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Banana Upside-Down Cake

Jack and Kay Hartman. This recipe is from "Cooking With Patrick Clark"
The book is "conceived and coordinated by Charlie Trotter."
Serves 8

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups sliced ripe banana
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1 banana, cut in small wedges

To prepare the bananas: Combine the lime juice, 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, melted butter and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar in a small bowl. Wrap the bottoms of of eight ring molds with aluminum foil. [I made these cakes in ramekins because that's what I have. I buttered the ramekins and placed a round of parchment paper on the bottom of each one. I buttered the top of the parchment paper.] Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture in the bottom of each ring mold and arrange the banana slices in a pinwheel over the sugar.

To prepare the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream 1/4 cup of the butter and the granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until well blended. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir in the milk. Pour over the bananas and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. To prepare the sauce: Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in a pan. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sugar is melted. Add the banana wedges and cook for 2 minutes. Invert a cake in the center of each plate. Remove the ring mold and spoon the sauce over and around the cake. Arrange the banana wedges around the cake.

Banana Bread

From: http://proofofthepudding.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/banana-bread-again/

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, mixing well to combine.

Combine the sugars and butter in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined, light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the bananas, sour cream and vanilla and beat until the mixture is blended. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until the flour disappears into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 50 minute to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: A 9″ x 5″ loaf

Banana Bread 2

By John Barrowman
From Taste of My Life
Makes 1 loaf

285g/10oz plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
110g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
225g/8oz caster sugar
2 free-range eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
85ml/3fl oz buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture.
5. Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Bestest banana loaf

From http://www.polkadotmittens.co.uk/

7 oz (200g) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 ripe bananas
2 tbsp natural yogurt
5 oz (150g) butter
6 oz (175g) golden caster sugar
3 free-range eggs
(optional) a couple of handfuls of walnuts, coarsely chopped

Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper - rub the tin with a little butter first to make the paper stick better. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Peel the bananas, put them in a basin and mash them to a pulp with a fork, then stir in the yogurt.

In a large basin or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar till light and quite fluffy. Add two of the eggs, one at a time, beating them into the mixture, then add a couple of tablespoons of the flour - this is simply to stop the mixture curdling - then the remaining egg. The mixture should be thick and creamy. Scrape in the mashed banana and yogurt and then the chopped walnuts, then fold them into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

Fold the flour, baking powder and salt into the butter and sugar, taking deep, firm, slow stirs. Scoop into the lined cake tin and bake for 1 hr 15 minutes. The case will have risen and cracked slightly across the top.

The cake is ready when a thin metal skewer is pushed into the deepest part and comes out dean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave, still in its tin, for 20 minutes or so to cool. Slide a palette knife around the edge of the cake and remove it from the tin, then place it on a plate to cool a bit, but do serve it warm

Wisley cafe's Banana Cake

Sue Dykes, head baker in the café: "In the café, we serve this with a rich topping. Make your own by beating 75g softened butter and 125g full-fat soft cheese with 200g sifted icing sugar and a dash of vanilla extract."
Makes 1 x 900g loaf

2 ripe bananas (about 400g)
150g softened butter
150g soft brown sugar
80g sultanas
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100ml vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line the bottom and sides with non-stick baking parchment

Peel and mash the bananas. Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Stir in the bananas and sultanas. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the flour mix and the beaten egg, each about a third at a time, to the banana mix, beating well between each addition. Finally, stir in the oil.

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until well-risen and golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.