Cinnamon Chip Banana Coffee Cake

This baby got gobbled up the very night I made it.  It didn’t even get a chance to come to room temperature before the kiddos and several of their friends came running to the kitchen to see if it was done.  I did manage to save a piece to photograph the next day so you could see its lovely inside.  I barely managed. I had to boxed it up, tape a note to the top, and hide it. :)

I have Monica to thank for emailing  me the recipe along with a request that I make it and send her some.  At my house in order to get a piece of anything you have to be there when it’s being served or run the risk of losing out.  Sorry, Monica.  The piece I saved was eaten with breakfast by Devon who called “dibs” on it the night before.

Cinnamon Chip Banana Coffee Cake, adapted from Lovin’ From the Oven

• 1 cup cinnamon (or butterscotch or chocolate) chips
• 2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, I left out as I used cinnamon chips

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• about 4 mashed bananas, I used 3 but would have used a 4th if I had it.
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside.
3. Mix the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in a separate bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk.
5. Add dry ingredients and blend well.
6. Spread half of batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.
7. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

Printable Recipe

Devon topped his warm cake with vanilla ice cream.  I like how he thinks. :) 

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Thanks for all your kind words on my new “look” and a special thank you to Monica who made my new header!

Does this look like your cake?

I made this cake one afternoon and was very surprised at how lovely it was.  It was  light, fluffy, and delicately moist but here’s my dilemma I don't know who to give credit for it.  I know I didn't find it on one of my regular haunts and I've lost my print out of the recipe.  I want to say that the words sour cream were in the name but when I googled sour cream coffee cake a gazillion links pop up.  I can’t remember if the recipe called for cinnamon sugar to be sprinkled on top or if that was my own addition and I know I cut back on the chocolate chips.  I baked mine in 3 mini loaf pans and 1 small ramekin.

Please, if this looks or sounds like your cake by all means speak up.  I think it has tremendous potential and would like to make it again with a few tweaks. Instead of chocolate chips ( I cut back on those the first time) I'd love to add in some cinnamon ones and toasted nuts are always a wonderful addition. By the way you should know that your recipe doesn't specify when to add the butter.  Luckily I saw it on the counter just before I poured the batter into my pans.  I admit my first thought was uh,oh, I goofed but no, I read and re-read the recipe, you left it out. I went ahead and added it in, fortunately it was very soft and mixed in fine. So, please, if you recognize this cake let know and can I have the recipe? (Abby, I need to try the coffee cake you raved about!)

Note:  I made this almost two months ago so this photos are quite as nice as my more recent ones.  I’d like to think I’m improving! :) 

Here’s a little of the first “B”, baseball!  My brother Joseph (in the white shirt) took most of these photos of the Twins.  Devon is #4 and Jalen is #13.  The other man in the photos is Papi, my father.

Technorati Tags: cinnamon,chocolate chips,coffee cake,sour cream

Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake

Here it is short and sweet...if you like cranberries and enjoy coffee cakes that are not too sweet than this one is for you! 

I made this on Friday night when Jalen had two of his buddies over to hang out and play Wii.  It wouldn't have been my first choice as a dessert for the kids but I had cranberries that either needed to be used or thrown out and I remembered enjoying the photos of this cake on the blog Lottie & Doof.  I wasn't certain how well it would go over but I shouldn't have worried each of the four kids had TWO pieces.  Yeah, it was good!

Out of necessity I made a few changes to the recipe.  I highlighted 'em in red for ya!

Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake (adapted from the December issue of Gourmet)

Make sure you read the directions carefully, the vanilla sugar you make ends up getting divided between the cake, filling and topping.

• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (6 oz)
• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (I used kosher sea salt)
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Generously butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan (I used a square 8x2 in pan). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment (I lined the pan with nonstick aluminum foil leaving an overhang as "handles" and then sprayed the foil with Baker's Joy).

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a food processor with tip of a paring knife (reserve pod for another use if desired). Add sugar and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl.  (This is where I really strayed from the recipe.  I didn't have any vanilla beans so I had to improvise.  I put the sugar in a medium bowl and added 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste.  I mixed it well with a fork.  I then added another 3/4 tsp.  You could probably add the whole thing at once but I was trying to follow the recipe as best as I could.  After adding the first 3/4 tsp I realized that the sugar need more vanilla to make it vanilla sugar.  I probably could have done this in the food processor.)

Pulse cranberries with 1/2 cup vanilla sugar in processor until finely chopped (do not purée), set aside. (The cranberries become very juicy as they macerate.  Use a slotted spoon if you're concerned about the amount of juice.)

Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together 1 stick butter and 1 cup vanilla sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down side and bottom of bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined. Spread half of batter (it will be thick) in pan, then spoon cranberries over it, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Top with remaining batter and smooth top (I added the top batter in five blobs and then spread them out until they met.) Blend remaining 1/4 cup vanilla sugar with remaining Tbsp each of butter and flour using your fingertips. Crumble over top of cake. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into cake (not into cranberry filling) comes out clean and side begins to pull away from pan, 45 to 50 minutes (I baked mine for 34 min).

Cool in pan 30 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely, crumb side up. (I don't know how you nicely get the cake out unless you do like I did and lined it with foil to lift it out.) Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Btw, I used my new Lowel EGO light!  I need to get the hang of it but I hope in no time you'll see a marked improvement to my photos!

 

LiveJournal Tags: cranberry,vanilla,coffeecake