A Moment of Non-Authoring...

"Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work."

—Ralph Marston

Every now and then, I need to get away from the constant plots going on in my head and those too in the world around me. I usually turn to Youtube, do something crafty, or maybe even squeeze in a few zzz’s, but today, I baked. Now, I don’t bake often, as it often results in me eating what I’ve made—and my recipes are usually too good to turn down. For me, that’s been a life struggle—and that story is for another post a bit farther down the road—when you’ve got to know me better.

Anyway, today I made some delicious Banana Nut Cake (or bread if you choose to call it that). Now, there are two ways to make this bread. The “right” way (i.e., From a recipe by good housekeeping or home and garden or whatever) and my way—the better one!

Banana Nut Cake

Dry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1-2 cups chopped walnuts

Not—uh—dry:

1/2 stick butter melted or soft

1 tsp vanilla (or a little extra)

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup yoghurt

3-4 bananas mashed (or food processor-ized)

Milk as needed

Optional bits:

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 cup raisins

3 tbsp orange zest

1/2 cup oatmeal

Add dry ingredients into a bowl. Then add wet ingredients. You can dump ‘em in because lumps are allowed in this mixture. It should be batter, not dough, so add milk as needed—make sure it *mixed well. *Throw everything in a blender to save time and create a smoother mixture.

I use coconut oil or butter and sugar to coat the pan against sticking.

I’ve found that coconut oil is great if you want it to slip right out of the pan, while using sugar and butter to coat the pan will caramelize for a sweet, crunchy, outer layer.

Pour out into a bunt, 9x5 loaf, or Angel food pan (this is what I use). Finally, throw it in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 50 minutes or using the toothpick test, it comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, then remove to wire rack or foil to cool through. And voila, breakfast or dessert!

Have you made anything lately? Let me know in the comments.