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Category Archives: Cakes

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes – NYT Cooking

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and if you are looking for some great ideas of what to make this year or want something different beyond the usual corned beef and cabbage, New York Times Cooking has put together an excellent collection of recipes that cover everything you might need. From soda bread to side dishes to desserts and drinks, you will find it all. Check it out.

On a side note, I haven’t been around lately because I have been fighting a terrible cold for 2 weeks now. The cold has pretty much sapped all my strength and leaves me coughing quite a bit. When this has been combined with a heavy workload I have had recently, I have little time for blogging. I am hoping to kick the cold this week as it seems to be waning, and then I can get back to posting recipes. Please bear with me a little bit while I get my strength back. Thanks!

Source: St. Patrick’s Day Recipes – NYT Cooking

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Posted by MikeG on March 13, 2017 in Appetizers, Beef, Beverages, Breads, Breakfast, Cakes, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Leftovers, One Pot Meals, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Soups & Stews, Vegetables

Tags: Favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes, Irish recipes, New York Times Cooking, St. Patrick's Day, St. patrick's Day recipe ideas, St. Patrick's Day recipes, Things to cook for St. Patrick's Day

A Supermarket Endcap Classic -Copycat Entenmann’s Brownie Crumb Ring

17 Feb

Here in New York, and in many other locations, Entenmann’s occupies a unique place in the hearts of families. For us, Entenmann’s has always been those cakes and pastry items you find on the endcap in your supermarket that is perfect when you need to pick something up for a dessert and do know what to get. The frosted chocolate donuts, the raspberry danish, and many others have always been favorites of ours, but Entenmann’s, like so many other manufacturers, does discontinue items after awhile for reason or another. Such was the fate of one of our favorite desserts, the brownie crumb ring. The brownie crumb ring has not been around for years now, and I once contacted Entenmann’s to find out about it, and their reply was that it was not a big seller of their items, so they rotated it out, but it has never returned. I searched for a long time trying to find one and then starting searching around for a recipe to make my own. I even bought the Entenmann’s cookbook in the hopes that it would be in there, but alas, it was not. Finally, after a long search, I was able to track down a recipe for the frosting, which is really the most integral part of the cake itself. The cake alone is a simple bundt cake, so armed with the frosting recipe and a recipe for Cook’s Country classic yellow bundt cake, I set to work.

Copycat Entenmann’s Brownie Crumb Ring

For the Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

For the Frosting:

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 cup cola

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cold coffee

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 to 3 cups brownie crumbs (crumbled up brownies or brownies finely ground in the food processor, using your favorite recipe or boxed mix)

For the cake, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a nonstick bundt pan. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice together.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time, and beat the mixture until the eggs are combined. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the buttermilk mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared bundt pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the bundt pan and allow the cake to cool completely, about 2 hours. The cooled cake can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

For the frosting, combine the powdered sugar, butter, cocoa powder, cola, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and coffee together in a medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat the mixture together on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and spreadable, about 3 to 4 minutes. You can add a little more powdered sugar if the frosting is not as thick as you would like it. Spread the frosting on the cooled bundt cake to cover the cake. Sprinkle and press the brownie crumbs onto the cake, so the adhere nicely. Allow the cake to set for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

I have to say while the frosting is not a perfect match for the brownie crumb ring, it is pretty darn close. Entenmann’s used a mocha-maple frosting for their cake, and it was coated in brownie crumbs, and this frosting certainly emulates that. Everyone who ate it when I made it said it was just like the original, so I think it gives you a chance to get pretty close to what you used to have if you always enjoyed that Entenmann’s cake. If you have never had the brownie crumb ring before, then this gives you the chance to try out something different that would be perfect for a party or a crowd. The bundt cake recipe alone is quite good, but when you add the frosting to it it makes the cake something special.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on February 17, 2017 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: brownie crumb ring, brownie crumb ring cake recipe, Cook's Country, Cook's Country classic bundt cake, copycat Entenmann's brownie crumb ring, Entenmann's brownie crumb ring

Your Dessert for the Big Game – Banana Cupcakes with Bananas Foster Frosting

04 Feb

The big football game this weekend is more than just a huge sporting event. I am not nearly as big of a football fan as I am of baseball and really have no stake in whether Atlanta or New England wins. For us, the Super Bowl this year is more about just hanging out, relaxing and watching the game for the commercials. The big game also means it’s a day to enjoy all kinds of snack foods. Everyone breaks out their favorites for Buffalo wings, nachos, cocktail franks, egg rolls, meatballs, sandwiches, chips, dips and your favorite drinks. If you are hosting a party this year you probably have lots of things picked out for snacks and halftime, but what about dessert? Dessert might get overlooked, beyond the football field sheet cakes you can get or the football cookies, so why not do something different, easy and homemade? I have a particular love of banana desserts and sought out to make a cupcake this year for something different. I ended up combining two recipes, with a cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart for banana cupcakes and a Bananas Foster frosting recipe from Glorious Treats to make something great.

Banana Cupcakes with Bananas Foster Frosting

For the Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana for garnish (optional)

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

1/4 cup banana, mashed (about 1/2 a banana)

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dark rum (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In the well, mix together the melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir the ingredients together to incorporate the flour mixture without over mixing everything. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.

Place the pan into the oven and bake the cupcakes until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. Mash the banana in a small bowl with the lemon juice. In a large bowl or bowl for your stand mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mashed banana and beat it with the butter until it is well incorporated and smooth. Add the powdered sugar slowly, one cup at a time, while slowly mixing, so that it blends in well. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum (if using) and the vanilla extract. Beat all of the ingredients together until everything is well incorporated, and the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spread the tops of each cupcake with the Bananas Foster frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice the banana into rounds and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

It’s a pretty simple cupcake recipe that presents nicely and has some great flavor to it. The banana cupcake is lighter than the typical banana muffin you might like and has some good banana taste to it, but the frosting is what really makes it perfect for me. The frosting has the flavor of the great Bananas Foster dessert, especially if you take advantage of the dark rum in the ingredients. I actually boosted the banana flavor up a bit for the frosting by adding some banana syrup to the frosting mix (about 1 1/2 teaspoons did it for me). I also halved the original recipe for the frosting since I had only twelve cupcakes to do and the recipe seemed like it was more if you want enough to frost a whole cake, which wouldn’t be a bad idea either. We each tested the cupcakes, and the came out nicely, with moist cake and a great frosting.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on February 4, 2017 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Snacks, Uncategorized

Tags: banana cupcakes, banana cupcakes recipe, banana cupcakes with bananas foster frosting, bananas foster frosting, cupcakes for dessert, Glorious Treats, Glorious Treats bananas foster frosting, Martha Stewart banana cupcakes

Another From the King Arthur Playbook – Flour’s Original Pound Cake

31 Jan

I have to admit, I have a great love of pound cake. I know for some people it seems to be plain and not very exciting, but I love the texture and flavor of a good pound cake. It can go nicely as a dessert for just about any occasion, can be dressed up with fresh fruit or just whipped cream and even allows for some variation of flavors by adding different extracts, alcohols or flavorings. Another great thing about pound cake is that it is relatively easy to make, which is perfect for someone like me that is not the best baker in the world. The ingredients are all pretty basic and things you usually have around the house anyway so you can even put one together on relatively short notice to have a nice dessert or snack for surprise guests or for something to bring to someone’s home or party. While I was looking through the latest King Artur Flour catalog, I came across this recipe for their traditional pound cake and thought it would be a very good time to give the new oven a try and check it out.

Traditional Original Pound Cake

1 cup (16 tablespoons, 8 ounces) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon brandy, sherry, rum or other liqueur or extract of your choice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 to 12-cup bundt pan.In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is very light. Beat in the sugar gradually and then add the eggs, one at a time, until they are blended in. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat the mixture until it is very light and fluffy.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is very light. Beat in the sugar gradually and then add the eggs, one at a time, until they are blended in. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat the mixture until it is very light and fluffy.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

In another small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla extract, and alcohol or extract of your choice, if using.

Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, starting the process with the flour mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Stir the mixture to combine the ingredients after each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes, until it springs back when pressed lightly on the top, and a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.

Remove the cake from the oven and loosen its edges in the pan. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the cake out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve the cake the same day or store the cake, wrapped in plastic or wrapped well in plastic if you intend to freeze it for longer storage.

The cake goes perfectly with ice cream, fruit, whipped cream or just by itself (which is the way I like it personally). I enjoy the cake with a nice cup of coffee, and it is perfect after dinner or even as a mid-morning snack. The cake is rich and buttery and has excellent flavor. I had made cakes before where I added flavoring like lemon to it or added alcohol for extra flavor, but the plain version works best for me. Freezing the cake is easy and lets you have a quick dessert for those last-minute guests. You can warm it up quickly in just a few minutes in a 250-degree oven until it is just hot, about 8 to 12 minutes, and it will be perfect. It is always one of my favorite, go-to cakes and this one is pretty tried and faithful to go with for any time.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on January 31, 2017 in Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Snacks, Uncategorized

Tags: King Arthur Flour, King Arthur Flour original pound cake, pound cake, pound cake recipe, traditional original pound cake, traditional pound cake

Christmas Morning – Recipes from NYT Cooking

23 Dec

When you work through the frenzy that can often go along with Christmas morning, there is nothing better than sitting down as a family and having a nice, fun breakfast to start out the day. New York Times Cooking has put together some great Christmas breakfast ideas so you can have as little or as much as you want after you finish opening up those presents. Check it out!

Source: Christmas Morning – Recipes from NYT Cooking

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Posted by MikeG on December 23, 2016 in Biscuits, Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Eggs, Fruit, Holidays

Tags: breakfast recipes, Christmas breakfast recipes, Christmas morning recipes, ideas for breakfast on Christmas, New York Times Cooking Christmas breakfast recipes, NYT Cooking

Lo and Behold, a Lovely Dessert – Lemon Drizzle Cake

24 Oct

Trying to find something to make for desserts is not always an easy thing, especially during the week when you may not have a lot of time to put something together. However, my philosophy is that anything you make at home, no matter how small, is going to be worth the effort and taste good. Unfortunately we are not lucky enough to a local bakery around here, leaving the only real choices for dessert to the supermarket bakery and whatever is on the shelf in the frozen food aisle, so that leaves making something yourself when you want to satisfy a sweet tooth. For me, I have always liked just a plain piece of pound cake. Pound cake makes a nice, easy dessert that goes well with a cup of coffee or tea, a little iced cream, some fresh fruit or even just by itself. When I saw this recipe from Melissa Clark of New York Times Cooking for a lemon drizzle cake, it seemed like the perfect combination of an easy dessert to make with a nice cake with some awesome lemon zing to it.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened, more for greasing pan

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 1/2 lemons

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

¼ milk

Heat the oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center. Grease a 9-by-12-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and half of the sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until they are incorporated, then beat in the milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary (the mixture will look curdled, and that’s O.K.). Mix in the flour mixture until the ingredients are combined, then scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top of the batter.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then use the paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan; transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and carefully remove the paper.

While the cake bakes, in a small bowl mix together the remaining half of the sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and enough lemon juice to make a runny mixture. While the cake is still warm, spoon the sugar mixture evenly over the top. The cake has to be cooled slightly to prevent the topping from melting, but warm enough so that it soaks into the cake, leaving a crunchy sugar coat on top. Let the cake cool, then cut it into squares.

As long as you have a few lemons on hand, the rest of the ingredients are things you likely have around the kitchen so that you could put this one together during the week if you like. The cake itself is much like a typical pound cake, but once you add the lemon topping to it and it glazes over the cake is bursting with flavor. If you like lemon, this one is for you. The cake ends up with a nice crunch once the glaze sets and cools, making each piece of the cake a lemony treat. I have loved having it with a cup of coffee for dessert or even a little piece for breakfast in the morning. This makes a pretty large cake in a 9 x 13 pan (I don’t have a 9 x 12 pan and have never seen one myself, but 9 x 13 worked just fine for me) so it is great for parties or to bring over to someone’s house for a potluck or you could even try freezing some of it and use it for different occasions. It’s definitely one worth remembering.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 24, 2016 in Cakes

Tags: lemon drizzle cake, lemon drizzle pound cake, lemon pound cake, New York Times Cooking lemon drizzle cake, pound cake, pound cake recipe

The 101 Recipes You Need to Know How to Cook | Bon Appetit

15 Oct

Every home cook has some basic recipes that they turn to all of the time for weeknight meals, special Sunday suppers or dinner parties. There are some classics and basic recipes that you learn along the way that you can always rely on when you want to turn out a great meal. Bon Appetit has put together 101 of the basic classic recipes, with everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between so that you can have recipes to fall back on, learn and use when you want them. Check it out!

Source: The 101 Recipes You Need to Know How to Cook | Bon Appetit

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Posted by MikeG on October 15, 2016 in Appetizers, Beans, Beef, Beverages, Biscuits, Breads, Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Picnic Fare, Pie, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Sauce, Sausage, Seafood, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups & Stews, Vegetables

Tags: 101 basic recipes, 101 recipes you need to know how to cook, basic recipes you need to know, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 101 recipes you need to know

Decadent, Delightful and Delicious – White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

10 Jul

I am not much of a baker myself but I do like to try to make things every now and then beyond the pies that I make. That being said, there are people I know that are much better at baking and do things a lot more extravagant than I can do. It has to be a recipe that really interests me for me to want to venture over to the baking side and make things, but it does happen now and then. That is what happened when I saw this recipe from Williams-Sonoma for white chocolate raspberry cupcakes with a raspberry butter cream. They just looked too good not to try to when I looked over the recipe it looked like something that I could actually make a pretty good go of without trouble. I actually combined this recipe with a recipe I saw for raspberry buttercream because I wanted to have a more predominant color to the frosting.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

For the cupcakes:

2 cups (10 oz./315 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (8 oz./250 g) granulated sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) milk, at room temperature

2 oz. (60 g) white chocolate, chopped and melted

1 container (6 oz./185 g) fresh raspberries

For the raspberry buttercream:

1 cup fresh raspberries

½ cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

Chunk of white chocolate, for shaving (optional)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

To make the cupcakes, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat until they are blended, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the milk in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat the mixture just until it is combined. Stir in the white chocolate just until it is blended, then gently fold in the raspberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly among the cups.

Bake the cupcakes until they are puffed and light golden and the center springs back slightly when touched, about 25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.

To make the raspberry buttercream, add the raspberries to a food processor. Pulse the raspberries until they become a thick sauce. Push the raspberry puree through a sieve to extract the juice and get rid of the seeds. Set the raspberry sauce aside.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high for about 2-3 minutes to get a creamy fluffy texture. Add in the powdered sugar and raspberry sauce on low-speed until they are combined. If the frosting is too runny add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick add some milk.

Spoon the buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Shave curls from the chunk of white chocolate and sprinkle over the cupcakes if desired or top with a fresh raspberry, if desired.

The cupcakes can be stored on the counter at room temperature for a day or two and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I admit it was a bit of work to get the raspberry sauce through a sieve to get all of the seeds out but the hard work is well worth it to give you a smooth raspberry sauce for the frosting. These cupcakes are very tasty, with the raspberry and white chocolate shining through. If you prefer to have cupcakes without a whole raspberry inside, you could certainly take the whole raspberries and make a sauce from them and then pipe it into the center of the cupcakes so you get the raspberry flavor without the whole raspberry in there, but I liked it with the raspberry inside. I think they came out well and tasted better being in the refrigerator where the buttercream firmed up and had a great texture. This makes a great summer dessert as an alternative to making a cake or pie.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 10, 2016 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Fruit, Picnic Fare, Snacks, Uncategorized

Tags: cupcake recipe, cupcakes, raspberry butter cream frosting, raspberry buttercream, white chocolate raspberry cupcakes, White Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes with raspberry buttercream, williams-sonoma, Williams-Sonoma white chocolate raspberry cupcakes

It Was a Dark and Stormy Banana Bread

24 Jun

I really like banana bread. It not only can make a great dessert item with a little bit of ice cream (go for Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey for the complete banana experience, or make your own homemade banana ice cream), but it also is perfect for a brunch buffet or even just for breakfast on its own. I have tried a few different banana bread recipes and have never been disappointed in any that I have made, so when I saw this one from Joy the Baker I knew it had to be a hit. How could you go wrong by combining two great things – banana bread and a Dark and Stormy? If you have never had a Dark and Stormy, I was introduced to them long ago on a cruise to Bermuda and it’s a great combination of dark rum and ginger beer. this recipe incorporates the concept, though it leaves out the ginger beer and uses ginger instead.

Dark and Stormy Banana Bread

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup lightly packed muscovado brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in an 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Melt the butter until the crackling subsides and the butter begins to brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk until the butter and sugar are thoroughly combined. The mixture may seem broken as the butter won’t completely absorb into the sugar just yet. Allow the mixture to stand and cool for about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. The mixture will begin to emulsify, be glossy and no longer greasy. Whisk in the vanilla and the dark rum. Add the mashed bananas, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger and stir to combine.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir the mixture carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and spread the batter evenly across the skillet.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 18-25 minutes until mixture is dry on the top, but still slightly soft in the center. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow the banana bread to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the banana bread with powdered sugar if you’d like and enjoy it warm.

There are a few great things about this recipe. Naturally, the first one is in the flavor. It is awesome banana bread, nice and moist with good banana flavor and the dark rum and ginger really shine through here. Second, this bread is the epitome of easy make and clean up since you do everything in one skillet start to finish. It’s a great use of your cast iron skillet and the bread comes out perfectly in color and has some nice texture to it and there’s no extra bowls to have to clean. Add some ice cream or homemade whipped cream to this and you have something great.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another great recipe to try. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 24, 2016 in Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Fruit, Uncategorized

Tags: banana bread, banana bread recipes, dark and stormy, dark and stormy banana bread, Joy the Baker

48 Memorial Day Dessert Ideas – Bon Appétit

21 May

What makes a great barbecue besides family, fun and food on the grill? An awesome dessert of course. There are all kinds of great dessert options you can try that go beyond the standard fruit salad or store-bought pie. Bon Appetit has 48 Memorial Day desserts for you to try, but these desserts are great for any summer get-together. Check it out and give them a try!

Source: 48 Memorial Day Dessert Ideas – Bon Appétit