chocolate chip banana cake

FIL grinned when I told him what I had done with the leftover bananas that were already overripe.

Yes, you guessed it correctly. I baked a cake using the overripe bananas.

As I intended to add chocolate chips to the cake, I decided to add brown sugar instead of castor sugar, so that the cake would not be too sweet. Also, the inclusion of the brown sugar would give the cake a brownish colour.

INGREDIENTS

5 overripe medium-sized bananas

3 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 tsp banana essence

1/3 cup water

1 cup sunflower oil

3 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

additional chocolate chips (for topping)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and flour a 9" round cake pan. Set aside.

3. Mash the bananas in a bowl using a fork. Set aside.

4. Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

5. Mix the brown sugar, banana essence, water and oil in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

6. Fold in the flour mixture using a wooden spatula and mix until the flour mixture disappears.

7. Stir in the chocolate chips.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

9. Top with additional chocolate chips.

10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

banana sunflower seed cake

When I baked this banana sunflower seed cake, my mother was at our home. She said that she could smell the sweetness of the overripe bananas while the cake was baking in the oven.

The secret to a delicious banana cake is the use of overripe bananas. Not only are overripe bananas softer (and hence easier to mash), they tend to be sweeter.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium overripe bananas

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup castor sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and flour an 8" round cake pan. Set aside.

3. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Sift the self-raising flour, salt and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

5. Mix the sugar, oil and water in a mixing bowl using a hand whisk. Add the mashed bananas and sunflower seed and mix well.

6. Fold in the flour mixture using a wooden spatula and blend well.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

8. Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

yoghurt sunflower seed bread

This type of bread is the kind that my Aunt SN (my mother's second sister) and my MIL like - plain and simple. Aunt SN once told me that she does not fancy "designer bread". *grin*

As I was busy at home, I decided to bake the bread from start to finish using my breadmaker. Usually, I will only use the breadmaker to prepare the dough and I will complete the baking process in my convection oven.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 tbsp warm water

3/8 cup warm low fat milk

1 1/2 tbsp butter (softened)

3/8 cup yoghurt drink - I used mixed fruits yoghurt drink

1 egg (beaten lightly)

3 tbsp castor sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

3 cups bread flour

2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

METHOD (fully automated)

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour and yeast) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are fully covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Set the breadmaker to bread mode and start the cycle.

5. When the cycle has been completed, remove the bread from the breadmaker and leave to cool on a wire rack.

METHOD (semi-automated)

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour and yeast) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are fully covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Set the breadmaker to "dough" mode and start the cycle.

5. When the cycle has been completed, turn the dough onto a floured board. Using floured hands, knead the dough 5 times.

6. Place the dough in a loaf pan that has been greased and lined with baking paper. Spread out the dough such that the dough touches the sides of the loaf pan.

7. Cover the loaf pan with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes.

jam fruitcake

With the baking of this jam fruitcake, I managed to use up the balance of the sugarfree seedless blackberry jam that we had in our refrigerator.

Despite the rather "wet" look of the cake that you see in this post, the cake is actually very moist and delicious.

INGREDIENTS

180g self-raising flour

250g butter (softened)

100g castor sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 cup sugarfree seedless blackberry jam

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Set aside.

3. Sift the self-raising flour in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

6. Add the vanilla essence and jam and beat until light.

7. Fold in the flour using a wooden spatula and stir until just blended.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

9. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean.

kaya pistachio cake

I used a hand whisk when I prepared the batter for this cake. If you have an electric mixer, I would encourage you to use it instead. I have found that batter whisked by hand is not as light as batter whisked by electric mixer. If, however, you do not have an electric mixer, fret not. This cake is just as delicious.

The kaya was bought from Chin Mee Chin. Those who live in the eastern part of Singapore would be familiar with this confectionery which has been in operation for eons. Their business is so good that everything is sold out by teatime each day.

INGREDIENTS

180g self-raising flour
1/2 cup pistachios
250g butter (softened)
100g castor sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup kaya

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and flour an 8" round cake pan. Set aside.

3. Sift the self-raising flour in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Use a walnut crusher to crush the pistachios. Alternatively, you can use a knife to cut the pistachios into small pieces.

5. Cream the butter and castor sugar until well blended, using either a hand whisk or an electric mixer.

6. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

7. Add the vanilla essence, kaya and pistachios. Mix well.

8. Fold in the flour using a wooden spatula and mix until blended.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

10. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

avocado & pear puree

Some of us do not like the taste of avocado. Although it is tasteless, there issuch a creamy texture to the avocado that eating avocado is an acquired taste.

For this puree (which can be used as a dip instead of baby/infant food), I added Packham pears to balance the creamy texture of avocado. The end result was a very smooth puree that had a hint of the taste of avocado without being overpowering.

INGREDIENTS

2 Packham pears
1 avocado

METHOD

1. Skin the pears, remove the cores and cut into cubes.

2. Slice the avocado into two, remove the seed and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the avocado.

3. Steam the pears and avocado for 15 minutes.

4. Puree the steamed pears and avocado until well blended.

pureed greenies

Ever since Da and I bought a Philips grinder, I have been having fun using it! Not only can you use it to puree food for consumption by babies, you can even use it to make salad dressing, etc.

If you tend to reach for the bottles of pureed vegetables for babies on the shelves in the supermarkets, why not give this recipe a try? It is easy and the only "hassle" is the time taken to cut the vegetables. Best of all, the end result is pureed vegetables that taste sweet and delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 large carrot

2 small Japanese sweet potatoes

1 small broccoli

1 cup sweet peas

20 sticks of asparagus

METHOD

1. Cut all the ingredients into small cubes.

2. Steam for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

3. Puree the vegetables until fine.

TIPS

1. The straighter the carrot, the sweeter it is.

2. For the broccoli, it would be advisable not to include the stem if you intend to feed babies with the pureed vegetables.

3. The pureed vegetables can be frozen and then heated up in the microwave oven before consumption.

banana oat bread

My Aunt SN likes homemade bread. I baked this banana oat bread specially for her.

The bread is very soft and slightly sweet. The taste of the banana is not overpowering and as such, this bread would complement savoury items such as western soup, sausages, etc in addition to sweet items such as peanut butter, jam, etc.

INGREDIENTS

1 overripe banana (mashed)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp warm milk
2 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp butter (softened)
3/4 tsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 instant oats - I used Quater instant oats
2 3/4 cup bread flour
1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour and yeast) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are totally covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Place the bucket in the breadmaker machine and set to "dough" cycle. Start the cycle.

5. When the cycle has been completed, turn the dough onto a floured board. Using floured hands, knead the dough 5 times.

6. Spread out the dough in a loaf pan that has been greased and lined with baking paper.

7. Cover the loaf pan with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes.

carrot bread

I like carrots. Not only are they tasty when eaten raw, they are very versatile as an ingredient. You can use carrots in cooking as well as baking.

Carrots are very widely used in Chinese cooking. They are perfect to add to stews as well.

When buying carrots, do select those that are straight. These carrots tend to be sweeter.

Here is a simple recipe for carrot bread that I created. The bread has a soft texture and is not overly sweet.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup milk (warm)
3/4 cup water (warm)
1 1/2 tbsp butter (softened)
3 tbsp castor sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup instant oats - I used Quaker instant oats
1 large carrot (shredded)
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp instant dry yeast

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour and yeast) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are totally covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Place the bucket in the breadmaker machine and set to "dough" cycle. Start the cycle.

5. When the cycle has been completed, turn the dough onto a floured board. Using floured hands, knead the dough 5 times.

6. Spread out the dough in a loaf pan that has been greased and lined with baking paper.

7. Cover the loaf pan with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes.

bacon loaf

Some people prefer streaky bacon to back bacon because streaky bacon crisps well when deep fried and make a delicious breakfast selection.

I like to buy back bacon because it is very versatile and can be used as an ingredient in my cooking or in my baking.

This time around, I tried to slice the bacon into larger slices. Alas, the blade of my breadmaker must be quite powerful because all the bacon ended up being tiny pieces in the loaf of bread. Be that is it may, the bread had the lovely aroma of bacon when baked.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups warm water

1/4 cup warm milk

1/2 tsp castor sugar

6 strips of back bacon (cut into large pieces)

3 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tsp instant dry yeast

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour and yeast) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are totally covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Place the bucket in the breadmaker machine and set to "dough" cycle. Start the cycle.

5. When the cycle has been completed, turn the bread onto floured board. Using floured hands, knead the bread 5 times.

6. Place the dough in the loaf pan and spread out the dough until the sides of the dough touch the sides of the loaf pan.

7. Cover the loaf pan with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.

8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes.

moist apple cake

I stumbled upon this creation accidentally.

Did you know that if you add the pureed fruit (that is sold as baby food) to your cake batter, it makes your cake very moist?

For this recipe, Heinz pureed fruity apple was used in the cake batter.

INGREDIENTS

1 large red apple

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup castor sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Heinz pureed fruity apple mixed with enough apple juice to make 1 cup of liquid

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and flour an 8" round cake pan. Set aside.

3. Skin the apple and cube the apple.

4. Sift the self-raising flour and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

5. Mix the castor sugar, oil and liquid apple in a mixing bowl using a hand whisk.

6. Stir in the cubed apple using a wooden spatula.

7. Fold in the flour mixture using a wooden spatula and mix until blended.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

9. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

10. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for 5 minutes before transferring the cake onto a wire rack for thorough cooling.

cheesy bacon ring

Pagnotta is a type of Italian bread that has a hard crust and a soft centre. In some parts of Italy, pagnotta is made into small round rolls.

Pagnotta is often used to make soup bowls, pizza crusts or focaccia.

I had in mind to bake something similar to pagnotta but I wanted to keep the process simple because we had a dinner appointment.

In the end, I decided to bake a cheesy bacon ring. The texture of this bread is similar to pagnotta in that the crust is harder while the centre is soft.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp castor sugar

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup milk powder

3 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tsp instant dry yeast

4 strips of back bacon (cut into small pieces)

grated Parmesan cheese

dried Italian herbs

bacon bits

Method

1. Place all the ingredients (except the brad flour, yeast, bacon, cheese, herbs and bacon bits) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are totally covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Place the bucket in the breadmaker machine and set to "dough" cycle. Start the cycle.

5. Five minutes into the dough cycle, open the lid of the breadmaker machine and add the back bacon without stopping the cycle. Let the cycle continue.

6. When the cycle has been completed, turn the dough onto a floured board. Using floured hands, knead the dough about 5 times.

7. Separate the dough into two portions and shape each portion in the shape of a ring.

8. Place each portion on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper.

9. Cover the baking tray with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

10. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.

prune yoghurt cake

When I was younger, I did not like to eat yoghurt. In the old days, there was no such thing as flavoured yoghurt. There was only one type of yoghurt sold - plain yoghurt. At that time, I disliked the sour taste of the plain yoghurt.

Nowadays, I do buy plain yoghurt. However, old habits die hard and I still do not eat plain yoghurt on its own. Instead, I use it in my cooking (eg. curries) or baking (eg. bread, cake, etc). I find that bread made using yoghurt are soft and tend to last longer without refrigeration.

When you bake the prune yoghurt cake, you may find that the cake is dense. Not to worry - despite this, the cake is moist and you may find yourself having a second helping.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp orange essence
1/2 cup sunflower oil
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 cups pitted prunes (chopped)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and line the bottom of an 8" round cake pan. Grease and the flour the sides of the cake pan. Set aside.

3. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Mi the plain yoghurt, castor sugar, eggs, lemon zest, orange essence, sunflower oil and orange juice in a bowl using a hand whisk.

5. Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

6. Stir in the chopped pitted prunes and mix well.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.