Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Yet another Bon Appetit recipe worth making.  This cake is almost a cross between a bread and a cake.  It is a dense but moist cake.  I have also made a half recipe and baked it as two small loaves as a banana bread.  The recipe calls for a peanut butter frosting which makes a nice combination but I have also made it with a chocolate frosting and liked it just as much.  If trying it with chocolate frosting use the recipe used with the chocolate cake recipe posted.


INGREDIENTS

CAKE
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ cups cups sugar
1 cup cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup cup (packed) light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cups mashed very ripe bananas
1 cup cup sour cream
1 10-oz. bag mini chocolate chips
FROSTING
2 cups cups creamy peanut butter
1½ cups cups powdered sugar
1 cup cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ teaspoon tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, and chocolate kisses


PREPARATION

CAKE
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment; coat paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in vanilla.
Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend. Add bananas and sour cream; beat just to blend. Fold in mini chips. Divide batter evenly among pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely.
FROSTING
Using an electric mixer, beat first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until a light and fluffy frosting forms, 2–3 minutes.
Place 1 cake on a platter. Spread 1¼ cups frosting over. Place remaining cake on top. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with chocolate chips and kisses. Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Skirt Steak Fajitas with Grilled Cabbage and Scallions

Skirt Steak with Grilled Cabbage and Scallions

This is another recipe from Bon Appetit that I will use again.  I used red cabbage instead of green because I prefer it.  I also added more lime juice in the marinade.  The marinade is more of a rub.


INGREDIENTS
STEAK
4 cloves garlic peeled
¼ cup fresh lime juice--I used about 1/2 c
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons hot smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 equal pieces

VEGETABLES AND ASSEMBLY
½ medium head green cabbage, cut into 2 wedges, core intact --I  prefer red cabbage
1 large white onion, halved with some root end attached
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Warm flour tortillas (for serving)


STEAK
Purée garlic, lime juice, oil, paprika, cilantro, cumin, salt, and onion powder in a blender until smooth. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag and add steak. Seal bag and turn to coat; chill at least 4 hours.
DO AHEAD: Steak can be marinated 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
VEGETABLES AND ASSEMBLY
Prepare grill for medium-high heat. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.) Drizzle cabbage, white onion, and scallions with 4 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until vegetables are charred and softened, about 4 minutes for scallions, 10–12 minutes for cabbage and onion. Let vegetables cool slightly.
Core cabbage and cut into bite-size pieces along with scallions and onion. Toss chopped vegetables in a large bowl with red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper.
Remove steak from marinade, scraping off excess; season with salt and pepper. Grill steak until medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5–10 minutes before slicing. Serve steak with vegetables, tortillas, and Salsa.

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

This is from Bon Appetit magazine.  It is a hearty soup for a cold winter night.  It calls for mustard greens but any greens can be used like spinach,  kale, beet greens or use a mixture.


INGREDIENTS
½ pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch mustard greens, torn (about 4 cups)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
8 oz. wide rice noodles



INSTRUCTIONS
Mix pork, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and cumin in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, 8–10 minutes. Add mustard greens, scallions, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 5–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.
Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
Divide noodles among bowls and ladle soup over.