Bonnies Classic Banana Bundt Cake Food

THE BEST BANANA BUNDT CAKE (DORIE GREENSPAN)

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. (If you use a silicone pan there's no need to butter it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
• Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes inches Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to debubble the batter and smooth the top.
• Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature. If you have time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit overnight before serving - it's even better the next day.
• OPTIONAL LEMONY WHITE ICING: Sift 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar into a bowl and squeeze in enough fresh lemon juice (start with 2 teaspoons and add more by drops) to make an icing thin enough to drizzle down the Bundt's curves.
• MUFFIN OPTION: Halve the recipe. You can add nuts or chocolate chips. Bake 28-32 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.

CLASSIC BANANA BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9 to 10-inch (12 cup) bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half of the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.
• Bake 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes- if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.
• If you've got time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving- it's better the next day.
• Use an electric mixer to blend together the frosting ingredients. Add just enough milk to make the glaze thin enough so that it will drip down the sides of the cake, but not so thin that it will drip off of the cake. If you accidentally get it too thin, just add more powdered sugar. Spoon the glaze onto the top of the cake and let it ooze down the sides.

BONNIE'S CLASSIC BANANA BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Bake your bananas. Put them on a small metal pan and bake them at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes until the skins turn black. Remove the bananas from the oven and let them cool while you make the cake. (leave them unpeeled; you will snip the end off and squeeze the banana into the mixture later)
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with Pam. Set the cake directly on the rack, not on a cookie sheet. (This is so the heat can go up through the center of the bundt pan to ensure even baking.) You may need to cover with a tent of foil if the cake gets too brown.
• Combine the flour, baking soda and the salt and whisk together, set aside.
• Add butter to the stand mixer bowl and beat until creamy. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy (no grainyness remains) I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a paddle attachment. You can use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer. When mixing the sugar and butter, it is important that you mix it until the grainyness is gone.
• Beat in the vanilla, and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating about a minute after you add each egg.
• Turn the mixer down to low, snip the ends off the small end of the banana and squeeze the banana like a tube of toothpaste. It will fall right out of the peel. Add all the bananas (except the one reserved for garnish)
• Mix in half of the dry ingredients, add the sour cream, add the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing well until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the well-greased bundt pan, smoothing the top, rapping it onto the counter to remove the bubbles. Add the banana slices to make the flower design on top.
• Bake in the oven 65 to 75 minutes. Watch carefully that it doesn't overbrown (add the foil tent if it is browining too fast) Test the center with a thin knife close to the center. Cool cake on a rack 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature. Here is what it looks like when it is done! Enjoy!
• Note: You may serve the cake plain, dust with powdered sugar, or try a variety of icings.

BONNIE'S BEST BANANA BREAD - BONNIE STERN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• In a small bowl combine bananas with buttermilk and baking soda.
• In a medium sized bowl beat butter with brown sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In yet another bowl combine flour with baking powder and salt.
• Add flour to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk/bananas beginning and ending with flour.
• Transfer to a 6 cup/1.5L loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.