Banana Breakfast Pancakes

Well folks, today is Friday, which means tomorrow is Saturday, so I decided to share my current favourite Saturday breakfast recipe with you. Easy-peasy yet scrumdiddlyumptious banana pancakes. And they only have 3 ingredients...

This recipe started life a a 2 ingredient pancake recipe, but I just wasn't brave enough to try eating eggy mashed banana, so I tweaked it a little. Pretty sure the fitness fanatics aren't going to go ape for this one, but it's certainly good enough for me!

Ingredients:
1 large banana, or two small ones
1 medium egg
20g self raising flour
A little oil, butter, or frylite for greasing

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1 hungry person, or two not-so-hungry people (it makes 4 pancakes)

1. Break your banana into a bowl and then mash it up with a fork - try to get rid of all the big lumps.
2. Add the egg to the mashed banana and whisk with the fork until combined.
3. Tip in your flour and fold in until just mixed.
4. Heat a little oil/butter/frylite in a pan. When hot, spoon 2tbsp of the pancake batter into the pan and spread into a circle shape with the back on your spoon. Let the pancake cook side for 30-45 seconds, until the edges are cooked and bubble start to form in the centre, then flip the pancake over and cook the other side for 30-45 seconds.
5. Repeat until you've used all the batter, then enjoy your yummy, fairly healthy banana breakfast pancakes!

Happy Thoughts
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Choco-Nana Cookies

Be still my beating heart, these cookies are AMAZING!

I'm not overly fond of fruit, but I do love bananas, so bananas are my "go-to" fruit of choice. I always buy a big bunch of bananas on my way to work on a Monday and keep them in my desk drawer for snacking on throughout the week, but this means that by Friday I often have one or two leftover bananas that I need to use up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this - just an explanation for the sheer number of banana recipes that turn up on this blog!

Here, have another photo of the cookies:

Anyway, my leftover bananas usually go into making my favourite Banana Oat Muffins, which I wrap, freeze, and use for pack-up during the week. However, this time I fancied a change. I really, really fancied cookies. I don't often bake cookies and biscuits, so I decided to scour the Internet for recipes to use. Originally I was looking at healthier banana and oat cookies, but then I came across this recipe for Nutella Banana Cookies. Nutella. Banana. Cookies. What more could a girl ask for on a rainy Saturday afternoon? After baking though, I think I'd describe these more as a drop-cake, rather than a cookie, as they have a deliciously spongy texture. (I'm eating one RIGHT NOW. It is amazing.) Maybe they should be called cakies? I haven't changed the original recipe too much, so all credit for this goes to Chef in Training. I did make a couple of tweaks to the method, and made the measurements UK friendly :-)

Ingredients:
2 medium, ripe bananas
1 medium egg
200g plain flour
175g light brown sugar
125g rolled oats
1tsp baking powder
75g slightly salted butter
75g vegetable shortening (Trex)
2 tbsp Nutella

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 - 12 minutes
Makes 18 cookies

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
2. Break the bananas into a bowl, then mash with a fork. Beat in the egg, and put this to one side.
3. Tip the flour, sugar, oats and baking powder into a bowl and mix. Add the butter and shortening, in cubes, to the bowl, and then rub in until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble. 
4. Stir the banana and egg into the dry mixture until they combine to form a sloppy dough. Plop the Nutella into the middle of the bowl and then swirl through the mixture with knife to create a marble pattern.
5. Dollop the mixture onto the prepare baking tray in tablespoon sized blobs, leaving enough space in between each blob for the cookies to expand slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are golden brown all over and firm to touch. 
6. Allow to cool on a wire rack, if you can resist the banana, chocolate, nutty goodness.

Happy Thoughts
x

Banoffee Blondies

I had some leftover caramel and some overripe bananas to use up, so decided to have a little go at making some banoffee blondies, and so glad I did!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes baking
Makes 16 slices


Ingredients

150g margarine
250g soft brown sugar
150g caramel (I used some left-over, but you could just use caramel from a tin!)
2 ripe bananas
2 medium eggs
200g self raising flour
Milk chocolate shapes, for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line a square baking pan with grease-proof paper.
2. Place the margarine and sugar into a saucepan over a low heat, stirring continuously until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat then stir in 100g of the caramel until it has all melted. Leave the mixture to cool slightly whilst you peel and chop the bananas into small chunks.
4. Add the eggs into the cooled mixture, then fold in the flour and bananas. Tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread to the corners with the back of a spoon. Blob bits of the remaining caramel all over the top of the blondie, then sprinkle the milk chocolate shapes over the top. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and set.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices. (Be sure to eat at least one slice whilst it's still warm!)

Happy Thoughts,

x

Banana and Peanut Butter Flapjacks

Here's another great use for bananas that have started to turn - although these are no way near as healthy as you'd think they might be! This recipe is quick, simple and very tasty.

Time Taken: 30 mins
Makes: 15 flapjacks
Storage: Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for 2-3 days. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to 2 months!

Ingredients
40g margarine
60g soft light brown sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
50g crunchy peanut butter
2 over-ripe bananas
250g porridge oats
100g milk chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 and grease and line a baking tray.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the sugar and golden syrup until they have completely dissolved, then remove from the heat. Add the peanut butter to the pan and stir until it has completely melted.
3. Break the bananas into a large bowl and mash with a fork, ensuring there are no large lumps remaining. Stir in the melted peanut butter mixture, then add the porridge oats and stir until evenly coated.
4. Tip the mixture into the baking tine, and spread evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until completely golden all oven. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
5. Melt the chocolate, either in the microwave, or in a pan over boiling water, then drizzle over the cooked flapjacks. Leave to cool completely, then cut into 20 pieces and serve. :-)

Happy Thoughts
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Banana Oat Muffins

This recipe is a favourite in our house, not only because it makes really delicious, moist banana muffins, but also because it's a fantastic way to use up over-ripe banana, which we always seem to have leftover at the end of the week. I'll usually make a batch of these at the weekend, then wrap them up individually in cling film once they've cooled so that I can freeze them. I have found that if I get one out in the morning and let it thaw in the cling film, it will be ready to eat with a cup of tea at lunch time!

Now, you may be thinking that these muffins don't sound particularly healthy, and you'd be right. I mean there are worse things for you, but they do contain rather a lot of fat and sugar, so why are they being posted in a month I've dedicated to healthier baking? Well, I decided to experiment with substitutes and make a reduced fat and sugar version, and a low-fat sugar-free version of this recipe, to see how they turned out. I think the original version is still the best, but the other versions are tasty too. The most interesting thing about doing this was looking at what went into the muffins and what I could use instead!

I've provided the approximate calories, fat and saturated fat content of each recipe below, so I'd also like to include a disclaimer. I am not a nutritional expert in any way, shape or form. I'm just a girl who likes cake. I worked out the calorie, fat and sat fat content of each recipe using a pen, paper and calculator and the information found on the food packets. This information could vary dependent on the brands you use, on the size of your muffin pan, and on how much you trust my math skills. Values are given as a guidance only!!

Ingredients

For the original (and tastiest) variety     Reduced Fat and Sugar                 Low-Fat and Sugar-Free  

125g margarine                                           50g margarine                                  3 large over-ripe bananas  

2 large over-ripe bananas                            2 large over-ripe bananas                 125g applesauce

50g caster sugar                                          75g applesauce                                75g honey

50g soft brown sugar                                   50g soft brown sugar                       2 medium eggs

1tbsp runny honey                                       50g honey                                       100g self raising flour

2 medium eggs                                            2 medium eggs                                 100g porridge oats

100g self raising flour                                  50g self raising flour

100g porridge oats                                     150g porridge oats

Calories = 284                                           Calories = 227                                  Calories = 189
Fat = 13.25g                                              Fat = 7.14g                                       Fat = 2.35g
Sat Fat = 3.35g                                          Sat Fat = 1.76g                                 Sat Fat = 0.56g

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 – 20 minutes

Makes 8 muffins

1. If using, melt the margarine in the microwave and place to one side to cool.
2. Preheat the over to gas mark 6, and line a muffin tray with cases.
3. Break the bananas onto chunks, then mash them with a fork. Try to mash them up as much as you can to make sure there are no big lumps – the runnier the better!
4. Add the sugars (if using) and all of the wet ingredients to the banana. Beat together with the fork until all of the ingredients have combined.
5. Add the flour and the oats to the mixture, and stir with the fork until just combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, filling each one around ¾ full, then bake for 15-20 minutes until dark golden brown all over. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Thoughts

x

Put That Thing Back Where It Came From, Or So Help Me

Disney/Pixar # 4 - Monsters, Inc.

I remember watching a feature on Pixar's animation triumphs, (although I don't remember what - it may have been bonus features!), and on that it was mentioned the Monsters, Inc. was the first time that a 3D computer animation had been able to successfully create long fur/hair. I mean, I wouldn't want to be quoted on this, but it was my inspiration for these cakes. If Monsters, Inc. was a triumph in texture for Pixar, then I would focus on texture too - smooth for Mike Wazowski, and furry for Sully!

I knew I'd be using coconut for Sully's fur, so I decided to make a cupcake version of the Jungle Fruits Cake I baked for Jungle Book way back when. It worked really well, although you will find yourself with rather a lot of mango left over!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 12 cupcakes (6 Mike and 6 Sully)

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1/4 of a medium sized ripe mango
1 medium sized ripe bananas
1tsp vanilla extract
110g margarine
70g light brown sugar
1 egg
25g desiccated coconut
110g self raising flour
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp mixed spice

To decorate:
150g cream cheese
300g icing sugar
Juice and zest of half a lime
40g desiccated coconut
Blue, purple and green food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and line a bun tray with cupcake cases
2. Peel, stone and chop the mango, and then puree the flesh. Put the mango to one side for now. Peel the banana and break this up into a small bowl. Mash the banana to a pulp using a fork, ensuring that there are no large lumps remaining. Mix the mango puree into the mashed banana, and add the vanilla extract. Put this fruit mixture to one side.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, and then add these to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. 
4. Stir in the banana and mango mixture, and then add the desiccated coconut.
5. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, and fold into the mixture until thoroughly combined. 
6. Place 2tsps of mixture into each cupcake case and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
7. Whilst the cakes are cooling, colour your coconut. I coloured 15g blue, 10g purple and 5g green (the other 10g is used later!). Put the coconut into a food bag with a drop of the desired colouring and seal the bag. Massage between your hands until the coconut has soaked up all of the colour. Tip: if your colour isn't spreading too well, add a drop of water to soften the coconut
8. Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the frosting by mixing the cream cheese and icing sugar together until just combined. Split this into two bowls. For the first bowl, add the remaining 10g of dessicated coconut and some blue food colouring. For the second bowl, and the lime zest and juice, then put 2tbsp to one side. Colour the remaining icing green.
9. Now for assembly! 
• For Sully - cover 6 of the cupcakes with the blue frosting, and then sprinkle the blue coconut all over it. Place dots of purple coconut on top of this and press lightly into the icing. (refer to photo below)
• For Mike - cover the remaining 6 cupcakes with the green frosting, and sprinkle some of the green coconut around the edge. Place a dollop of some of the reserved white frosting in the centre, and then put a pinch of blue or purple coconut into the middle. (refer to photo below)

And there you have it! The two types are slightly different due to one having lime frosting and the other having coconut, so I'd suggest trying one of each :-) I think these are my favourites so far in terms of look and taste!

Next time it's Finding Nemo, and I'll be experimenting with seaweed!

Happy Thoughts
x

I Was Saved by a Flying Wild Man in a Loincloth

Disney Classic # 37 - Tarzan

Tarzan was one of the later films I came up with an idea for, and it was again kind of clutching at straws. I decided early on that I could do a banana based dish, but that I'd try to come up with something a little more original. Except I didn't manage to come up with anything more original, and I do so love banana cake... so banana cake it was! (I literally screeched with joy when this scene came up in the film:)

Bananas!!! I decided to make the banana and walnut loaf cake out of my trusty Good Food's 101 Cakes and Bakes, with a couple of tweaks here and there. The cake was amazingly delicious, and really didn't last us very long at all! ^_^

Prep time: 10-15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 12 (or at least it makes 12 slices :-P)
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
100g chopped walnuts
25g banana flakes (optional)

25g demerera sugar
100g margarine
140g light brown sugar
2 medium eggs
2 tbsp milk
225g self raising flour

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and grease and line a loaf tin.
2. Mash the bananas with a fork. In a separate bowl, mix together 25g of the walnuts with the banana flakes and demerera sugar.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar, then beat in the eggs.
4. Fold the remaining 75g walnuts, the mashed banana and the milk into the mixture, then sift in the flour and continue to fold until all combined.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and then sprinkle the walnut, banana flake and sugar mixture over the top.
6. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to rest in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Cut into slices and serve with a cup of tea ^_^

Next time we're watching Fantasia 2000, which will be the last Disney Night for a while as I'm having major surgery the following week! Eeeep! To make up for it, I'm going to make a super-special musical celebration cake ^_^

Happy Thoughts
x

Don't Pick the Prickly Pear by the Paw

Disney Classic # 19 - The Jungle Book

I got my inspiration for this cake when flicking through a recipe book. I came across the recipe for a mango, banana and coconut cake, and immediately I thought "JUNGLE FRUITS = Jungle Book!" It's amazing actually, I think I'm constantly subconsciously looking for cake ideas, just any old thing can trigger it and make me think of a Disney movie.

I have to admit I was a bit dubious about this weeks cake - somehow the thought of mixing mango, banana and coconut just didn't seem to sit right in my mind. My Mr. agreed, he thought that instead I should make a chocolate cake, as chocolate is brown it could represent the bark of the trees in the jungle. *rolls eyes* If the Mr had a say in it, we'd have chocolate cake every week. However, the purpose of this challenge was to experiment, so experiment I did.

Unfortunately my local grocers was fresh out of paw-paws and prickly pears...

I found the recipe in the old trusty BBC Good Food 101 Cakes and Bakes. (Page 54 - Mango, Banana and Coconut Cake). I've never baked a cake with fresh fruit before, but I know that adding fresh fruit to cake mixture can do strange things so I decided to follow the recipe to the letter.

I'd like to make a note here that at various stages this cake mixture looks all kinds of wrong and nasty. Do not despair! Once you've added the flour it will return to something resembling a normal cake mixture, and once baked it tastes delicious and is really very moist!

Prep time: 20 mins     Cook time: 30-35mins      Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe mango
2 medium sized ripe bananas
1tsp vanilla extract
225g margarine
140g light brown sugar
2 eggs
50g desiccated coconut
225g self raising flour
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp mixed spice

For the filling:
200g packet soft cheese
2tsp lemon juice
50g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and grease and line two 8 inch baking tins
2. Peel, stone and chop the mango, and then puree the flesh. Put the mango to one side for now. Peel the bananas and break these up into a small bowl. Mash the bananas to a pulp using a fork, ensuring that there are no large lumps remaining. Mix half of the mango puree into the mashed banana, and put the other half of the mango puree in the fridge for later. Add the vanilla extract to the banana and mango mixture and mix well. Put this fruit mixture to one side.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, and then add these to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. (Note: this is when the cake mixture starts to resemble something not very nice - do not worry, just keep at it and it will taste delicious!)
4. Stir in the banana and mango mixture, and then add the desiccated coconut.
5. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, and fold into the mixture until thoroughly combined. (Note: by now the cake mixture should look fairly normal, if a bit stiff!)
6. Divide the mixture between the two baking tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm to touch, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cakes have baked, leave to cool in the tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
7. Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the filling. Beat together the soft cheese, lemon juice,and icing sugar until smooth and glossy. Stir in the reserved mango puree. Spread the filling evenly onto one of the cakes, and then place the other cake on top of that. Dust the cake with icing sugar to decorate, and serve!

Next time round it's the Aristocats, and I'll be making some very yummy millionaire's shortbread.

Happy Thoughts
x