These muffins are seriously yummy. I ate about 8 of them, and could’ve just kept going and going and going; I`m sorry I didn’t double the recipe and put a dozen in the freezer for a rainy day!

And what’s not to love? These muffins are packed with banana flavor, better than any banana bread or muffin that I’ve ever had in that regard. There is no doubt that you’re eating banana with these babies! What else do I love? The big chunks of dark, dark chocolate, balancing out the sweetness of the banana and the bits of toffee I had tossed in the batter. They are moist, not too heavy and great for breakfast, snack or dessert (I ate about 8 of them, at all points during the day, so I’m pretty sure about that!)

Banana Chocolate Chunk Toffee Muffins
adapted from Food Network

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 2-3 bananas) (I never mash mine to a smooth mash – I like a few banana chunks in my muffins)
1 large egg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
5 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate
5 ounces toffee bits, Skor bits, any bits!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk until incorporated.

4. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients just until blended (IMPORTANT! Do not over-mix as it could result in a tough muffin). Stir in the chopped chocolate and toffee bits.

5. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

6. Bake the muffins until the tops are pale golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 30 minutes.

7. Transfer the muffins to rack to cool for 15 minutes. Then remove from the muffin tins.

I’ve already posted about my go-to banana bread, but I think this new banana bread recipe might have taken that top spot. I can’t be sure until I bake them both and taste them side by side, but as it stands right now, I’m pretty much in love with this banana bread.

I was looking for a banana bread recipe that used vegetable oil instead of butter, since I had a whole lot of bananas, but absolutely no butter. The original recipe was a bit lacklustre, so I added cinnamon and vanilla to it. Then I figured, why stop there? My favourite cereals are always of the maple-nut variety, so I candied some pecan with maple syrup and added those, and then when the loaf was done, drizzled maple syrup over the whole loaf.

The end result is a great one! The bread is very moist, even at the ends, but not so much that it’s undercooked in the middle. The candied pecans not only add crunch, but a sweet, candy-like crunch. The maple syrup at the end makes the top all crunchy, and is definitely the best part of the bread.

I’m definitely pleased with this bread, and with the ease that it comes together. I love finding new go-to recipes!

Maple Pecan Banana Bread
adapted from All Recipes
Printable Recipe

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup buttermilk (I used milk with lemon juice)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped, maple-candied pecans
6 tablespoons maple syrup, divided (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.

2. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and bananas.

3. Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in candied pecans. Mix well.

4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of maple syrup over the top while it’s still hot.

Maple-Candied Pecans

3/4 cup pecans
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Place pecans on foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle maple syrup over them.

Toast lightly for 3-4 minutes. Toss pecans and toast lightly again for another few minutes. Be careful not to burn them though!

Remove from pan, and chop coarsely.

(My apologies for the photos lately. Our tripod is currently unavailable, which leads to…well, the photos you’re currently being subjected to!)

It seems we’re having a short but intense heatwave this week. For the next two days, the temperature should reach about 40 degrees C, with the humidity! I can’t think of a better recipe to post during all this sticky, unpleasant heat than this wonderful, perfect roasted banana and rum raisin ice cream.

It’s basically David Lebovitz’s roasted banana ice cream, but for the boozers among us, I threw in a healthy dose of rum, as well as some heavily rum-soaked raisins. Because you roasted the bananas with brown sugar and butter, the banana flavour comes out very strongly in the ice cream. The touch of lemon is apparent, but adds a nice tartness to what might be otherwise too sweet of an ice cream. I loved the plump, rummy raisins that were scattered throughout, as well the rum in the ice cream as well. I wouldn’t want to imagine this ice cream without all that rum, as bananas and rum pair so brilliantly. Next time, I think I would even add a bit of cinnamon for an extra boost of flavour.

Another great thing about this ice cream, besides the taste, is that you don’t have to make a custard or use any eggs. It makes this ice cream so easy and quick to prepare, which is ideal when you’re in the middle of a heatwave!

Roasted Banana and Rum Raisin Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter, salted or unsalted, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
¼ cup raisins
4 tablespoons rum, divided

1. Put 2 tablespoons rum into a microwave-safe dish. Add the raisins and microwave for 1 minute. Put aside and let raisins soak up any additional rum.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the bananas into 1/2 inch pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2 qt baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring just once during baking.

3. Scrape the bananas and the thick syrup in the baking dish into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and puree until smooth.

4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. If the chilled mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisking will thin it out.

When I first saw the chocolate-caramel-banana upside down cake on The Food Librarian, I fell in love. I adore upside down cakes because of all their rich, sweet caramel soaking through the top, so making a chocolate cake and using thick slices of bananas on the top sounds like the perfectly heavenly cake. Sounds like the cake to make for Mother’s Day!

This cake certainly did not disappoint! It was quite the flavour combination: the chocolate cake was not overly rich, but moist with a still strong chocolate taste. However, all the caramel somewhat takes away from any strong chocolate flavour, making the chocolate a background note. The Food Librarian thought the original recipe was too sweet and would decrease the amount of sugar and butte topping, but I disagree; I thought it was the perfect amount! Upside-down cakes are supposed to be heavy on the caramel, and I thought the amount played wonderfully with the chocolate of the cake. As for the bananas, this cake had a great banana flavour. The bananas cooked their flavour down into the cake and across the caramel.

I served this warm with a dollop of caramel ice cream, and it was just divine. The next day, I ate a piece cold, and it was just as good, with a heavier, denser texture. Both ways, absolutely wonderful. If you are looking for a fun variation on the usual upside-down cake, then this is for you. If you just love chocolate, caramel and bananas, then this cake is great for that too. All in all, it is a simple cake to make and soooo good to eat.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake
adapted from The Food Librarian

TOPPING
1 stick butter
3/4 c light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

CAKE
3/4 c plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour
6 T (1/4 c plus 2T) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 t vanilla
2/3 c buttermilk (I just soured some normal milk with lemon juice)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9″ x 2″ cake pan.

2. Topping: Heat butter over medium heat until melted and foamy. Whisk in brown sugar, turn heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for two minutes or until the mixture is thick. Spread on the bottom of the 9″ cake pan.

3. Arrange the bananas in a circle on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.

4. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt.

5. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in vanilla.

6. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk (3 flour and 2 milk additions).

7. Scrape down the sides and then beat batter on high for 30 seconds.

8. Pour batter over the bananas and smooth out.

9. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit on wire rack for 5 minutes. Then carefully invert onto your serving tray. Let sit at least 20 minutes before diving in.

When you hear the words, “caramel banana cake,” do you envision a moist and fluffy banana cake swimming in a pool of rich caramel, or perhaps a thick layer of it smothering the top? A decadent dessert unlike any other? I know I do, because that exactly what I thought of when I came across the caramel banana cake on Technicolor Kitchen’s site. However, that’s not exactly what I got…

What I did get was a perfectly fluffy banana cake filled with walnut chunks, dark chocolate chips and a heavy, spicy dose of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a crunchy, sandy caramel bottom, which was just fine with me! This cake is not very different from any really good banana bread or cake; it’s got just the right amount of spices, the walnut crunchiness is a great addition to the texture of the cake, and using dark chocolate chips sparingly means just occasional hints of chocolate, so as not to take away from the great banana flavour.

My caramel was not exactly the caramel I was expecting though. I think I may have let it sit off the heat too long before pouring it over the hot-out-of-the-oven cake. The texture was sandy, and I had to pretty much spread it on the bottom of the cake. It got a lot harder, and quite crumbly, and adhered well to the cake, so that one I flipped it out of the bundt pan, the thick caramel crunch layer stuck nicely to the cake. I actually enjoyed it this way, it was like having little nuggets of maple fudge in it! Next time, I think I may attempt to fix my caramel error and not let it sit off the heat, and I’ll pour (or spread) it on the cake on the top, as it is a fairly plain-looking cake. But changes or not, I’d definitely make the cake again – it’s an easy, great bundt that is wonderfully flavourful. It’s not a decadent cake, but one that you can enjoy as much as any perfectly-made banana bread, with a little bit extra thrown in.

Caramel Crunch Banana Cake
adapted from Technicolor Kitchen
Printable Recipe

CAKE
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups (300ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil)
1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (75g) coarsely chopped walnuts
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (or chocolate chips)
3 ripe bananas, diced (or mashed)

CARAMEL:
½ cup (88g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

CAKE
1. Butter and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan that can hold 12 cups; preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, oil and sugar. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the sugar has been incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix for another 30 seconds.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then to ensure everything is incorporated.

6. Once the dry ingredients have been added, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the walnuts, chocolate and bananas. Gently fold them in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Don’t over mix.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes and then test the cake to see if it’s done by poking a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, bake the cake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

CARAMEL (CRUNCH)
1. About 5 to 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the caramel by combining all the ingredients in a small pan. Bring to the boil and stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.

2. Once the cake is out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer. Immediately pour the caramel over the cake, stopping every now and then to let the caramel sink in. If the caramel pools in spots, poke more holes to allow it to sink in.

3. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once it’s cool, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and then unmold it onto a plate.

If you like this, you might also like:

Banana Bread with Hazelnuts
Banana Crunch Muffins
Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

It was my turn to bring the Friday snack to work, which I look forward to, as it gets me into the kitchen. I had a few bananas ripening up on the counter, so I figured I should use them in whatever I decided to bring. When searching for something tasty to make, I came across these on Miss.Cupcake Face. They sounded wonderfully appealing to me, they became my choice.

I’m so happy I made these! They have a lot of flavour, a great cakey (and sooo moist) texture (more like cake than muffins), and the frosting is incredible. I changed the recipe a bit, using equal quantities of banana and pineapple, and I think it was a wise choice. I found the pineapple flavour to be very noticeable, especially given the juicy chunks of crushed pineapple that are scattered throughout each cupcake. The banana does play a predominant role, but that’s something I’m okay with. I wanted a banana flavour, with just hints of others. The toasted pecans are a necessity, adding a great crunch to the cupcakes and that oh-so-wonderful nutty flavour. I also fortunately upped the cinnamon.

And the frosting? Droooooooool. Again, I upped the cinnamon, and thankfully so. I reduced the amounts of all the ingredients too. I don’t know how much frosting people take on their cupcakes, but even with my reduced recipe and a heavily iced cupcake, I still have at least a cup of this stuff sitting in my freezer right now (which I will of course eat from sporadically with a spoon and nothing else). It’s definitely a cream cheese frosting, and the cinnamon is very noticeable.

These are excellent and versatile cupcakes (I’m thinking next time of adding coconut and using a white chocolate frosting), and good enough to serve at any type of occasion.

Is this what a hummingbird cake would likely taste like?

Pineapple Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Miss.Cupcake Face
Printable Recipe

CUPCAKES
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 medium sized bananas)
1/2 cups crushed pineapple (juice not included)
1 cup pecans, toasted & coarsely chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until everything is combined. Slowly add the sugar mixture into the flour mixture. Add the bananas, pineapple & pecans. Mix until incorporated. Divide batter between the cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

FROSTING
3/4 cup butter, slightly softened
8 oz cream cheese
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
Half and half cream, enough to get the consistency you like

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until everything is combined. Add the vanilla and the cinnamon.

If you like this, you might also like:

Banana Bread with Hazelnuts
Banana Gumdrop Loaf
Caramel Apple Cupcakes

It’s difficult to make a bad banana bread. They’re a very forgiving quickbread, but that doesn’t mean they’re always excellent. This one, however, is. It’s my banana bread go-to recipe.

The original recipe asks for pecans, which I have used, and loved! They become crunchy and almost candylike in the bread. This time, I had some leftover hazelnuts, so I used those instead. Pretty much any nut, dried fruit or chocolate can be thrown in here, and the end result will be fantastic.

My favourite thing about this recipe is how some of the bananas are barley mashed, so they’re still quite lumpy. Then they’re added at the end, so it gives the bread chunks of moist bananas throughout.

Banana Bread with Hazelnuts
adapted from Tyler Florence’s Banana Bread with Pecans
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup vegetable oil)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped (the original recipe calls for pecans, which I also love!)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

4. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don’t get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that’s no mistake, it’s typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

5. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

Do you have a favourite banana bread recipe? I’d love to put another good one on the banana-roster!

Oh! And don’t forget the giveway, one post down. Just two more days!