Banana Bread Crumb Cake

Banana Bread Crumb Cake.

 

serves 12

Ingredients

2 cups flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3 ripe bananas ½ cup butter, room temperature 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup milk Crumb Filling and topping 1 cup cold butter, cubed 2 cups light brown sugar 2 cups flour *optional glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 1-2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. set aside. In a large bowl mash bananas until they become liquified. Mix in butter until combined and then stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla until mixed well. Stir in milk and flour until combined. Crumb Filling/Topping Prepare crumb filling/topping by combining all the ingredients together cutting them together with a fork or pastry cutter until a coarse crumb forms. Pour ½ of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with ⅓ of the crumb mixture. Cover the filling with the remaining batter and top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. *If desired mix powdered sugar and milk together and drizzle on top. Can be served warm or at room temperature. Notes Can be served room temperature or warm. Store airtight for up to 2 days.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots*

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (I use my food processor) 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

4 large eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (regular or lowfat) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons orange extract

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons butter, softened 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon orange extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Optional Decorative Garnishes

roasted pecans, roughly chopped orange zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10” bundt cake pan (or use nonstick-spray with flour in it). Set aside.**

To make the Cream Cheese Filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in remaining Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set Aside.

In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining Wet Ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 1/2 cups grated carrots until evenly combined (I use my clean hands to stir in the carrots).

Spoon 3 cups batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil then reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the Orange Cream Cheese Glaze, using an electric mixer, cream together all of the Glaze ingredients EXCEPT the powdered sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

When cake has cooled, drizzle Glaze over cake or individual servings, whisking in additional orange juice/milk if Glaze has become too thick upon standing. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes

*To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don't have the grater blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor. **When "flouring" my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown. ***Your cream cheese layer may not be as thick as the picture all the way around - I chose the thickest slice smile emoticon

Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake

Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake.

Ingredients

For the Loaf:

1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pour-able. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.