Banana

There is something comforting about bananas. Especially when they're baked into carbaliciousness.

This is creation falls somewhere between a light, moist banana bread and a banana cake. Roasting the bananas gives a more potent natural sweetness by caramelizing the sugars in the fruit. Browned butter provides some nutty undertones. This bread/cake would be fabulous plain or with a handful of chocolate chips thrown into the batter. Or just as wonderful baked with a crumb topping in a loaf pan (note: longer baking time!) or in a rectangular pan, cooled, then frosted with a cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of walnuts.

OR, if you happen to be slated as a guest in your child's preK classroom, expected to arrive and do something interesting, engaging, and possibly tasty with the kids...

Well. You could show up with this cake for a fun edible craft. You could let the 4 year olds use their hands to smush up 3/4 of the cake with a bit of softened cream cheese and butter, then shape balls and mold them into little mice (yes MICE!). You could use 1/4 of the cake to toast cake crumbs for fur. You could roll the little smashed-cake mice in melted chocolate, toss in cake-crumb fur, then press in pepita seed ears, toasted rice eyes and nose, and stick in a licorice whip tail. IF you were so inspired.

Hee hee.

Making chocolate-banana cake mice was fun। But you can just have comfort if you'd rather not smash up a cake with your hands. (But, admit it. You secretly want to.)

And remember, October is Fair Trade Month! So, buy your bananas and chocolate fair trade. So that everyone can feel good about you eating them, including children & adults involved in the growth, harvest, and sale. Yes, it's more expensive. Yes, you might have to ASK your grocer to start carrying them or buy them less frequently elsewhere (Whole Foods or a co-op). It's worth it. Want more info? Go here.
Roasted Banana Cake
serves 12

3 bananas, roasted
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 c butter, browned
1 c brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 c white (bread) flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/4 c buttermilk



Roast bananas for 20min at 400degF, with skin on. Once cool enough to handle safely, remove banana flesh to a mixing bowl and top with lemon juice. Reduce oven heat to 325.





Brown 3/4 c butter in a स्किल्लेट. Add brown sugar and stir until melted into butter. Add to mixing bowl with bananas. Allow to cool briefly. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.


Mix dry ingredients together (flours through nutmeg). Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter.





Bake in a buttered 9x13" pan at 325 for approximately 30min or until barely golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.