Tag Archives: Banana

Banana Crumb Cake

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Over this past week I have realized how much I truly appreciate my family.  I love my parents with all my heart but, as I have gotten older, I have grown to be increasingly thankful for my brother and sister.

Banana Crumb Cake | Beautiful Disasters

This past weekend was the last weekend I was able to visit my sister at college (the same college that I will be attending next year). She is graduating in just a couple short weeks and even though I have already visited her twice by myself for “fun visits” (without parents), I wanted to squeeze in one more visit before we both graduate and I head off to the University of Illinois. Brooke is always a great host, she always lets me borrow whatever clothes I want, and  we hardly ever argue anymore like how we did when we were younger. She’s my best friend in the world, who I know I will always be able to trust.  I am super thankful to have a sister. My mom always says, “Friends come and go, but sisters are forever”, and that is certainly something I believe in full-heartedly.

Banana Crumb Cake | Beautiful Disasters

Now that I have gushed over my sister, Brooke, I think it is time to rave about my big brother, Jack.  Let me start out by saying that my brother was not the most organized guy when he was a teenager.  Birthday presents from him usually went something like him driving me over to Borders and me picking out some books, or maybe a gift card of a place I picked out. Teenagers are busy (as I know very well of right now in my life) and birthday presents often seem silly or too much effort to try and be creative.

Banana Crumb Cake | Beautiful Disasters

Fast-forward to present day and now my brother is Mr. Organized with birthday gifts.  It was my mom’s birthday recently and even though he lives across the country in LA, HE bought the present for my mom (which I still need to pay him back for) and had it sent to a local Best Buy, where all I had to do was drive over and pick it up!

When I got home from my visit at U of I with my sister this weekend my mom told me that my Jack had a surprise for me. I was kind of like ok…what kind of joke is this going to be?  The surprise? These gorgeous BCBG earrings that he bought for me to wear to my prom. Yes, feel free to cry everyone. I mean..what?!  I was not expecting that one at all!! Anyways, I owe a big ‘ol THANK YOU to Jack and Brooke for being rockstar siblings. Love you both with all my heart!

Banana Crumb Cake | Beautiful Disasters

On to banana crumb cake!  I am super pumped to share this recipe with you all. Oh my gosh…so good! The night I made it, my dad ate probably about 1/4 of the 13″ x 9″ pan!!! I KNEW he would like this one, as he is the banana king and loves basically anything associated with bananas (food-wise).

However, this was actually a request from my mom, so I guess I am just trying to make the whole family happy with this post today. Must be that I am getting close to high school graduation and starting to feel sentimental and stuff… yikes.

Banana Crumb Cake

(Makes one 13″x9″ cake)

3 bananas, ripened

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk (I used skim)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

CRUMB TOPPING:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray a 13″x9″ baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.
  2. Using a mixer, beat bananas and sugar until liquidy and combined. Mix in butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add in flours, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk until thoroughly combined.
  3. In a smaller separate bowl, mix together crumble toppings with hands or fork until crumbly.
  4. Pour half the batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, sprinkle half the crumb mixture on top, pour remaining batter over top, add final layer of remaining crumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean. Let cool and enjoy! Cover leftovers in container or with plastic wrap.

Banana Crumb Cake | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee. Of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.

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Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

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Peanut butter and banana, we meet again.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins | Beautiful Disasters

They’re just TOO good together! Seriously guys, if you don’t believe me or think it sounds funky…I assure you, it is awe-to-the-some.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins | Beautiful Disasters

Last time I combined this dynamic duo, I made a bread, but this time I opted for some muffins and sneaked in some oats for some nice added texture. I don’t know why, but oats totally rock my boat. I love them in cookies, bread, muffins, and everything! Oats just seem to fill everything out to make them more complete.

 

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins | Beautiful Disasters

Anyhoo, these are a perfect and easy breakfast treat or a nice on-the-go snack!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins | Beautiful Disasters

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

(Makes about 1 dozen muffins)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 cup milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup creamy peanut buter (or crunchy, if you want an extra crunch with the oats)

1 ripened banana, mashed

1 egg

2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola are good)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F and line about 12 muffin cups with liners, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, brown sugar, and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, peanut butter, mashed banana, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
  3. Add whisked wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until completely mixed in. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with your rubber spatula to be sure all the flour gets incorporated.
  4. Fill prepared muffin tins with batter, about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in tin for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer muffins to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy! Store leftovers in cake dome or sealed container. Be sure that when you are storing muffins they are completely cool, or else steam could build up, creating soggy muffins (yuck!)

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: A million dollars’ worth of $100 bills weighs only 22 pounds!

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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Peanut butter and banana may not seem like the most traditional combination to some people, but I just can not get enough of it. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches are like my life. (Yes, I lead a thrilling life)

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If you haven’t tried a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Do it NOW. Then make this bread…

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Back to the bread, it *does* have the peanut butter and banana combo going on but the banana is truly the shining star in this recipe. The peanut butter almost just gives it a little sweetness with a tiny hint of a different nutty flavor. If you want more of a peanut taste in here, chopped up peanuts (or any other nuts) would be awesome!

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

(Makes one loaf)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 bananas

2 eggs

1 little less than 1/3 cup skim milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar (or 1/3 cup buttermilk)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together smashed bananas, peanut butter, oil, milk-vinegar mixture (or buttermilk), eggs, sugars,and vanilla extract. Once combined mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until completely combined with no streaks of flour.
  4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes or until comes out witha few crumbs on it. If the bread is browning quicker than the middle is cooking, you can cover the top with foil partway through.

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Random Fact of the Day: In Uruguay intoxication is a legal excuse for having an accident while driving. “Please believe me officer, I really was drunk.”

 

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Caramelized Banana Bread

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Banana bread is something that is just perfect for everything.

Breakfast, snack, lunch, heck you could convert it into some sort of dinner I’m sure. Anyhow, I got saw this method of making banana bread last week and it just sounded too yummy to resist.

“Caramelized Banana” uh huh. I can dig it.

So basically you heat up some bananas, butter, and brown sugar in a skillet to make a yummy concoction. Then you get them all mixed up with your mixer, add some wet and dry ingredients. Bake it all up and consume your face off! Easy peasy.

Caramelized Banana Bread

3 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 ripe bananas, sliced

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used reduced fat)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose, 1 cup whole wheat)

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

pinch of salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray, it certainly helps to use a silicon loaf pan but a metal one will work as well. You may want to flour the pan, as well.
  2. Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in brown sugar and sliced bananas, sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let sit out of heat for about 10 minutes. Place banana mixture into bowl of mixer and beat until smooth.
  3. Combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together flour(s), baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately; beat at low speed until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging. Cool on wire rack in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and finish cooling. Enjoy!

Random Fact of the Day: Pogonophobia is the fear of beards

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Zucchini Bread

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I can not say I’ve had a ton of zucchini bread in my lifetime. My lifetime of 17 years. Maybe like 2 slices, literally.

Zucchini, a vegetable, it just doesn’t seem natural to be in a bread. Cinnamon should be in bread. Bread should be in bread. Bananas should be in bread. Chocolate is always acceptable. I’d take some peanut butter bread, too.

But then when you give zucchini bread a chance, you’re all like, ‘wait there are no vegetables in here! It’s delicious!’.

Sneaky little zucchinis. Got them again. ;)

Zucchini Bread

(Makes 1 loaf)

2 eggs

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons white sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine too!)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

pinch on nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray (I even sprayed my silicone loaf pan with cooking spray, save yourself the headache and just do it)
  2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and oil. Add in the sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix in the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nuts.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool on wire rack, then enjoy!

Random Fact of the Day: Pieces of bread were used to erase lead pencil before rubber came into use.

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