Banana, Apple and Cointreau Bundt Cake...

Although it’s been ages since my last post I have still been busy in the kitchen. Life just seemed to get out of hand for a while – it does that sometimes. My sister came to visit in mid-September, which was great. We explored many pubs (perhaps too many pubs), ate oysters in Whitstable, had fancy coffee at Badger Hill Farm and Cidery (then bought a keg of cider), did some gluten-free baking and had a few walks in Shorne Woods Country Park.

After my sister went back to Toronto my husband and I had the bedroom and utility room re-decorated. A 5-day job went on for 2 weeks. This is an old property and there were…..issues….. but all is well now. I can tell you that Nutmeg was getting pretty fed up at being cut off from the bedroom.

I also changed jobs and am so much happier for it, but it has taken some getting used to. I am now able to dedicate much more time to my other passions; Aromatherapy and Reflexology as well as to writing. My children’s picture book is almost finished – so watch this space!

However the down side of all this activity was that I came down with some sort of coughing lurgy that lasted for almost 8 weeks. After several prescriptions that offered no relief it eventually made its way out of my system – but it left me feeling pretty exhausted. Anyway enough rambling – let’s move on to the cake.

Last week a lovely client of mine gave me a big bag of windfall apples. I wanted to do something different so I decided to make up my own recipe for a Bundt cake. A bit daring I know! In any case it was a success and I am now feeling ever so slightly more confident in my baking abilities. O.K I used cake mix – but give me a break at least it’s a start! The bananas and apple chunks give extra moistness while the Cointreau adds a lovely spicy citrus flavour. This is really good with a pot of freshly brewed coffee.

Luna Raye’s Banana, Apple and Cointreau Bundt Cake

(I based this on the Sherry Bundt Cake recipe my cousin gave me)

Ingredients

4 room temperature eggs (you can put them in a bowl of warm water to warm them up if you don’t have time to let them sit out)

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed

2 apples cored, peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks

3/4-cup olive oil

1/2 cup Cointreau

1 package yellow cake mix (I used a Madeira cake mix)

1 package instant vanilla pudding (I still haven’t tried using Angel Delight (see my ‘Best Sherry Cake Ever!‘ post) Fortunately my sister arrived with several packs of my favourite Vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding. Size wise the Jell-O is 102g, which is what you would need for the recipe. Don’t make the pudding up – just add the powder straight to the bowl!

1 Tbsp allspice

½ tsp vanilla essence

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl mash the ripe bananas with a fork

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and Cointreau

Gradually add the cake mix, pudding mix and the allspice (I always use a sifter to avoid lumps)

When the mixture has been well blended (no lumps) add the mashed bananas, vanilla essence and apple chunks

Place the batter in a well-greased tube or Bundt pan (a pan that is round, deep with hole in the middle)

Bake for 45 minutes

Remove from pan immediately

Allow the cake to cool cake for 10 minutes before placing it on large plate or large chopping board covered with aluminium / tin foil or parchment paper

Sprinkle icing sugar over the top and dig in

The cake is just as lovely cold but I always like the treat of having it slightly warm from the oven

Enjoy!

Zucchini: The Magic Ingredient For A Sweet Scrumpt...

Zucchini or courgette is what is known as a summer squash. It has a lighter texture and more delicate flavour then some of the heavier winter squashes. Looking like a greener more rugged cucumber the zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable.

Zucchini The Magic Ingredient

They can be eaten steamed, grilled, baked or fried. They can be stuffed. They can be grated into pasta. They are also wonderful additions to stews and curries. For me one of the tastiest ways to use zucchini is in baking.

This recipe for zucchini bread is one of my tried and true all time favourites. It is moist, not too sweet and goes very well with a hot cup of tea. The addition of walnuts adds a little extra kitchen witch magic! This really is a very simple recipe and kids will love it. It’s a great way to get them to eat some veggies!

If you’ve never tried it – give it a go. You will never see a zucchini in the same way again!

Luna Raye’s Recipe For Magical Scrumptious Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil (I didn’t have enough for this batch and used ¾ canola and ¼ olive oil)

2 cups white sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons all spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts (I have alternated this with ½ cup fresh blueberries in the past)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 165 degrees C (or 325 degrees F)

Grease two 8×4 inch loaf tins

In a large bowl beat the eggs until they are light and frothy

Gradually mix in the oil and sugar

Stir in the grated zucchini and the vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the flour, all spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chopped walnuts (NOTE: if using blueberries instead of walnuts mix them in with the wet ingredients)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly

Divide the batter into the prepared bread tins

Bake for approx 60 – 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre, comes out clean.

I cover the loaves with tinfoil about ¾ of the way through cooking to make sure they don’t brown too much on top.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Slice it up and enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book!

Zucchini Loaves

Enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book

Banana Bread with Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and Gla...

Banana Bread: Old Favourite, New Favourite!...

I know we are already well into the New Year but I am still recovering from all the fuss and general craziness of the holiday season. During the holidays I was able to spend a bit more time in the kitchen trying out different recipes and experimenting with some new kitchen gadgets.  However, I was so caught up in exploring the new and different that I neglected a few things in my kitchen.

The main casualty of my neglect was a bunch of bananas which were almost at the point of no return. Not wanting to waste them, I found myself going back to one of my all time favourite recipes – Banana Bread.

Banana Bread is one of the easiest things to make. What is so wonderful is that you can have it just as it is OR you can jazz it up a bit if you want. Here are just some of the things I love to add to a basic Banana Bread recipe:

• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
• Fresh Blueberries or Raspberries (you can also use frozen)
• Grated Courgette (Zucchini)
• Grated Carrot
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

For this particular recipe – which is a low fat version – my husband and I decided to add 2 Heaping Tablespoons of Un-Sweetened Coco Powder and approximately 9 Glace Cherries cut into quarters. We also used a spring form cake tin rather than a loaf tin. The results were simply amazing and ok we confess… not as low fat as it could have been. However it was absolutely divine with a cup of tea and an episode of Columbo.

I found the recipe on the following site; lowfatcooking.about.com, which is brilliant. Have a go with the recipe as it is – or add a little something extra. Then sit back, relax and enjoy!

For low fat banana bread recipe click here

I have also written out the recipe below.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or 1/4 cup trans-fat free shortening
• 2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 small bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon flour gently into measuring cups and level with a knife. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Put aside. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat at low speed with a mixer until well blended. Add one egg at a time and blend well after each one. Add in mashed banana, yogurt and vanilla extract, beat until blended. Add flour mixture and blend until just moist. Do not over-mix. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Remove from pan after 10 minutes or so and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: one loaf, 14 slices.