Banana Curd Food

BANANA CURD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add banana puree, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Beat eggs and egg yolk in a bowl until foamy. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons hot banana mixture to temper the eggs. Slowly add egg-banana mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the back of a spoon is coated with the curd, 4 to 7 minutes.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Combine all the banana curd ingredients EXCEPT butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until fully combined. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan set over medium heat and add the butter.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon-do not boil. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. (You may need to use a spatula to press the curd through the sieve.)
• Cool curd to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours). Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 to 22 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
• Whisk the coffee (or wateand cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together into a second mixing bowl and set aside.
• Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer set to high speed. Continue beating on high until mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed-this will take about 5 minutes.
• Turn mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Cool cupcakes completely in pan for 20 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until very smooth. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, the cocoa powder, 6 tablespoons milk, and salt and beat to combine.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then turn mixer to medium and beat for a minute or two, until frosting is smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick.
• Use a small paring knife to cut a hole about 1 inch across and 1 inch deep in each cupcake. Reserve the cake you cut out of the holes.
• Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons of banana curd into each cupcake. Trim the cake you removed from the holes so it will fit over the filling as a sort of plug, then replace the plug in the hole.
• Spread or pipe the chocolate frosting over each cupcake, then top slice of banana if desired. Serve.

BANANA CURD

Steps:

• Mash the banana, using a wooden spoon oR fork. Melt the butter slowly in a heavy based pan, then add the sugar, bananas, lemon rind and juice. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Beat the eggs with a wooden spoon, then gradually beat in 3 tablespoons of the banana mixture, (doing this; perevents the eggs from curdling.).
• Pour onto the remaining banana mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; but do not boil.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

FLUFFY BANANA CAKE WITH BANANA FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray three 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line each bottom with a cut-to-size parchment or wax paper circle. Spray tops of paper and set aside. Tip: If you only have two 9" cake pans, bake 2 layers, and store remaining batter covered on counter. Bake 3rd layer in COOLED cake pan.
• In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl cream 3/4 cup butter with sugar until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Mix in vanilla and (optional) banana extracts.
• Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to creamed butter / sugar and combine. Alternate with 1/3 buttermilk and mix well. Repeat until all the flour and buttermilk has been mixed in. Mix in mashed banana mixture.
• In a separate clean, dry bowl beat the reserved egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the banana cake batter. Gently fold in remaining 2/3 until no streaks remain. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 23-26 minutes (about 5 minutes longer if using gluten free flour) or until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Turn onto wire racks and cool completely.
• Place all the banana filling ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until fully incorporated and smooth. If you have an immersion blender, put everything in medium saucepan and blend it in there.
• Heat banana cream filling mixture in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until the mixture becomes very thick and starts to boil, about 10-15 minutes. If the filling starts to boil before it is thick enough, lower the heat more. When the filling starts to cleanly pull away from sides of pan while stirring it is done.
• Remove from heat and cool completely. I recommend chilling the filling until cold so it sticks to the cake layers and doesn't slide around. Makes 2 cups.
• Place the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Measure 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and remove 6 tablespoons, adding it to the saucepan. Place the remaining measured cream in the refrigerator. Heat the sugar, cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons of heavy cream over medium heat, whisking constantly and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool completely, about 45 minutes (can refrigerate to speed up process, but stir occasionally).
• After the cornstarch mixture has cooled, beat the remaining chilled cream until tracks begin to show, about 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Place cake layer on serving platter and pour 1/2 the banana curd filling in the middle and smooth out until it reaches the edge. Gently place 2nd layer on top and repeat. Place top layer on and smooth whipped cream all over the outside of the cake.

MANGO-BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter three 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and egg yolk in large bowl until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas in 3 additions each. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over top. Spread half of Mango Curd over frosting. Top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over. Spread remaining half of Mango Curd over frosting. Top with third cake layer. Spoon 3/4 cup frosting into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Spread remaining frosting around sides and over top of cake. Pipe frosting around top edge of cake. Arrange mango slices around top edge of cake. Garnish cake with mint. (Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.)

BANANA CURD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add banana puree, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.n
• Beat eggs and egg yolk in a bowl until foamy. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons hot banana mixture to temper the eggs. Slowly add egg-banana mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the back of a spoon is coated with the curd, 4 to 7 minutes.n