Avocado Replaces Butter in Banana Avocado Coffee Cake

  

 Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

As if Avocados didn't have enough incredible things about them, they can also replace the fat in some of our favorite baked goods.

Recently, I was invited to visit an Avocado Grove, enjoy some inventive brunch items using Avocados and even experience picking my own early green Hass right off the tree.

 

Jan DeLyser of the California Avocado Commission was our tour guide and the Farm we visited was Dan and Sue Pinkerton's.

Dan is a scientist, a farmer, a story teller and claims that Sue is the one who keeps it all together.  The trees were heavy with beautiful green orbs and buds (Avocado trees bear fruit for one season and buds for the next year.)

        

After touring the farm, we visited Mission Packing Plant in Oxnard. There the Avocados (900lbs per bin) are cooled, washed, sorted, labeled, temperature ripened and sent out to the stores and distribution centers.  

 

It's important to remember we have choices with all foods and we don't have to just take the first thing placed on a bin in front of us.  California Avocados are worth the extra moment it takes to read the label.  The season is long (March thru October), the fruit is consistent (buttery texture and smooth greens) and the standards are high (to match our own.)

At any point in any day, I am more than happy to eat a California Avocado straight out of the shell with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Being inspired by the tour and the education, I wanted to develop a recipe that used California Avocados in baked goods.

This Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee cake became the recipe that was made 2 times in one week.  After my teen son and friends devoured the one I left out to cool, I made another one for my post.

 

Since then, I've made a couple more and found they freeze well, too.  That makes a rushed morning even easier; I just pull out a slice and heat in the toaster oven.  Enjoy and look for California Avocados when you shop.

Recipe:  Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

1/3 cup Walnuts (chopped)

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/3 cup Choco Chips

1/2 cup (mashed) California Avocado

1/2 cup Honey

1 Egg

1 cup (mashed) ripe Banana

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/3 cup nonfat Yogurt

1 1/2 cup AP Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1)  Combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and hold for later.

2)  Cream together the Avocado, Honey, Egg, Banana, Vanilla and Yogurt.

3)  In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Powder and Soda, salt), then stir this into the creamed ingredients until blended well.

4)  Oil and dust with flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.  Sprinkle half of the nut mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then spoon half of the batter on top of that.

5)  Sprinkle the remainder of the nut mixture over the batter and then spoon the remainder of the batter over that.

6)  Bake in a preheated 350F oven 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool in the pan for a few minutes.  

 

This can be served in the pan, or inverted onto a plate for cutting, serving or freezing. 

Click here to see more Avocado information and recipes from the California Avocado Commission

When Good Bananas Go Bad - Make Banana Salted Caramel Muffins

Is it just me, or do bananas go from perfect to over-ripe in 5 minutes? Here's what to do when Good Bananas Go Bad.Sometimes, I feel like bananas are jerking me around. If I buy them a bit green and sit them out gently and wait patiently for the peel to yellow (and the fruit to be sweet yet have a soft snap), I will still somehow miss the moment. I swear it feels like they are unripe in the morning and before I get home in the afternoon, the whole bunch have been in a big banana brawl and left each other black and streaked.I take great pride in using every morsel of my ingredients to the best of my ability. So, I have made Banana Ice Cream, Banana Cake, Banana Mousse, and even Banana Face Cream just to use up those bad boys. When time is tight and good bananas go bad, this is my Go-To "Bad Banana" Muffin Recipe. It's fast, simple, moist and freezes well (for that teenager who likes to grab something on the go for later.)

These muffins are great all alone, but can be enhanced with a dollop of cream cheese, Earl Grey Tea Milk Jam, Honey Butter or the following recipe for Salted Caramel Drizzle.Bananas are so good, but like all of us, they have their bad days.


RECIPE: "Bad Banana" Muffins

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Pinch of each: Ground Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Butter (room temperature)
1 Egg
2 Bananas (over ripe)
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla


1) In one bowl, mix together the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, and spices. Hold.
2) In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar til smooth. Add the egg and continue beating until fully incorporated.
3) In a small bowl, using a fork, mash together the over-ripe bananas, sour-cream and vanilla.
4) Add the banana mash to the butter/sugar mixture and stir together with the fork.
5) Add in the dry ingredients and continue to stir with the fork until the whole batter is fully mixed in, but just a bit lumpy.
4) Fill each muffin container about 3/4 full. Bake in pre-heated 350F oven for about 20-25 minutes.


Salted Caramel Drizzle:

1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Teaspoon (plus more for garnish) Sea Salt (course grain)

1) In a saucepan over med/high heat, add the butter and sugar together stirring constantly until it reaches a dark caramel color (about 3-5 minutes.)

2) Carefully pour in the cream and stir vigorously until mixed together. Add the salt and continue to stir while it dissolves. If it's too thick for a drizzle, add a bit more cream.

3) While the caramel is hot, very carefully drizzle with a teaspoonful over the muffins, then garnish with a few grains of Sea Salt.

Best Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake - and It's Gluten-Free

This has become one of my favorite and Best Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cakes, and it's also Gluten Free.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COFFEE CAKE

I developed it for a friend, who eats gluten free, but had to give her a "half-cake" because I kept slicing it, toasting it, and eating it for breakfast, snack and dessert before I could get it to her house. I hope when she reads this, she'll laugh as she remembers me decoratively delivering to her a perfect "half-cake" with no explanation about the other half and its absence.

If you already eat Gluten Free, please let me know if you try this and what you think of it. If you've never experienced eating Gluten Free - this recipe requires two flours (coconut and rice) that you may have never used in baking. Instead of letting that deter you, why not try something new? They can both be purchased at many grocery stores, at Whole Foods and online.

A great deal of our population have difficulty digesting gluten, and many are extremely allergic to gluten and have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. There are others who suffer from digestive problems, headaches, nausea and other symptoms who haven't been tested or realized that perhaps Gluten intolerance is the issue.I've heard a few people comment about Gluten Free eating being a fad or another "trendy food style" of celebrities. This must be so frustrating for the thousands of intelligent people who sometimes have no choice (due to allergies), or have found Gluten Free eating to be a restorative and life saving routine.

I've also heard comments that ask why there is all of a sudden so many people being diagnosed with gluten intolerance. The answer is an exciting one. For years, many people suffered (even developed stomach cancers) without this being considered, but now since it's on the radar they're getting help. It is because of the increased awareness and demand from patients that more and more doctors are testing and researching this challenge. This has also resulted in wonderful new gluten free products and recipes.

I grew up eating everything from garden grown vegetables and farm fresh eggs to time-saving, processed, canned meat on white bread sandwiches. I've even eaten a mud-pie or two (compliments of some older, sneaky cousins convincing me they would taste like moon-pies.) So, I'm not so much preaching about food, as trying to share while I learn and grow healthier.

(this is a great way to use up over-ripe bananas)

The more we learn about our food choices, our options and how ingredients help or challenge our systems, the better quality of life we can have and pass on to our families. There are several wonderful blogs, books and talented writers who can make the learning process and the cooking experience with gluten free products very exciting and delicious. Here are just a few:

Gluten Free Girl and the Chef
The Practical Celiac
Celiac Teen
Tartlette

And there are great recipes out there being developed by Gluten and Gluten Free cooks. Here are a few of those:

The Recipe Girl - Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
ShowFood Chef - Simple Saturday Almond Butter Cookies
Family Fresh Cooking - Coconut Corn Flour Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
La Fuji Mama - Endive Boats Appetizer with Crab Salad


RECIPE: Best Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake - Gluten Free

1 cup Coconut Flour
1 cup Rice Flour
1 Tbls. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
4 eggs
4 over-ripe bananas
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1) Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt.
2) In a mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil and sugars til creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, then the bananas until all is mixed well.
3) Beat in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, just until combined, don't over beat.
4) Pour into a well greased, deep sided 8"- 9" cake pan until 3/4 full. (If you have left-over batter, make muffins or small bundt cakes.)
5) Cook in a preheated oven 350F for approx. 1 hour or until browned and set in the middle. Cool for a few minutes before releasing from the pan and cooling on a rack.

This is particularly good warm and eaten the same day, but wonderful the next day, sliced and toasted, and the next day, and the next day - trust me I ate, uh, tested it.

If there are favorite Gluten Free recipes that you enjoy, leave the link in the comments for us all. Thanks for stopping by - always a pleasure.

BanaNutella Pudding - The South and Italy unite!

It seems that many Southern classics are being tweaked and showing up on the menus of very swanky restaurants. So, if they're going to play around with history, then I'll play around with geography; Italy meets North Carolina with this one.

BanaNutella Pudding

Banana Pudding is one of those sweet, creamy, cookie filled southern-born treats that is so darn good, I've eaten it for breakfast by convincing myself it was one of my daily fruit servings. I don't remember a single Church Pot Luck that didn't have several versions of Banana Pudding. It might be the quick and easy: Box of Instant Pudding and a bag of Nabisco Wafers dumped together and given a swirl with Dream Whip. It might be the Cook-it-slow and full home-made pudding, with a dash of brandy and home-made sugar cookies with sliced up bananas. Honestly, both have their place...in my tummy.
I've combined my love for Nutella with my memories of Sunday night desserts for this recipe. It looks only half as good as it tastes, and it tastes...or it tasted (it was gone within 30 minutes) like a whipped chocolate coated banana hug. You know what I mean. Enjoy and Baci!

RECIPE: BanaNutella Pudding (showfood chef)

3 cups milk (plus 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk and 1 egg white
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbls. butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 box of Vanilla Wafers (or small sugar cookies)
3 Bananas (peeled and sliced in 1/4" rounds)

1) Add the milk and cornstarch in a saucepan on low/med heat. Stir while heating just to simmer. Remove from heat.
2) In a bowl, beat the eggs and the egg yolk with the sugar until light and frothy.
3) Temper the eggs into the warm milk, return the saucepan to the heat and continue stirring while cooking on low/med. until thickened.
4) Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Hold to the side.
5) In a bowl, whip the Nutella and the 1/3 cup milk until creamy, then stir this into the pudding. Let cool to room temp.
6) In another bowl, whip the egg white with 1 Tbls. sugar til firm peaks hold.


In a loaf pan or an 8x8 pan, place a bottom layer of Vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of sliced bananas, followed by a layer of the pudding. Repeat to the top, finishing with pudding.

Spread the egg white meringue over the top evenly, heat in a preheated 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until the tops of the meringue peaks are toasted.
Can be served warm, chilled or room temp.

Mah-valous Macarons - Daring Baker's October Challenge

Let's just say it: these are a bitch, n'est pas? So of course, only the most DARING BAKERS would try them.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Having made several different Macarons for catering events (including the CITY TEAS for Fete du The with Algabar), I added the personal challenge of using Muscavado Sugar (a moist brown sugar) and a Banana Cream for my filling. It took two trials before these worked. Oh, those finicky egg whites!

MUSCAVADO MACARONS w/BANANA CREAM FILLING

What else can be blogged about Macarons, at this point, that hasn't been blogged before? For those of us who read food blogs, think of food and recipes as stories, or find fascination in the world defined by what we eat; Macarons are touted as "the beast to be conquered". When we DO create these chewy, yet crunchy disks of bliss and they have FEET (a term used for the soft insides that bubble out as they rise and cook and are very desired as a mark of success), even quiet cooks will let out a "YES!" from their kitchens. That being said, there are plenty of people who have never heard of these sweets and haven't tumbled on the difference between these and the coconut yummies also pronounced "Macaroons". Just in case you are one of those, here are a few "quik notes" for you:

Both Italy and France claim origins for this cookie that traditionally used egg whites, sugar, and almond powders. Originally these cookies were single shells; crunchy on the outside and meringue like chewy on the inside. In the 20th Century the famed pastry chef, Laduree, created the idea of using ganache to make a sandwich of two Macarons. A couple of the most famed Parisian Pastry shops, including Pierre Herme and Laduree, experiment each season with both savory and sweet ingredients and colors for their famous Macarons. People line up on the streets to buy these examples of the most perfect Macarons. Although Italy, France and most of Europe love and know these cookies, the United States has only recently began to appreciate their exquisite design and taste.

I love a challenge, so even though the recipe as given for this month's Daring Baker's Challenge is not my favorite way to make these "bad babies", I stayed fairly close to it. My flavor changes were to incorporate the brown sugar to the powdered sugar ( I used half and half of each), and also half and half of brown sugar for the granulated sugar. In the first trial I think I used too much brown sugar (it contains a lot of moisture) so the egg whites fell flat. I also made sure the egg whites were fully whipped before I added any of the sugars to them. I also added a twirl of Banana syrup on the top of the shells as they dried. By far, the easier way to make Macarons is to use dried flavoring (teas, powders, and dried fruit flavoring) to sustain the volume in the egg whites, but with careful and patient timing some moisture (liquid or puree flavors) can be incorporated.

In the oven - feet rising - a yelp of "yes" is heard.

Baked, cooled and ready to fill

Banana Cream Filling

2 ripe bananas, puree
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. banana syrup
Whip together, adjust as needed for taste.
Pipe onto every other cookie and sandwich with another plain Macaron.

MACARON RECIPE (as given for Daring Baker's October Challenge)

Ingredients
Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).
6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.
7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: 10 dozen. Ami's note: My yield was much smaller than this. I produced about two dozen filled macaroons.

Nutella/Banana/Chipotle Paleta - Say That 3 Times Fast

I love Nutella, and I love a Challenge. Did I mention I love Nutella? Thanks to the inspired Paula at Bell'Alimento, I've been experimenting with that "hazelnutty", sweet, chocolate, semi-healthy addictive spread called Nutella. The coolest thing (literally) I've made so far is a PALETA.
The classic Mexican Popsicle, Paleta, differs from the traditional American Popsicle by using real fruit and less sugar. These frozen fruit bars can be made with a water base or a milk base, and they can be sweet or savory.The ringing bell of the Paletero's push cart and running out to pick out a favorite flavor from the rainbow of cellophane wrappers is a childhood memory for many people. And the popularity of these fruity filled Mexican Popsicles has launched several gourmet Paleterias around the country. Children love the flavors that include Strawberry, Mango, Coconut and Lime. Adults enjoy those and also the complex combos of Cucumber and Jalapeno, Pineapple and Avocado or Lime with pepper flakes.

I have to admit, it wasn't a chore to taste test these Nutella/Banana/Chipotle Paletas. Besides being a great refresher from the summer heat, the Nutella addition made these pops a creamy dream to sink your teeth into. Then, the cold melts away to a jewel of fresh banana. After the sweet, a kick of heat from the chipotle hits the back of your throat and you're ready for your next bite. These are simple, inexpensive, fast, cold and a great way to use the bananas you already put away in the freezer. Make a lot of them because you will be hearing, "more Paleta, Paleez."

NUTELLA/BANANA/CHIPOTLE PALETA

1 Cup Whole Milk
2 Frozen Bananas
1/2 cup Nutella
1 Chipotle Chile (From can of Chipotle Chiles in Adobe sauce)
Crushed Toasted Hazelnuts (optional)

In a blender, add the bananas, milk, nutella and chipotle chili together and blend for about 20 seconds. Banana pieces should be small chunks or less.

Pour mixture into Popsicle molds and place in freezer until firm. (You can also use paper cups for the molds. Pour mixture into small cups and freeze for about 1 hour, then place popsicle sticks into the middle standing up. Return to the freezer til firm)

**Optional: Before pouring mixture in, put a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts in the tip of the molds.

To see MANY other Nutella ideas from friends who are participating in this Nutella Challenge, or to join in the fun, CLICK HERE.