Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Light and Fluffy Banana Cake


I love cooking and doing stuffs in the house. My husband always tells me to keep a record of my recipes specially the cakes so my daughter could have it when she grows up and I could pass it on. So here I am starting a blog exclusively about my home making adventure while we are here in Saudi Arabia and how we are trying to live providently as we adjust to the cultural differences and market availability of certain foods we used to  love.

The thing about my love for baking cakes is I keep on experimenting how to substitute and make the usual basic recipes a healthier version until I come up with my own recipe. Sometimes I also lose tract of the recipe and I have to keep going experimenting again. Hopefully blogging about it can help me not to lose my notes.

Banana cake is one of my dear husband's favorite cakes. I also love making it because I hate throwing the overripe bananas that we have on our table.

For years I've been trying the best recipe for banana cake. Usually, I end up with the yummy but overly dense and super moist ones which is not my favorite.

Today as I try substituting and experimenting on recipes I end up with a healthier version of super light and fluffy banana cake that calls for yogurt, and canola oil which I think is healthier than the other recipes that call for butter.


You may get the recipe here.

Chocolate Swiss Rolls

Baking has been one of the things I enjoy doing. Although most of the time, my cooking would end up in a messy disaster or its not edible at all, I'm grateful for many lessons I'm getting from those experiences. I still remember the first time I tried baking some dinner rolls, and I end up with those inedible tiny hard as stone bread, but at least we enjoy the nice aroma of baked yeast in the entire house which fooled my husband when he came home because he thought it smells yummy. On one occasion, my cake ended up with the texture of a bread

Anyway this recipe is one of the many experiments that turned out well.

Chocolate Orange Swiss Rolls

6 eggs
1/2 cup flour + 1tbsp
3 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup sugar +2 tbsp
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp oil
orange zest


beat egg whites and add a tbsp of sugar once in a while about 10 minutes. use only the 1/2 cup of sugar.

beat the egg yolks add 2 tbsp sugar and let it froth, then add the 3 tbsp oil, vanila, orange zest, and salt

sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder three times

gently beat the egg yolk mixture to the egg whites and once incorporated fold in the flour and cocoa mixture.

spread in the parchment lined pan

bake at preheated oven 450 deg F for 15 minutes or until it springs back to touch.


filling

1 bar favorite chocolate bar, I used Galaxy

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cocoa powder


melt chocolate in microwave at low for 1 minute or until slightly melted but not too hot.

pour whipping cream and beat while adding cocoa and vanilla. Add sugar if you prefer it sweeter otherwise this should taste a bit of dark chocolate.