Pearls Banana Cake Food

OLD-FASHIONED BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.
• Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves, if using.
• Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

BANANA PEEL CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the cake: Cut the banana peels into 1-inch pieces and place them in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly, then drain the banana peels, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, butter and flour the sides of two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the pans again to coat the paper.
• Transfer the peels and the 1/4 cup of cooking water to a tall, narrow container and puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth (a mini food processor would do the trick, too!).
• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer (or a wooden spoon for an arm workout) until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until incorporated, and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the banana peel mixture, then stir in the buttermilk until well-combined.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter mixture and stir gently, just until combined.
• Put the egg whites in another bowl (make sure it's clean and dry!) and whisk until soft peaks form -- either by hand or with the whisk attachment on an electric mixer. If using an electric mixer, start slowly and gradually increase speed to medium-high. You're done when you pull out the whisk or beater and a soft peak is formed, but immediately collapses. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter and divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
• Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake pulls out with dry crumbs rather than wet batter, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.
• When the cakes are completely cool and you're ready to assemble, make the frosting: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Gradually whisk in 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add the additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar if the frosting is too loose. Use the frosting immediately, as it will begin to thicken and stiffen as it sits.
• To remove the cake from the pans, invert one cake pan on a serving plate, lift pan, and peel the parchment. Repeat for the second cake pan. Put one layer of the cake on a serving platter and spread about one-third of the frosting evenly over the top. Set the other layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

BANANA PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Peel and core pear. Mash the pear and bananas together. Stir in vanilla, rum and buttermilk. Set aside.
• Whisk flours, salt, baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in half the flour mixture until just incorporated, followed by one-third of the banana mixture, continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter looks thick and chunky. Be careful not to over mix.
• Pour the batter into a prepared 9 inch springform pan. Top with chopped pecans.
• Bake for 35 - 45 minutes.

GREAT GRANDMA PEARL'S ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH PEACHES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until smooth and glossy, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the egg whites to a large, wide bowl. Using a fine sieve, gradually sift the flour over the egg whites, gently folding in the flour with a spatula. Fold in the vanilla and almond extracts.
• Scrape the batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Using a table knife, slice through the cake batter several times to release any large air bubbles. Tap the cake pan once or twice on a flat surface. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 35 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert the pan onto the neck of a wine bottle and let cool completely.
• To loosen the cake, run a thin-bladed knife around the side and tube of the pan. Unmold the cake and transfer to a platter. Cut the cake into wedges and drizzle with some of the reserved syrup. Serve with the sliced peaches and whipped cream.

THE BEST BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan (see Cook's Note) with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two longer sides. Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• For the cake, mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher until very smooth. Whisk in the dark brown sugar, melted butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until smooth and combined. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture in thirds until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Use the foil overhang to remove the cake from the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, beat the butter, cream cheese and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Reduce to low speed, then add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Transfer 1/2 cup of the frosting to a small bowl and stir in the dulce de leche until smooth. Cover both frostings with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature until ready to assemble the cake.
• For the candied banana chips, warm the maple syrup in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until it just starts bubbling. Add the banana chips and cook, tossing and stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the chips have absorbed almost all the maple syrup and are browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately transfer the banana chips to a baking sheet, spread in an even layer and cool completely. Once cool, roughly chop.
• Transfer the cake to a serving platter. Spread about 3/4 cup plain cream cheese frosting all over the top of the cake.
• Dollop the dulce de leche frosting and remaining plain frosting on top, then use a small offset spatula to swirl both frostings together in a swooping design, making sure the frosting goes all the way to the edges of the cake. Top with the chopped candied banana chips.

PEARL'S BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper, then dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, mixing until blended. Add milk and mix until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until batter is smooth.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until cake is springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center of each cake layer comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
• Peel bananas and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then lightly brush with lemon juice (to prevent discoloring).
• Beat cream with superfine sugar and vanilla in a bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks.
• Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 3/4 cup whipped cream. Top with 1 layer of banana slices arranged side by side. Arrange second cake layer over bananas and spread remaining cream over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining bananas, overlapping slightly, on top of cake.

GRANDMOTHER'S BANANA STEW WITH TAPIOCA PEARLS (CHUOI CHUNG)

Steps:

• Bring the water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the tapioca pearls and stir to separate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tapioca becomes translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sugar and salt and stir well.
• Five minutes before the end of cooking time, peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each piece again into 4 pieces. Add them to the pan and cook until just soft. At this point the tapioca pearls should be clear and cooked.
• Remove from the heat and transfer to individual dessert bowls. Garnish with the peanuts and serve hot or at room temperature. (The pudding will thicken as it cools.)