Banana | Veggie Belly | Vegetarian Recipes

oatmeal-bruleed-bananas

Its really weird, I’ve been craving bananas like crazy. No im not pregnant thankyou very much. Just a craving for some nice, ripe, sweet bananas in an un-pregnant sort of way. This breakfast dish of oatmeal and bruleed bananas hit all the right notes. Its easy enough to make on a busy morning; the oatmeal takes 4 minutes to make and you can brulee the bananas while the oats cook. This is also special enough to serve guests..wow them with some brulee torch action!

creme-brulee-torch-and-bananas

If you have a creme brulee torch, just skim the top of the sugar with the flame till sugar melts. I enjoy my creme brulee torch. Its theraputic in a pyromanic kinda way. But dont get carried away with the creme brulee torch, be careful not to burn the sugar! If you dont have a brulee torch, just stick the sugar topped banana pieces under the broiler.

bruleed bananas oatmeal

Oatmeal with Bruleed Bananas Recipe

serves 1

1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 small banana
2 tbsp brown sugar, more if you like it sweeter. You could also use regular white sugar.
1 tbsp butter, optional. I didnt use.
a tiny pinch of salt
1/8th scant tsp allspice or cinnamon or pumpkin spice

Bring milk to boil, add oats and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes (or cook the oats according to package instructions). Add sugar to oatmeal if desired.

Cut the banana into about 1/2 inch thick discs. Mix sugar, butter if using, salt and allspice/cinnamon/pumpkin spice. Place equal amounts of this mixture on top of cut banana discs. Gently pat the sugar mixture down so that it covers most of the banana disc. Using a creme brulee torch on low heat, brulee the sugar mixture just till it melts (see picture above). Take care not to burn the sugar.

To brulee without a creme brulee torch – Place banana slices topped with brown sugar mixture on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and broil on low just till the sugar melts and becomes golden. Be careful not to burn the sugar.

banana-chocolate-cup-cake4

When life gives you bananas, you wish they didn’t all ripen at the same time. But because your wish will never come true, you should banana cupcakes! Or rather, half banana, half chocolate cupcakes. These are banana-chocolate, yellow-brown, yin-yang cupcakes. This recipe was born out of a need to use up overly ripe bananas and some baking chocolate that was nearing its expiry.

flour-sugar-vanilla-baking-poweder-chocolate-eggs-banana-butter-for-cupcakes

Cake flour makes things light and airy because of its lower protein content. If you don’t have cake flour, just use all purpose flour; you’ll have slightly denser, but tasty cupcakes.

cream-butter,-sugar,-salt-and-eggs,-then-fold-in-flour

Beat sugar, eggs and salt together. Then beat in butter and vanilla. Fold in cake flour, baking soda and baking powder. This is your basic cake mixture.

divide-batter-in-half-fold-in-chocolate-and-banana

Divide the batter in half. Add a mashed banana to one half and melted chocolate to the other half of the batter.

spoon-into-muffin-tin

Now you are ready to make your yin yang, half and half cupcakes. Just place a spoon of the chocolate mixture to one side of a cupcake or muffin tin. Then place a spoon of the banana batter on the other side, so that the muffin cup is filled one half with chocolate and one half with banana batter.

You could also make banana-chocolate swirl or marble cakewith both these batters. Spoon the banana and chocolate batters alternatingly onto a cake tin. Then using a spatula, gently make swirling patterns through the batter to get the marbled cake effect.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes and you’ll have banana-chocolate cupcakes!

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes. The mashed banana keeps the cupcakes incredibly moist.

chocolate-banana-cupcakes

Note: there is a consistency difference between the banana and chocolate halves of the cupcake. I find that the chocolate part is a bit brownie-like (maybe because I used melted chocolate and not cacao powder?). Next time, to even out the consistency, I may mix the mashed banana into the entire batter and then stir in some cacao powder to one half of the banana batter.

The secret to perfect cakes

Don’t over mix the batter. Only fold/mix the batter till the ingredients have just combined. Don’t over handle or over mix the batter.
Don’t over bake the cake. You’ll land up with dry cakes if you over bake them. If your kitchen smells like cake, it means its ready to come out of the oven in a few more minutes. (A tooth pick inserted into the cake must come out clean).

Chocolate-Banana Yin-Yang Cupcakes
Makes about 12 cupcakes

6 tbsp butter at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar (use upto 3/4 cup if you want it sweeter)
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
¾ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup cake flour or all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
½ cup mashed ripe banana (1 large ripe banana)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted over a double boiler.

Preheat oven to 350f. If you are not using a non-stick muffin tin, grease the tin with a little butter and dust it with a little flour.

Using an electric beater or stand mixer, whisk butter, sugar and salt on high speed for about 1 minute. Then add eggs and vanilla and whisk for about 4 minutes of high or till the mixture is pale and fluffy. Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Fold this gently into the egg mixture. Don’t over mix. Divide the cake batter in half. Mix in mashed bananas to one half and melted chocolate to the other half.

Spoon the chocolate and banana batters into muffin tins as shown in the pictures above. Bake for about 18-22 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

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Tag Archives: banana

Bruleed Bananas and Oatmeal

Oatmeal with Bruleed Bananas Recipe

Chocolate-Banana Yin-Yang Cupcakes