I have gone Bananas. 3 Recipes!

I always have a lot of bananas. I think they are mating in my freezer. Every time I look - there they are. I love having frozen bananas on hand. Its easy to whip up a quick dessert - cake, cookies or bread. Lately at Cirque we always have ripe bananas. I think some folks wait to see what banana treat will I come up with next. I thought, along with the last post on Banana Foster Min Bundt Cake, I would share a few more of my favs.

Mini Banana cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease and flour muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix).

Divide batter evenly into muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe.

Enjoy!

Banana Cakes with Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small to medium bananas)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (Optional)
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add mashed bananas. Beat well - about one minute. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and chopped nuts. Sift together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed of electric mixer. Pour batter into greased cake pans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Turn out cakes and cool completely on racks.

Caramel Frosting
2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons butter
dash salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, salt, and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Continue beating until spreading consistency; add vanilla and blend well. frost cakes and top with caramel or more nuts.

For Banana Chocolate Chip Cake - I fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into batter. I replace 1/4 cup of powder sugar with cocoa powder to make caramel chocolate frosting.

Banana Roll with Cream Cheeese Filling

I got this fabulous recipe from the site http://www.pinchmysalt.com/. Here is the link - Banana Roll from Pinch My Salt.....check it out!

I love all these recipes. I am glad I found have them. They are all similar. I have used the cupcake recipe a million different ways. Hope you try one soon.

Happy Baking!

Banana Facts
3 medium size bananas weigh approximately 1 pound.
A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers.
As bananas ripen, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar. Therefore, the riper the banana the sweeter it will taste.
Bananas are a good source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.
Bananas are America's #1 fruit.
Bananas are available all year-round. They are harvested every day of the year.
Bananas are great for athletic and fitness activity because they replenish necessary carbohydrates, glycogen and body fluids burned during exercise.
Bananas have no fat, cholesterol or sodium.
Bananas were officially introduced to the American public at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Each banana was wrapped in foil and sold for 10 cents. Before that time, bananas came to America on the decks of sailing ships as sailors took a few stems home after traveling in the Caribbean.
In 2001, there were more than 300 banana-related accidents in Britain, most involving people slipping on skins.
In Eastern Africa you can buy banana beer. This beer is brewed from bananas.
Over 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once each month.
Some horticulturists suspect that the banana was the earth's first fruit. Banana plants have been in cultivation since the time of recorded history. One of the first records of bananas dates back to Alexander the Great's conquest of India where he first discovered bananas in 327 B.C.
The average American consumes over 28 pounds of bananas each year.