Lessons Learned With Banana Bundt Cake

I recently saw a great looking bundt cake over at Amanda's delicious blog, Amanda's Cookin'.  It's banana.  I love everything banana.  So I decided to make this.  I was asked to make something for a church meeting (one that I was not able to attend last night), but I never turn down an opportunity to make treats, so last week I did a trial run on this banana bundt cake--I wanted to see if I could make it a little bit healthier.  So I changed a few things--I used half coconut oil and half canola oil for the shortening and I used half agave nectar for some of the sugar.  I also used half whole wheat flour in the recipe.  And finally, I used half light sour cream and half fat free vanilla yogurt.  So basically, I changed a lot of things in the recipe.

Amanda's bundt, which she got from some other bloggers, also had a browned butter glaze.  Besides using fat free milk, I did that recipe exactly as written.  For some reason the glaze was hardening up while I was pouring it over the cake.  In hindsight, I should have added more milk to thin it out some more.  But for some reason, none of us really cared for the taste of the browned butter glaze--it was too butterscotchy.  Anyway, the glaze pretty much fell off the cake after it dried out a bit.  AND, sadly, the cake was rather dry and just not cuttin' it for me.  (I'm really glad I didn't make it the day of the meeting and send it that way!)

I mean, it looked okay inside.  It was just off a little. 

Not being one to waste things, the next morning I took what was left and sliced it up.  Then I whipped up three eggs and some condensed milk I had leftover.  Ooh, what was I doing?  Hmmm.  Ideas? 

How about banana bread French toast!

We had lots of fresh fruit and sprinkled on some powdered sugar and syrup.

This made a good healthy breakfast!

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That didn't stop me from making this yummy looking banana bundt cake for the meeting.  But this time, I pretty much made it as it was written.

Bananas and Cream Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze—from Taste of Home (and Amanda’s Cookin’ and Bunny’s Warm Oven and 3 B’s-Baseball, Baking & Books, but adapted by Katrina ;)

1/3 cup shortening  (I used 3 tablespoons coconut oil and 3 tablespoons canola oil)

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used Daisy light sour cream--I always do.)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I left out the nuts in case of allergies, but you know me and nuts--love them!)

In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add bananas and mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, stirring just until combined. Stir in walnuts. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place  piece of waxed paper under the cake before adding the icing.

I made my own icing.  It's good! 

Katrina's Cream Cheese Icing

6 ounces light (1/3 less fat) cream cheese, softened (I nuked it for 10-15 seconds and it was perfect for stirring with a spoon-you could use a food processor or mixer, too)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

Combine all ingredients together and beat well until smooth.  Add enough milk until consistency is how you want it.  Drizzle over cake.

I really wanted to cut in to it and take pictures, but since it was going away....

And that night when I got home from the cooking demo class I went to (more awesome yummy dishes (pasta!) by Paige--Le Cordon Bleu in London trained--I go to all her classes!)--when I got home part of the uneaten banana bundt cake had returned because they didn't eat it all at the meeting.  It was a little mushed by being covered, but I still took a few pictures.

This was moist and delicious! (That darned whole wheat flour!  I still might try whole wheat pastry flour next time and just use a little less!)  Thanks for posting this yummy cake, Amanda!