Banana walnut Cake

I am not a great fan of bananas, my husband loves them. But he likes greenish yellow bananas which are not too sweat and not totally ripened. He has to take a banana to work every day and if they become sweat their fate is my Banana cake haha.
Therefore my relationship with banana loaf is since long.
I followed a simple recipe earlier, now I have improvised the recipe, I have added a bit of crunchy topping to it. Hope my friends enjoy the blend of banana with a touch of cinnamon to it.

You will need:
for the cake
2 cups plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder (bp)
1 tsp bicarbonate soda (bs)
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 sweat bananas mashed with fork
1/4 cup milk

for crunchy topping
1/2 cup ready rolled oats
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Action:
With an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar till soft and smooth about 4-5 minutes, then on lowest speed add butter.
In a separate bowl mix all the dry stuff ( flour, bp, bs, salt )
Now gradually add the dry ingredients and milk one at a time to the egg mix. add vanilla extract, mashed bananas and mix well.

Put the batter into a line tray with grease proof paper or butter paper

Now mix all the ingredients of crunchy topping together and crumble them up with your fingers.

 Spread the crumble mix over the batter



Bake at 180 deg for 20 minutes or check with wooden skewer. Baking time will vary according to the depth of the cake tin.

Hot banana cake tastes great with clotted cream. Enjoy.



Pinacolada Cupcakes

Baking fairy cake was my first attempt in baking. My first batch was brilliant and then it was every other day, while my tea was brewing cup cakes were in the oven. Thanks to electric mixers but it made my mixing job as quick as in 5 minutes.
I love the sweat smell of hot batter from my oven. Love the way my daughters peek into the oven to check them swelling and my little one asking again and again "Is it cooked yet?"
I prefer to flavour my cake mix more than flavouring the icing therefore have tried different ones plain Madeira, Lemon, Coffee, Pineapple, Banana, Chocolate, Red velvet, Carrot, Coconut, Safron and Cardoman. My most basic all time favourite icing had been Cream cheese frosting yum.
Here is the recipe of my Pinacolada cup cake:
4 Eggs
8 oz granulated sugar
8 oz melted butter
1/2 tsp Vanila extract
1 tsp pineapple flavouring
8 oz Selfraising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz  sweat pineapple chopped in small peices

In an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes on high speed till light fluffy, switch the mixer to lowest speed, add butter, the flavourings and gradually dry ingredients.
Finally add the pineapple chunks and mix with a metal spoon.
Scoop the mix into lined muffin tins, and bake at 180 degree for 8-10 min. check with a wooden skewer into the middle of the cake if it comes out without anything uncook mix on it, Its done.

For the frosting:
250 ml whipping cream
2 oz Icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 cup desicated coconut

Mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer.

Scoop onto cooled down cupcakes with flower nozzle through a piping bag. Sprinkle more desicated coconut and decorate with pineapple chunks.

Flavour of pinepple with coconut frosting is a delicious blend of 2 flavours.