step-by-step « Tags « Zoom Yummy – Crochet, Food, Photography

Banana Bread

February 9, 2010March 5, 2014 by zoomyummy

What comes to your mind when you think of banana bread?

To me it’s BEAUTIFUL.

And FRAGRANT.

And IRRESISTIBLE.

And a piece of sweet art.

The kind of food that makes me feel really good.

I missed this art in my life lately.

And that is unacceptable.

So I just created it…

~~~

To make wonderful Banana Bread you need:

1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ripe large bananas, sliced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~~~

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C).

2. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

They will become wonderfully tender and fragrant.

3. These are our dry ingredients.

Pour them into a larger bowl and mix them.

4. After you toasted the nuts chop them coarsely,…

… add them to the flour mixture,…

… and give it all a good mix.

5. These are our wet ingredients – the sliced bananas, lightly beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

6. Mash the bananas.

7. Add the eggs, the butter and the vanilla to the bowl.

Mix, mix, mix.

8. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined.

The batter should be thick and chunky (try not to over mix here – the bread could end up being tough and rubbery – and we don’t want that).

9. Butter and flour (or spray with a non-stick spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

Fill it with the lovely batter.

10. And bake for about 55-60 minute (or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean).

Mmmmm, this smells wonderful…

Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove from the pan.

11. Enjoy dear friends…

… and remember that there are many more lovely posts for you to see here.

(This recipe was adapted from joyofbaking.com.)

Total119
2
36
0
79
0

Heavenly Banana-Pudding Squares

January 26, 2010 by zoomyummy

These squares are truly heavenly.

Especially for banana and pudding lovers like me, for example.

So if you feel like something delicious like this, here is the recipe…

~~~

To prepare the Heavenly Banana-Pudding Squares you need:

1 package (400 grams) puff pastry

4 ripe bananas

1 1/2 packets (180 grams) sponge biscuit rounds (or lady fingers)

1 packet powdered vanilla pudding (without sugar)

1 packet powdered banana pudding (without sugar)

12 tablespoons sugar (for the pudding)

4 cups (1 liter) milk (or any amount the two puddings call for in their instructions)

confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on top

~~~

1. Let the puff pastry thaw according to the instructions on the package.

2. Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C).

3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to twice the size of the baking pan you are going to use (we need one layer of the puff pastry for the bottom and one for the top of the pie).

Using a knife, cut the rolled out dough into two equal parts.

Transfer the first sheet onto the bottom of the greased pan.

4. Now we are going to need the sponge biscuit rounds. They are soooo yummy – I grew up on them.

Place the biscuits over the puff pastry layer.

Nice!

5. Take 4 sweet ripe bananas.

Cut each of them into two halves…

… and then into slices.

Just like this.

6. And onto the biscuits they go.

7. Now it’s the right time to prepare the pudding (follow the instructions on the packet).

Mix the vanilla pudding with the banana pudding and prepare them both together.

Mmmmm… – this already smells heavenly.

8. Pour the pudding over the biscuits and bananas…

… and spread it with a spoon until everything is nicely covered with the pudding.

9. Cover the pudding layer with the second part of the dough.

The pudding is going to release steam while baking so it’s fine to help it a bit by creating these little steam vents.

(Since the pie tends to rise while baking I recommend placing a piece of aluminium foil right underneath the baking pan – onto the bottom of the oven – just in case a few drops of pudding overflow. The aluminium foil will catch any spills and you can remove it from the oven easily.)

10. Bake for about 35-40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let set and cool.

Sprinkle with some confectioner’s sugar if you feel like it.

Oh, and cut into squares of course.

Store in a refrigerator and – most importantly – ENJOY Dear Friends!

(There are many more lovely posts for you to see here.)

Total848
4
23
0
821
0

Chocolate Pretzels

November 17, 2009 by zoomyummy

I have experimented a bit today …

The inspiration to make these cookies comes from Martha’s Chocolate Pretzels but I have changed her recipe quite a lot.

These pretzels taste like coffee, chocolate and cinnamon all together.

Quite pleasing combination, hm?

~~~

To make these lovely pretzels you need:

1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa

4 teaspoons instant coffee

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

10 tablespoons boiling water

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 2/3 cup (220 grams) all-purpose flour

confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on top

~~~

1. In a small bowl, mix together the instant coffee, cocoa and cinnamon.

(OK, you are right, there’s no cinnamon in the bowl. My brain just doesn’t work so well in the morning and I tend to forget things. I added the cinnamon as the last step.)

2. Pour the boiling water into the bowl and stir thoroughly. Set aside.

3. Put the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer.

Mix until creamy.

Then add the egg, vanilla extract and salt and mix again.

4. Add the cocoa-coffee-cinnamon mixture and beat slightly.

5. Gradually add flour, and mix until a smooth dough forms.

6. Turn out on a lightly floured counter and form a ball.

Wrap in foil and refrigerate for about one hour.

7. Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C).

8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

9. Shape the dough into a log and cut it into 18 equal pieces.

Form a small ball from each piece.

Shape the balls into 12-inch-long (30 cm) ropes.

10. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape (I recommend doing this on the baking sheet because it might get a bit awkward to transfer them onto the sheet).

11. Some granulated sugar on top. Here we go…

Bake for 10 minutes.

12. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

If you’d like your cookies a bit more festive you can sprinkle them with some confectioner’s sugar.

These cute and delicious pretzels can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Total445
2
11
0
432
0

Brownie Tart

November 1, 2009 by zoomyummy

This Brownie Tart recipe is very unique and interesting because it changes casual brownies into an elegant dessert.

The trick is done by exchanging the usual square baking pan for the more formal tart pan.

And that is not all!

There are polka dots of delicious ganache that cover the surface of the tart.

Trust me, eating this dense, moist and fudgy chocolate wonder is pure bliss!

~~~

To make the Brownie Tart you need:

1 cup (110 grams) walnuts, toasted and chopped

14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 ounces (85 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese

1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the Ganache you need:

2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

~~~

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (176 C).

2. Toast nuts for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Let cool and chop into pieces.

Set aside.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F (165 C).

4. Grease or spray you fluted tart pan with a nonstick vegetable oil and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

5. In a metal bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter.

6. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

Then remove from the heat.

7. Add the cocoa, …

8. … and the sugar.

9. Then add the eggs (one at a time) beating well after each addition.

10. Beat in the vanilla and then stir in the cream cheese.

11. Add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated.

12. Stir in the nuts.

13. Pour the batter into the tart pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

14. While the tart is baking you can make the ganache.

Place the chopped chocolate into a small bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.

Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate.

15. Stir until smooth.

16. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Then remove the tart from the pan.

With the end of a wooden spoon that is well greased (I dipped it in vegetable oil) make holes into the top of the tart.

It is good to twist the wooden spoon while inserting it. Thus you prevent the tart from tearing.

17. Using a small spoon (or a pastry bag, or a small plastic bag) fill the holes with the ganache.

Let the tart cool completely and then cover and refrigerate.

18. Well, only one half happened to get refrigerated in our household.

Yummy!

This recipe was adapted from here.

Total107
3
22
0
82
0