peanut butter honey banana bread

 

as you may be able to realise from my other posts, I am really big on peanut butter. like huge. like major love of my life!

here is a recipe that combines not only peanut butter (yum yum!) but also honey (oh! honey!) and banana bread (don't even get me started) into one magnificent beast. I now know what heaven tastes like!


peanut butter honey banana bread
adapted from pies and plots

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
pinch of salt
4 really really ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

 

preheat your oven to 180°C and prepare a loaf tin

in a bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate soda and salt.

in a big separate bowl mix together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, honey, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla.

add the flour mixture and fold until just combined, don't over mix!

bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out pretty much clean. cool in tin for about 15 minutes and turn out.

dark chocolate hazelnut spread (aka nutella!!)

 

this recipe has been around the internet for a thousand years (at least!) but being able to make a dark chocolate version of super milky-sweet nutella is very delicious!

it's oh so easy, your food processor will do all the hard work for you and all you have to do is try your very hardest to get some in a jar before you eat it all! this is gift size, it makes about a cup full (by the time you have had a few 'samples') and you could easily make it with almonds or peanuts or a blend of whatever takes your fancy/whatever your pantry provides


dark chocolate hazelnut spread
adapted from the la times

1 cup (150g) raw hazelnuts
1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
1/2 cup (90g) icing sugar
2-4 squares dark chocolate
pinch sea salt flakes
1-2 tbs neutral tasting oil

preheat the oven to 180°C
put the hazelnuts out on a tray and roast them for about 10 minutes until the skins look flaky and ready to come off
take the tray out of the oven and pour the hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel and give them a good rub to remove all the skins
put these naked hazelnuts in a food processor and process - it will go through a few distinct stages 1. chunky chunks 2. small bitz 3. smoothish blobby paste 4. silky silky smooth satiny liquid, this is the one you want and it will take about 5 minutes to get there
add your dark chocolate, the paste will be hot enough to melt it then the cocoa powder, icing sugar and salt
adjust the consistency using the oil, remebering it will get a bit firmer as it sits out

little passionfruit poppyseed cakes

sometimes all you need is a great basic cake recipe to which you can make so many fun baked things with!! the next two posts will use the same basic cake (which by the ways super easy, two bowls - one for wet ingredients, one for the dry then a big whisk up!) to make two delicious cakes! I adapted it from a joy the baker recipe (find it here) which my sister louise made with a nutella ganache frosting oh my!

today's sweet treat is a passionfruit poppyseed cake with a shiny glaze. I baked them in little friand tins but it is the perfect size for a bundt tin cake

little passionfruit poppyseed cakes

2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour
1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
2 free range eggs
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pulp of 2 passionfruits
2 tbs poppyseeds

preheat the oven to 160 C fan forced and grease two 12 hole friand trays.

in a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. in a medium jug, whisk together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and passionfruit pulp.

pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk until just combined and there are no major lumps. stir in the poppyseeds.

divide the batter between the friand tray holes and bake for 20 mins

to make the glaze, scoop out the pulp of two extra passionfruits and then add enough icing sugar (about 2 cups) to make a thick-ish icing. spoon over the cooled cakes and allow to drip down naturally. enjoy!

banana cake with chocolate icing

I had always assumed as a leftie that one day if I got married, I would wear my ring on my right hand (like a watch), I had always assumed that everyone just guessed whether to use 'a' or 'an' before nouns and I had also always assumed that chocolate icing was the stock standard icing for banana cake. but, I was so wrong! everyone is meant to wear their ring on their left hand, I had never heard of the vowel rule for a/an choosing and everytime this cake is offered to friends, chocolate icing is a foreign and novel idea. however, it is the perfect combination that never fails to win people over and it is how my granny always made it and she was a baker-extraordinaire! never doubt your granny!

now onto the cake - the cake recipe is adapted from the amazing the cooks companion by stephanie alexander which has saved my (cooking) bacon on more than one occasion. it is the bible of the australian kitchen and I can't recommend it enough!! it is a great reference to learn the basics of cooking and is full of tried and true recipes. I have made this cake so many times that this giant tome of a book naturally opens to the page. I kind of made up the icing recipe as I went but have included a great one that will be a lot more reliable than what I made!!

banana cake with chocolate icing 
cake adapted from the cooks companion by stephanie alexander

125g softened margarine
1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 free range eggs
1 cup (approx. 220g) mashed ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk or milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice

prepare a 20cm square cake tin and preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan forced
cream the butter and brown sugar. add the eggs, banana and vanilla and beat to combine.
sift together the dry ingredients and add to the mixture, alternating with the buttermilk (i.e. a little bit of flour, a little bit of milk until they are all used up)
pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 45min-1 hour until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

chocolate icing
120g butter (or margarine)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 1/2 cups (400g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs milk

beat the butter and cocoa together until smooth
stir in the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat well.
gradually add the milk until the icing gets to the right consistency, you may not need all the milk.
spread over the cooled cake and enjoy!