Banana Crunch Cake with Praline Topping

Don’t ask me why (really, I mean it, don’t ask) I think of banana cake at Easter time. I know, I know, the Easter bunny eats carrots (Well, who knows? He may eat bananas as well.), and carrot cake seems to be the norm, but today I made a banana cake, and it is sensational! Seriously, I think this kicks carrot cake to the curb (Except for my Secret Ingredient Carrot Cake, of course!). It would work equally well at your Easter brunch or dinner, and the beauty of this cake is that it needs to be made the day ahead of serving. It tastes just fine and is certainly serve-worthy shortly after baking, but the flavors have a chance to meld if left to set at least eight hours.

While it needs to be made ahead, it also doesn’t keep well, so if it isn’t completely consumed the following day, put it in the freezer. It will last, frozen, for up to three months.

Obviously, this isn’t your normal banana cake if you take a look at the spices and flavorings, but the topping is what truly makes it out of this world! The secret ingredient is Melissa’s Clean Snax. Not only does it pack a nutritional wallop, but the delightful flavor and intense crunch make this praline topping incredibly good. Melissa’s has a wide variety of flavors of Clean Snax, including banana and cacao, but I did not want a trace of chocolate flavor in this cake, so went with almond. If you want to kick up the spice a bit, try their Hatch Chile Clean Snax (it’s impossible to stop eating, be warned.)

Banana Crunch Cake with Praline Topping

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large bananas, mashed
¼ cup peanut butter
1½ tablespoons rum extract
1 large egg
1¼ cups of flour
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ cup pecans, chopped

Praline Topping

¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup Melissa’s Almond Clean Snax, chopped
¼ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour (or spray with Baker’s Joy) a 9” x 9” pan.

Cream sugar, butter, and bananas until smooth. Beat in rum extract and egg.

Blend dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl; add to wet mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Pour mixture into prepared pan, smoothing top, and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until top is golden brown, cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick tests clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Praline Topping

Bring butter and sugar to a boil in a medium/large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for one minute or until slightly thickened. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Whisk in milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Fold in Clean Snax and pecans, and pour over the top of cooled cake.

Allow cake to set, uncovered, at room temperature for eight hours or overnight before serving. This cake does not keep well, so it if it isn’t consumed the following day, freeze for up to three months.

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A not-as-sweet banana loaf is my grandmother’s Banana Date Nut Bread, a delicious family tradition.

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Double Fudge Frosting

A couple of blog posts ago I told you about Mr. O-P's return to his homeland of New Jersey. His nephew made this possible by flying here, driving Mr. O-P and his car to New Jersey, and letting him stay with him for two wonderful, amazing weeks (Did I really say that?) while he visited family and friends, and then driving him back. Frankly, I think nephew Bill, did me a bigger favor than he did his uncle, and my guess is that I had the better time. 

Upon their return I prepared a special meal by way of appreciation. The meal in question included Barbecued Beef Sandwiches, Warm New Potato Salad, and Bill's favorite dessert, chocolate cake. I used my “go to” chocolate cake recipe, Chocolate Stout Cake, the best tasting, most decadently rich and delicious chocolate cake on the planet, IMHO, and topped it with this double fudge frosting that was out of this world. Bill had three large pieces! Homemade frosting is so much better than the canned stuff and while this takes a teeny bit of time, it is certainly time well spent. This is so good you'll be spooning it right out of the bowl.Double Fudge Frosting 

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup half and half

1 Tablespoon espresso powder

4 ounces (1 pkg. Baker’s) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

 Combine butter, sugar, half and half, and espresso powder in a medium/large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar and espresso powder dissolve and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from heat, and add both types of chocolate; whisk vigorously until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Sift in powdered sugar and whisk vigorously to blend. Press plastic wrap/cling film onto the surface of the frosting. Chill until firm enough to spread, about 1 1/2 hours.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Friday Finds

Fabulous Friday

Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

(The BEST) Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I spent the entire day in the kitchen cooking up a meal for a neighbor who, just last week, was carted off by the paramedics with a serious case of the flu.  She has since returned home (and passed the flu along to her husband) and is improving, though not as quickly as she would like.  Mr. O-P thought it would be a good idea to take them a meal, and so eagerly volunteered my services.  Good, old Mr. O-P.  Did I mention that I am only just coming off of a two-week cold that really laid me low?  Yeah, well, I did a good deed and was heartily thanked, and that did my heart good for the day.  I also made enough food to take a lunch to my dad’s tomorrow so the three of us can sit down and have a nice meal together. (Good Deed #2)

My standard “delivery” meal seldom changes.  I stick with what I know and what everyone seems to love: roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and dessert, in this case Chocolate Stout Cake that I decided to frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.  Oh, boy!  Mr. O-P found the cake more as a delivery vehicle for the frosting, although did add that it, in itself, was delicious.  I have frosted this cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Ganache, and, heaven help me, canned frosting, but this is absolutely the BEST.  Try it and see for yourself.  Oh, and the best thing is, it is SO easy!

(The BEST) Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup butter, softened

2-1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons brewed, strong coffee

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler.  Stir until smooth; set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes.  In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy.  Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar alternately with milk and coffee.  Add melted chocolate and vanilla and beat at high speed until smooth and creamy.  Frosts one cake.

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Inspire Me Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

The Scoop

Five Star Frugal

Jamoca Almond Cream Cheese Frosting

Do you ever catch yourself saying something that you really don't want to say, but before you can stop yourself it has already come out of your mouth, and is hanging in the air, much to your chagrin? This happened to me. I chalk it up to temporary insanity. As I may have mentioned, after three and a half years on the market, our 121-year-old Victorian-style farmhouse finally sold. Now, during the last eighteen months, Mr. O.P. has been keeping the fires burning, as it were, at the old place, and I've been living it up, albeit austerely, at the new one.  I began to like it. A lot. Queen of my own castle has always been a dream of mine, a clear, clutter-free castle has been another one. Well people, all of this was dashed last week when the mister and his two hundred boxes of God-knows-what, plus his monster-size pieces of antique furniture descended upon me and, well, my house. It has been a logistical nightmare. He is Oscar to my Felix. He is hoarder to my declutterer. At the moment, living in what now looks to be a warehouse of boxes, lining the walls, startling my poor Subaru in what used to be an empty garage, filling the storage area in the basement to capacity (I pray that we don't overload a circuit because only a trained monkey would be able to reach the circuit box.), I find myself completely off my game.  So I suppose, with all of this mess it shouldn't surprise me that I found myself, mid conversation, inviting a group of people over for a party to watch Game 4 of the World Series! What was I thinking?

So, yesterday after stumbling out of bed, drinking way too much coffee, and carelessly brushing my teeth (I do think I managed to get every other one), I found myself in the kitchen, playing “Beat the Clock,” madly whipping up dishes to suit every palate. What I failed to consider was, umm, dessert. Between innings I remembered a box of Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix hiding in the pantry.  I stirred the ingredients together and popped it into the oven. Then I reminded myself that I have long wanted to come up with a chocolate version of cream cheese frosting. Half loopy with fatigue, and remembering (why, at this moment, I do not know) that my favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream flavor used to be Jamoca Almond Fudge (do they still sell that?) I created this one. Chocolate, almond, espresso powder, and cream cheese. All of my favorite flavors rolled into one. I'm glad I made extra because I have a midnight date with a bowl and a spoon. 

Give it a try and see what you think. You can pump up the almond or espresso powder, to suit your tastes, or eliminate one or the other, or both. The chocolate and cream cheese alone carry this delicious, easy-to-spread frosting that turned my simple brownies into something special. 

Jamoca Almond Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

½ teaspoon espresso powder

¼ teaspoon almond flavoring

½ cup cocoa (Hershey’s Special Dark recommended)

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

In a large metal mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, almond flavoring, and espresso powder until thoroughly blended.  Blend in cocoa powder.  Sift confectioners’’ sugar over cream cheese mixture, add milk, and beat until combined.  Spread over brownies (or cake).  This recipe should thickly cover a 9” x 9” pan of brownies, or thinly cover a 9” x 13” pan.

This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays