8x8 cake):

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. spent grain flour

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

 

1/2 c. sour cream

1 egg

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

2 mashed super ripe bananas

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Vanilla Bean Icing (yields approx 1/2 c.):

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

2-4 tbsp. milk*

1 vanilla bean**

1 c. powdered sugar*

 

*Add more milk or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency of the icing

**Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds to use in the frosting...discard the shell

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a glass 8x8 pan.  Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, mix together flours, salt and baking soda. 

 

In a smaller bowl, cream together sugar, sour cream, egg, and butter. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix well.

 

Add banana sugar mixture to the dry flour mixture.  Mix just until all is moistened.  Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Cool completely before icing.

 

To make icing:

In a small bowl, cream butter, 2 tbsp. of milk and the seeds of the split vanilla bean.  Add powdered sugar and continue mixing till fully incorporated.  Add more milk or powdered sugar until the icing reaches your desired consistency.

 

Enjoy!

 

Glazed Yogurt Lime Quick Bread

I had some limes that needed to be used and I became inspired by this recipe for muffins.  After baking, the bread was missing something... then I realized it needed a glaze.  Viola!  Quite yummy.  The talk of friends at the local brew supply house said that it paired really well with an English Porter!  Anyway... this bread makes a bright citrus-y but sweet breakfast bread... hmm, I bet it would go well with a bacon bloody Mary as well!  ;)

Yogurt Lime Quick Bread (yields 1 loaf)
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. spent grain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. honey
zest of 2 limes
juice of 1 lime
1 egg1 c. yogurt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. canola oil

Lime Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar*
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. milk*

*You may need to add a little bit more milk or powdered sugar to get the right consistency for the glaze.

----------------------------

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Prepare a loaf pan by lightly greasing the sides and bottom.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Stir just until moistened.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in 375F oven for 38-42 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.  Let bread cool in pan for about 10 minutes.

While bread is cooling in pan, make the glaze.  In a small bowl, combine all the glaze ingredients and mix well.  Add more milk if glaze is too thick.  Add more powdered sugar if glaze is too thin. 

Remove bread from pan and move to a wire rack to completely cool.  Spread glaze over bread and allow the glaze to set. 

Enjoy!

Birthday Cake Porter

My birthday passed recently and I decided that I would try to brew a chocolate cake porter, aka birthday cake porter.  It isn't chocolate cake in a bottle, but it is pretty tasty chocolate porter.

Birthday Cake Porter (yields 5 gallons)

3 lbs. 2-row
0.75 lbs. Crystal 40
0.5 lbs. Chocolate
6 oz. Debittered Black
2 oz. Roasted Barley
2 oz. Munich Dark
1 Vanilla bean, split

3.3 lbs. Amber LME
8 oz. Milk sugar
2 tbsp. Cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 oz. Goldings (3.8%) 60 minutes
0.55 oz. Goldings (2.3%) 15 minutes

1 tsp. Irish moss

Cream Ale Yeast
--------------------
Mill grain. Mash for 90 minutes at 152F.

Sparge with 150F water into brew pot.

Bring to boil. Remove from heat and add LME, milk sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir well.

Return to boil. Add 1 ounce of Goldings hops. Begin 60 minute boil.

After 45 minutes, add 0.55 ounces of Goldings hops and Irish moss.

After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer to fermenter. Add enough cool water to bring total volume to 5 1/8 gallons.

Once wort has reached 70F, pitch yeast.

Seal with lid and airlock. Let the yeast do its business then bottle or keg like usual.

O.G. - 1.052
F.G. - 1.016

Happy Birthday to me!!! Oh, Enjoy!