Brittany's PantryBanana Snack Cake With Honey Cinnamon Glaze
Brittany wrote this on 28 January 2012
bananas, honey, sour cream
Isn’t snack cake a most wonderful name for a food? It implies that it is a sweet, moist cake that you can, well, snack on. Meaning, eat whenever you like as a snack! I mean, really! That is like the best thing ever! And this recipe is much like all other snack cakes. Simple and good. Quick to throw together as an afternoon treat or hasty dessert.
I am really not partial to any particular snack cake. Chocolate, chocolate chip, applesauce, lemon-all are good! And I am currently immersed in the process of making a master list of them to have at my disposal. This one is a bit more dense, like a banana bread, and perfect to soak up all the glaze. Simply scrumptious.
One Year Ago: Vegetable Couscous
Banana Snack Cake W/Honey Cinnamon Glaze
Cake recipe adapted from Americas Test Kitchen, Glaze is a Brittany Original
This recipe is just fine without the glaze but it is REALLY GOOD with the glaze. Just don’t eat it all before pouring on the cake. Its kind of addictive.
In the bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand mixer, combine:
1 stick of softened butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 large, very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk
1/4 c sour cream or plain yogurt
When that is fully incorporated, add:
2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
Mix just until combined. Pour into a well greased 9X9 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes in the pan. If desired, remove cake to a cooling rack before glazing.
Glaze:
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T water
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Pour evenly over cooled cake.
Ok. So here it is. The ooey gooey chocolate dessert I told you I would post.
I need to mention right off that this was kind of hard to photograph. How do you take a picture of something that is part cake, part pudding, part brownie, and all decadence? Because that is what this is like. If you have never made pudding cake before, let me explain. Its um…well…its kinda weird. I don’t really know how it ever turns out, just that it does. Most pudding cake recipes, regardless of what kind (I have a lemon recipe that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!), all seem to have a kind of heavy cake mixture on the bottom, then a dry sugary layer, and then-yes I know this is odd-you pour hot liquid over the top and don’t stir it in. Somehow (I think) the liquid seeps through the whole she-bang and mixes with everything. It is magic I tell you! Then voila! You take it out of the oven and you have this dense, cakey top with perfect pudding on the bottom. Whoever figued out how to do this on purpose, as I am guessing the first time was an accident, I am forever in their debt. I mean seriously! Does this not look like happiness on a spoon?!
I thought so. I am only sad that it is now all gone and that I don’t have anymore to eat while I post this. Because looking at these pictures is making me drool on the keyboard.
So on to the recipe. I got this recipe from my Mother-In-Law and I think it was in a Hershey cookbook of hers. I am telling you, this woman likes chocolate more than anyone I know, and this gets made in her house A LOT! And for good reason too! It is warm, chocolatey, not very complicated at all, and just so darn yummy. So please just trust me! It is weird going into the oven, but soooo wonderful when it is done!
One Year Ago: Crispy Bars
Chocolate Pudding Cake
In a medium bowl, mix together:
3/4 c sugar
1 c flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
After it is mixed well, stir in:
1/2 c milk
1/3 c melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Mix until smooth and pour into an ungreased 9X9 pan, preferably glass.
In a small bowl, mix:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
Dump dry mixture over the top and spread evenly. DO NOT STIR!
Lastly, pour 1 1/4 c very hot tap water over the whole thing. Again, DO NOT STIR!
Slide it carefully into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before scooping out portions and devouring. This is very rich so a little goes a long way. Also, I don’t bother serving this unless I have freshly whipped cream to go with it! Enjoy!
So here I am sitting at the computer, ready to fill this blank page with what I hope you all see as witty and inspiring words to encourage all of you to get in your kitchens and cook. Well…maybe not witty, but hopefully inspiring…
Yup! My kids are occupied watching a movie-The Emperor’s New Groove, in case you were wondering-dinner is done and I have some uninterrupted time to post this blog. But other than the few preceding lines, I have been staring at this blank page for quite awhile. And for a really stupid reason too. I can’t decide which recipe I want to blog about: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps or Chocolate Pudding Cake. Both are outrageously good but for different reasons. Both have been made in my home countless times and make us all drool with anticipation. Again, for different reasons. It is this same kind of ridiculous indecision that plagues me when ordering food or picking out just one flavor of ice cream at a diner. Too many choices! So I did what anyone would do. Eeny meeny miny mo.
As you may have deduced from the picture above, Lettuce Wraps it is!! But don’t worry! Totally indulgent chocolate dessert will be next.
To be honest, lettuce wraps were a concept I had to get used to. Why wrap your meal in lettuce when you could wrap it in carb loaded bread or tortillas?! No contest! But for reasons I am still unsure of, I saw this recipe years ago in Everyday Food and felt like giving it a go. And lettuce wraps have been in my repertoire ever since! This dish is super fast to throw together and so scrumptious you won’t believe it. The fact that it is quite good for you is a major plus, but it is so tasty you won’t even care. I have streamlined it a bit from the original recipe to make it less expensive and a little easier, but the fantastic flavor is still there. So give these beauties a try. It is an easy dinner decision to make. As for dessert, you are on you own.
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
2 T soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce (an Asian sauce found right next to the soy sauce on the shelf in the super market)
2 tsp sugar
Combine ingredients in a small bowl set aside, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.
In a large sauté pan, drizzle a bit of canola or olive oil over medium heat. Add:
1/4 onion, minced
1 T fresh, peeled ginger, minced fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
Saute for several minutes until onions are soft, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
Add 1 package of ground turkey (93% lean) and brown.
When meat is fully cooked and broken up into small pieces, add the reserved sauce and stir. Let the whole thing heat together and serve!
To build your lettuce wraps:
a small leaf of green leaf lettuce
spoonful of turkey
grated or julienned carrot
squeeze of lime
The squeeze of lime can be optional, but it makes a HUGE difference! I highly recommend it! Enjoy!
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
