Cinnamon Banana Cake

This cake is from The Idea Room, and we tried it for the first time today.  It looks a lot like a typical coffee/breakfast cake, but I love that the cake has bananas in it- it was really moist and good.  This is going onto my list of favorites!

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1 dash salt

3 c. flour

1 pint sour cream (2 cups) or vanilla yogurt

Blend butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients.  In another bowl, make the filling.

Filling:

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

1 c. chopped walnuts (I used sliced almonds)

1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Layer batter and filling twice in a 9x13 pan.  Bake 350 for 45 minutes.  If the middle isn't done, cover with foil and cook 5 minutes more.  

Oatmeal Cake

This is another of my favorite cakes- it's from the "Food Nanny" cookbook.

1 1/2 c. water

1 c. oats

1 3/4 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

Caramel Coconut Glaze

Boil the water in a small saucepan.  Stir in the oats.  Cover and let stand 20 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Stir in oats.  Stir in dry ingredients and mix well

Scrape batter into pan and bake 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mix the glaze and spread it on the warm cake.

Caramel Coconut Glaze

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. coconut

1 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts, or sliced almonds

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add brown sugar and milk.  Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add coconut and nuts.

Thirty-Minute Cocoa Cake

This is my very favorite chocolate cake recipe.  In fact, Annie wanted to make a chocolate cake last week for FHE, and I couldn't find this recipe, so we made a different one.  It was good, but really it just made me want to make this recipe.  So I drove over to Mom and Dad's, while they were gone, to find and copy the recipe, and we made it last night.  It really is the best, at least for my family!  You probably all have this already, since it's from the "Managing Your Meals" cookbook, but I wanted to put it on here so I won't ever lose it again!

1 c. butter

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. water

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 t. soda

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla 

Quick Cocoa frosting

In medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and water; bring to boil over medium heat, cooking until butter is melted; set aside.  In large mixing bowl, stir together sugar flour, soda and cinnamon.  Add cocoa mixture; blend.  (Save cocoa pan, unwashed, for making frosting.)  Beat together buttermilk and eggs; stir into batter.  Add vanilla.  Pour into ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Five minutes before cake is done, begin to make Quick Cocoa Frosting.  Frost cake as soon as it comes from oven.  

Quick Cocoa Frosting

In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 c. butter, 1/4 c. cocoa, and 1/3 c. milk.  Bring to boil; simmer 3 minutes; remove from heat.  Stir in 3 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 t. vanilla; beat until smooth.  If desired, stir 1 c. chopped nuts into frosting.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I made this last Saturday for Tim's birthday.  It's not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of birthday cakes, but it's one of Tim's favorites.  This recipe turned out so much better than the standard pineapple rings and yellow cake mix.  Much classier.  :)

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Melt 1/2 c. butter in a 9x13 pan in the oven (350).

Add 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, then layer 1/2 c. sliced almonds and 1 can crushed pineapple, well drained.

For the cake:

Cream 12 T.  (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened,

1 1/2 c. sugar

Add: 4 large eggs

1 c. buttermilk (or sour milk- add a little lemon juice to regular milk)

1 t. vanilla

Mix in: 1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour (this was an accident, but it turned out great)

Scrape batter on top of the pineapple layer and smooth.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean (40-50 minutes).  Remove from oven.  Run a knife around the sides, let cool for a couple of minutes.  Invert a serving platter (or a cookie sheet) on top of the pan.  Cover your hands with oven mitts and turn the cake onto the platter.  Lift off the pan.  If any topping remains in the pan, use a spatula to put it back on top of the cake.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.