What to do with leftover bananas? Usually, I make banana bread, but I wanted something different. When I ordered groceries, I thought I ordered 2 bananas not knowing the grocery chain changed the quantity from 2 single bananas to 2 large bunches. Holy moly! I tried this recipe and enjoyed the donut holes. Two of my 5 grandchildren loved them…the other three did not. This would be such an easy recipe for young bakers to try.
Baked Banana Donut Holes (3 Ingredients)
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups Self-Rising Flour (Note 1)
¼ cup Light Olive Oil (Note 2)
1 ⅓ cups Mashed Banana (Note 3)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil generously two 12-hole mini muffin pans with cooking oil.
In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas, pack them in a measuring cup to get the exact amount. If you mash too much banana, freeze it, and use it in a smoothie later.
Add olive oil and self-rising flour, and use a rubber spatula to stir and form a sticky banana muffin batter.
Use a small cookie dough scoop to fill each muffin hole up to 3/4 their level.
Bake the donut holes for 20-22 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
In a small bowl, prepare the cinnamon sugar: stir sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Flip the pan upside down on a cooling rack and let them cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, place the olive oil in a oil spray bottle, (or use a pastry brush).
Spray oil all over the mini muffin, or use a pastry brush to lightly brush each mini muffin and immediately roll it into the cinnamon sugar.
They will look like mini banana muffins coated with cinnamon sugar but taste like donut holes.
Note 1: You can replace the self-rising flour with 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour + 3 teaspoons of baking powder. The recipe hasn’t been tested with all-purpose gluten-free flour, I can’t guarantee it delivers a great taste/texture. The recipe won’t work with almond flour or oat flour.
Note 2: Any low-flavor oil works, like canola oil or refined coconut oil.
Note 3: Make sure you use ripe bananas with black spots on their skin for the best sweetness.
The holidays are a fun time to experiment with new recipes. This eggnog bread sounded interesting and I had a Guava Rum on hand to use in the recipe. It was quite delicious and if you want to take it to the next level, serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
Eggnog Bread with Rum Glaze
Ingredients:
Bread Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups full-fat eggnog
2 teaspoons spiced rum
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted butter softened
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3.4 oz. box instant French vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar sifted
2 teaspoon full-fat eggnog
2 tablespoon spiced rum
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your 9 x 5 inch bread pan or mini loaf pans with baking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggs, eggnog, spiced rum, granulated sugar, vanilla extract. and softened butter and beat until combined.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, French vanilla pudding mix, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon and whisk until combined.
Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer on low speed and mix just until combined.
Pour batter into the prepared bread pan and bake for 45-55 minutes for mini loafs or 65-70 minutes for a 9×5 loaf, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Allow bread to cool.
Rum Glaze Directions:
Whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth.
This cake is so delicious. The cake texture and taste is out of this world, not to mention the delicious peaches and blueberries! I can imagine this cake with raspberries and peaches or any other fruit combination. It’s a delicious as a coffee cake or as a dessert. Add some iced cream or whipped cream and you are in heaven!
Peach and Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 oz butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup Greek yogurt low-fat
2 peaches sliced into wedges
6 oz blueberries
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Use 9×3-inch springform pan.
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Grease the side and the bottom of the pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of a 9×3-inch springform pan (or 9 inch round cake pan) with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper too.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, together into a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar, and 2 eggs until very light in color and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on high speed. Add vanilla and Greek yogurt and continue beating until very creamy and light in color, for about 1 more minute.
Keeping the mixer speed low, mix in the flour mix until combined. Do not overmix.
Transfer the cake batter to the springform pan. Top with sliced peaches, and scatter blueberries evenly on top in the spaces between the peach slices. Sprinkle the fruit with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.
Bake until cake turns golden, and the tester comes out clean in the center, about 1 hour, depending on your oven. Midway through baking, I like to put some extra peach slices and extra blueberries on top of the cake for prettiness, and return cake to baking.
When the cake is done baking, let it cool (still in the baking pan) on a wire rack. After cake has cooled for about 40 minutes, release the cake from the springform pan. At this point, if the cake is cool enough, you can slide your hand under the cake, between the parchment paper and the bottom portion of the springform pan and move the cake with the parchment paper attached to its bottom onto a cake plate easily.
If using a 9 inch round cake pan, cook in pan for about 40 minutes or more (up to 1 hour, depending on your oven), then invert onto a plate.
Oh glorious peaches! I look forward to peach season each year, and love to try new recipes. The Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake does not disappoint, although I would tweak a few things next time. The crumb topping is so good, you want a piece in each bite, with peaches. Next time I would bake the cake in a rectangle shallow pan, similar to brownie thickness and perhaps add a few more peaches with a splash of lemon juice or lemon zest (or both). I made extra glaze and it was delicious drizzled on the cut piece of cake.
Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup sliced peaches
Crumb Topping
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
6 Tablespoons softened butter
Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
Beat 1/4 cup milk, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, ¼ cup butter, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
Fold in peaches.
Spoon batter into a 10 inch springform pan and sprinkle with crumble topping (see below).
Crumble Topping: Combine 1 cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup flour in a bowl. Cut in 6 Tablespoons softened butter until mixture is crumbly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown.
Combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over baked, cooled coffee cake.
Every year I purchase a box of Palisade (Colorado) peaches from one of the local high schools. They are always big, beautiful and delicious. Peach Streusal Muffins sounded delicious and they were. I opted to skip the icing and the family didn’t mind at all.
Peach Streusal Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
CRUMB TOPPING
1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour
MUFFINS
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream (or milk for a thinner consistency)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour and use a fork to gently mix until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix into a paste. Just mix until it is crumbly. Set aside.
Make the muffins: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and mostly creamy. (It’s ok if it appears somewhat curdled.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until no flour pockets remain. Fold in the chopped peaches.
Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each all the way to the top. Spoon crumb topping on each, gently pressing it down so it sticks.
Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F; then, without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–24 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. When warm, the muffins are quite fragile because of the wet peaches. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before unwrapping and eating.
Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and drizzle over warm or cooled muffins.
Iced or plain muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
What a delicious little cake this is! I used my Vitamix and it took a while to get everything blended. I didn’t have enough maple syrup, so I used a Agave to get to 3/4 cup. You would never know! This is the first time I have used olive oil in baking and it worked beautifully. A tasty cake for family or, frankly, it would be great to have with a friend over coffee or tea.
Healthy Whole Orange Blender Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole Navel orange (organic)
3 eggs
2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 orange, zested then juiced
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350℉ Line an 8 inch round pan with parchment paper or grease it.
Rinse and dry your orange. Remove any exterior stems and then quarter it. Remove any seeds. You are using the WHOLE ORANGE here – peel and all.
Add the ingredients to your blender or food processor in the order listed above. Blend till smooth and then pour the batter into your pan. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until top of cake is golden. Remove from oven and allow to set in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.
optional icing:
Whisk together the ingredients till smooth. Drizzle on cake when fully cooled.
This Bacardi Chocolate Rum Cake recipe card has been in my collection since the mid-70s when I lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. This recipe along with the traditional Rum Cake are so delicious. Last Christmas, Megan made the cake for family gatherings, carrying on the tradition. Her cake was as delicious as it looks.
Chocolate Rum Cake
INGREDIENTS:
18 1/2 oz. chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (4 serving sice) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
4 eggs
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Filling:
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)
1 pkg. (4 serving size) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 envelope Dream Whip Whipped Topping Mix
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 9″ layer cake pans.
Combine all cake ingredients together in a small bowl. Blend well, then beat at medium mixer speed for 2 minutes. Turn into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Do not underbake. Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Remove from pans, finish cooling on racks.
Split layers in half horizontally. Stack.
For filling: Combine milk, rum, pudding mix and topping mix in deep narrow-botton bowl. Blend well at high speed for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Makes 4 cups.
Spread 1 cup filling between each layer and over top of cake.
Cherry Bublanina is a delightfully light sponge cake with fruit. I used cherries, my favorite but other fruit can be used. This was my first time making this Czech delicacy. It was easy and the results were delicious.
Cherry Bublanina
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups milk
5 eggs, separated
12 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. yogurt or sour cream
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
lemon zest (I used 1/2 of 1 lemon)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cherries (I used sour cherries)
Powdered sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×11″ pan.
Toss the fruit with a spoonful of flour and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.
Melt the butter, mix in vanilla, yogurt or sour cream and egg yolks until smooth batter forms.
Whip the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter.
Pour the batter into a baking dish and cover evenly with cherries. Be gentle so you do not deflate the cake too much.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.
Cool, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar.
Daughter Megan did it again with this light, delicious no-bake cheesecake with homemade lemon curd and fresh strawberries. We had family in town for a visit and this dessert was a big hit with everyone. I’ll admit I do not care for traditional cheesecake since it so heavy, but not this version. And who makes their own lemon curd? Yes indeed, Megan does. Perhaps she needs to pursue her dream of a bake shop!
Perfect No-Bake Cheesecake with Lemon Curd
INGREDIENTS:
Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups (240g) graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Cheesecake
three 8-ounce blocks (680g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Make the crust: Stir the graham cracker crust ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan or 10-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides. You can watch me do this in the video above. Freeze for 10–20 minutes as you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2–3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6–8 hours and up to 2 days. For best results, 12 hours is best. I chill mine overnight. The longer refrigerated, the nicer the no-bake cheesecake will set up.
Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.
Serve cheesecake with desired toppings. Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Homemade Lemon Curd
INGREDIENTS:
4 large egg yolks(for thicker lemon curd, see Note on eggs)
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
DIRECTIONS:
Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1–2 inches of water. (Or use the DIY double boiler method listed in the notes.) Place on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.
Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into the top pot of your double boiler. Using a silicone whisk, whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
Remove pan from heat. Whisk the sliced butter into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd as you whisk. Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed.
Rhubarb dishes bring back wonderful memories of my Mother’s baking and cooking. My first harvest of rhubarb inspired me to try new recipes. This breakfast cake is delicious and could easily be made with other fruit as well. After eating the cake, my daughter and I agreed that you could make and skip the fruit..it’s that good!
Rhubarb Breakfast Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup half and half, cream, or buttermilk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tsp for sprinkling
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour, saving out 1 Tbsp to toss with rhubarb
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
DIRECTIONS:
Set oven to 350F Lightly butter a 9×9 square baking pan. I like to line the pan with parchment paper with overhanging ends so I can easily lift out the cooled cake for cutting. That’s optional.
Stir the lemon juice into the half and half and set aside.
Cream the soft butter and sugar in a stand mixer, or with electric beaters, until fluffy and pale yellow. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Take 1 Tbsp of the flour to the rhubarb and toss well.
Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and blend in. Add all of the half and half, and blend in. Finally add the rest of the flour and blend just until combined, don’t over mix. Fold in the rhubarb. Note: the batter is on the thick side.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top evenly with a little sugar. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is turning golden and a toothpick in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it (moist crumbs are fine.)
Fork Lore 