Dear Reader,
It was kismet...
I was in the mood to try a new recipe the other day, so I decided to thumb through my favorite cookbook to find one. And as soon as I opened the cookbook up, a recipe card fell out of it. The recipe, Chocolate Banana Nut Cake, was written in my handwriting, but I didn't remember ever writing down the recipe, and I certainly didn't ever remember making it. But it seemed like it was "meant-to-be." I wanted a new recipe to try and there it was, neatly written out on the card in front of me. It was kismet!
The cake tasted so good that after my husband took his first bite he announced, "From now on, this cake is number one in our house!." And he cut a second piece.
The recipe might look long, but it's simple as can be. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE BANANA NUT CAKE
Grease 10" round cake pan (the sides and bottom) with a cooking spray. Then line the pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate (broken into pieces) I used chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground walnuts (put whole walnuts on a cutting board, put parchment paper over top of them and roll until crushed with your rolling pin)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 T pure vanilla extract
2 cups lightly mashed overripe bananas (5-6)
3 eggs lightly beaten
3/4 cup chopped walnuts for topping
In a saucepan over low heat (or use the microwave), melt the butter and chocolate stirring until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, ground walnuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend thoroughly. Stir buttermilk, vanilla and bananas just until combined. Set aside.
Add the eggs to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir well. Stir the chocolate mixture into the banana mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle the chopped walnuts across the top. (The cake will still giggle in the middle). Return the cake to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes and carefully remove the cake from the pan. (If you use a 9" pan the baking time will be longer.)
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
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