Reason # 128 to bake: being snowed in.
Just kidding. Not about the being snowed in part though. New Jersey did indeed get more than 20 inches of snow this past weekend. And public works employees, aka snow plowers, decided that they wouldn't clear the roads...apparently they were protesting budget cuts?
But anyways, ME need a reason to bake? Yeah right.
...okay fine, MAYBE my mom kept pushing me to find a recipe that uses bananas since the ones in the pantry were getting very ripe...but I was totally going to bake something regardless!
We literally had two bananas left and all of my recipes using bananas called for three bananas...which obviously didn't work because even if I halved the recipe, I would be left with half a ripe banana. What am I gonna do with half of a ripe banana?
So, I got on the computer and started looking through Tasty Kitchen for banana recipes that called for four bananas, that way I could half the recipe and use both bananas. Within a few minutes, I stumbled upon chunky monkey banana muffins. I think a big part of me just wanted to make these muffins because of their name. Chunky monkey. *hehe*
I don't really understand why they're called chunky monkey. I mean, I know monkeys love bananas. But chunky? I guess because there's a CHUNK of ingredients? Or maybe a chunkful of a certain ingredient...like um, the whole tablespoon of cinnamon? Yeah, definitely not putting that much next time. And yes, there will be a next time because my brother and dad loved the muffins and are demanding that I make them again. In fact, my dad bought a new bunch of bananas and is counting the seconds until they get ripe. As for me, I think I'm going to stick to banana cupcakes. Who knows though, maybe if I decrease the cinnamon, I'll end up loving the muffins as much as they did. After all, cooking is all about trial and error...and improvement.
Just kidding. Not about the being snowed in part though. New Jersey did indeed get more than 20 inches of snow this past weekend. And public works employees, aka snow plowers, decided that they wouldn't clear the roads...apparently they were protesting budget cuts?
But anyways, ME need a reason to bake? Yeah right.
...okay fine, MAYBE my mom kept pushing me to find a recipe that uses bananas since the ones in the pantry were getting very ripe...but I was totally going to bake something regardless!
We literally had two bananas left and all of my recipes using bananas called for three bananas...which obviously didn't work because even if I halved the recipe, I would be left with half a ripe banana. What am I gonna do with half of a ripe banana?
So, I got on the computer and started looking through Tasty Kitchen for banana recipes that called for four bananas, that way I could half the recipe and use both bananas. Within a few minutes, I stumbled upon chunky monkey banana muffins. I think a big part of me just wanted to make these muffins because of their name. Chunky monkey. *hehe*
I don't really understand why they're called chunky monkey. I mean, I know monkeys love bananas. But chunky? I guess because there's a CHUNK of ingredients? Or maybe a chunkful of a certain ingredient...like um, the whole tablespoon of cinnamon? Yeah, definitely not putting that much next time. And yes, there will be a next time because my brother and dad loved the muffins and are demanding that I make them again. In fact, my dad bought a new bunch of bananas and is counting the seconds until they get ripe. As for me, I think I'm going to stick to banana cupcakes. Who knows though, maybe if I decrease the cinnamon, I'll end up loving the muffins as much as they did. After all, cooking is all about trial and error...and improvement.
Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins
adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 whole bananas, mashed
¾ cups buttermilk
1 cup margarine, melted (I used olive oil)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup coconut sweetened, shredded
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Cream together sugar and wet ingredients (eggs through margarine on the above list). Mix in dry ingredients.
Fold in coconut and chocolate chips.
Place 2 scoops/spoons of batter into lined muffin tins.
Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.
Makes 24 muffins
Part Two.
Remember how I told you guys that chocolate and peanut butter is the most heavenly combination in the history of any kind of combination ever in the history of the universe? Well, guess what the second most heavenly combination is?
Chocolate and bananas.
When I was younger, my dad used to always buy us the Entenmann's banana cake. You know, the one that had that luscious layer of banana frosting and another layer of chocolate frosting drizzled fancily on top.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Somewhere along the line, I guess Entenmann's decided to discontinue that cake, I don't know why. Entenmann, whoever he is, was clearly on some drugs when he made that decision. But so be it.
The point is, I saw a recipe on the Duncan Hines' website for a chocolate banana cake. And it immediately brought back memories...so you can guess what happened after that.
Instead of a banana cake with a banana/chocolate frosting, this recipe called for a devil's food cake with a banana pudding topping. So, needless to say, it didn't match up to the taste of my now extinct favorite childhood dessert. It did, however, satisfy my banana/chocolate craving. The banana and chocolate complemented the sweetness of each other, making this cake lip-smackingly delicious.
adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Ingredients:1 cup white sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 whole bananas, mashed
¾ cups buttermilk
1 cup margarine, melted (I used olive oil)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup coconut sweetened, shredded
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Cream together sugar and wet ingredients (eggs through margarine on the above list). Mix in dry ingredients.
Fold in coconut and chocolate chips.
Place 2 scoops/spoons of batter into lined muffin tins.
Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.
Makes 24 muffins
Part Two.
Remember how I told you guys that chocolate and peanut butter is the most heavenly combination in the history of any kind of combination ever in the history of the universe? Well, guess what the second most heavenly combination is?
Chocolate and bananas.
When I was younger, my dad used to always buy us the Entenmann's banana cake. You know, the one that had that luscious layer of banana frosting and another layer of chocolate frosting drizzled fancily on top.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Somewhere along the line, I guess Entenmann's decided to discontinue that cake, I don't know why. Entenmann, whoever he is, was clearly on some drugs when he made that decision. But so be it.
The point is, I saw a recipe on the Duncan Hines' website for a chocolate banana cake. And it immediately brought back memories...so you can guess what happened after that.
Instead of a banana cake with a banana/chocolate frosting, this recipe called for a devil's food cake with a banana pudding topping. So, needless to say, it didn't match up to the taste of my now extinct favorite childhood dessert. It did, however, satisfy my banana/chocolate craving. The banana and chocolate complemented the sweetness of each other, making this cake lip-smackingly delicious.
Ingredients:
1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
(WOW. I literally JUST realized this very second that I didn't even follow the recipe. In midst of the million things I had to do today and the little time I was allotted to prepare this cake for the lunch potluck I was attending, I prepared the cake mix using the recipe from the back of the box. What a fail...well, not a complete fail. Everyone enjoyed the cake, so...I guess my fail was a win at the same time. )
Topping:
1 (3.4 oz) pkg banana cream instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 medium banana (I omitted this)
lemon juice
sprinkle of cocoa powder for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch pan.
For cake, combine cake mix, eggs, milk and oil in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
Bake at 350 ºF for 35 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For topping, combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl. Stir until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread on top of cooled cake. Slice banana; dip in lemon juice, arrange on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
(WOW. I literally JUST realized this very second that I didn't even follow the recipe. In midst of the million things I had to do today and the little time I was allotted to prepare this cake for the lunch potluck I was attending, I prepared the cake mix using the recipe from the back of the box. What a fail...well, not a complete fail. Everyone enjoyed the cake, so...I guess my fail was a win at the same time. )
Topping:
1 (3.4 oz) pkg banana cream instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 medium banana (I omitted this)
lemon juice
sprinkle of cocoa powder for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch pan.
For cake, combine cake mix, eggs, milk and oil in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
Bake at 350 ºF for 35 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For topping, combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl. Stir until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread on top of cooled cake. Slice banana; dip in lemon juice, arrange on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
1 comments:
this cake was divine ! i'm not even super fond of banana's but it was really good & your cake was super moist!
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