Banana Bundt Cake

I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day.

We decided to go and and have some fun this year, so I really didn't do any cooking. We wanted to go somewhere and walk around and window shop, get a bite to eat, and listen to some music.  Well, big mistake to head on down to The Grove in L.A. because everyone else had the same idea, it was jam-packed.

When I say jam-packed I mean it.  It took us about 15-20 minutes to find a parking spot in a 6 level structure.  All the cars were fighting over the spots, people were driving crazy (not like they don't in LA already!), but we finally got lucky and found one.  Then we headed down to the open air shopping/restaurant village.  The music was bumping and people were gathered around.  We tried to get through the crowd of sardines and somehow ended up in line for a restaurant.  LOL!  Kinda just got pushed into that.  When we realized what was going on, we just laughed, shrugged to the people in line with us, and quickly moved on.  

We ended up at a wonderful Greek restaurant, which really inspired me to start cooking more Greek style dishes.  I ordered a shot of Ouzo to toast and they brought me the biggest shot (which was half a glass really!) and we toasted the night!  I'll tell you I was feeling really good by the time I finished that drink and the crowds didn't seem that bad after that!  

So we danced a little, shopped a little and ate a lot...then headed home for a wonderful dessert of Banana Bundt Cake, that I had whipped up earlier in the day.  As I always have ripe bananas hanging around this was a great way to use them.  Who doesn't love a good pound cake?  Perfect for spring, and a great choice for your Easter dinner, or Mardi Gras celebration.

I know you are going to love it.


Banana Bundt Cake

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 overripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls Splenda Sugar Blend
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk (make your own by adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice to milk and let it sit for 5 minutes)
Topping:  powdered sugar - optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup fluted bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Add the flour mixture (with the mixer on low) in two parts alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat just until it comes together. Do not overmix!

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.

Once done, cool cake 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out cake onto cake platter and allow to cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

So here's the last of my Valentine's Day recipes....you can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate.  Can you??

I was checking out Mom's Kraft Food & Family magazine and on the cover was an amazing bundt cake.  I was a devil's food cake with a mousse layer on top, and even had a chocolate syrup drizzle. 

What really drew me to this cake was the technique.  Don't get me wrong the chocolate is to die for...and I did, trust me, but the method was very unusual.  You see you put the cake layer in first, and then the mousse layer on the top, but by magic they switch places during the baking!!!  How can that be...I had to try it out.

Plus I just wanted a piece of heavenly chocolate cake!

OMG!!! This is all I have to say about this decadent, chocolately, yummy cake.....OMG!!!

Oh yeah, and the layers did switch during the baking!  Amazing!!!

I tweaked the recipe to make this sugar free, but you can just substitute out the Splenda and sugar free cake mix, for full sugar and regular cake mix.

Now be forewarned....this cake takes a lot of time to prep, bake, and refrigerate.  About 5 hours in total...but I had my doubts along the way...but found it was completely worth the effort.

Here's how to make it.

Take a 12-cup bundt pan and spray with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

 In a large bowl beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with a mixer 2 min. or until well blended.

Add in the sour cream and mix until smooth. 

Pour this over the syrup in the bundt pan.

Next, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and Splenda with mixer until well blended.  

Add eggs, and mix until incorporated.

Add evaporated milk and mix to blend.

In a small bowl melt 4 squares of baker's chocolate until melted.  About 1 1/2 min total. Start with 30 seconds, and stir.  Do another 30 seconds, and stir.  My total was 1 1/2 min.

Add melted chocolate to the mousse mixture and mix to blend completely.

Looks like chocolate milk doesn't it??

Pour the mouse mixture carefully over the cake batter.

Cover with foil and place in a 9x13 pan.  Add about 2" of water.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool on a wire rack for about 45 min.  Place in the refrigerator, in the pan and let cool for 2 hours.

Once it has cooled.  Take out of the refrigerator, place a plate on the top and invert cake.  You may need to shake it a couple of time, but it will slide right out.

Holy cow!  Look at this baby!!

See the layers?

Want a piece?

(Oops!  I got in such a hurry I forgot the cool whip!  Oh well! you can add it if you want to)

Gotta go....I need another piece of this cake!  Make this...it's super yummy....Enjoy!!

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Prep: 40 min.
Baking 1 1/2 hrs.
Refrigerating : 2 hrs

1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate syrup

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) sugar-free chocolate devil's food cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup  oil

7 eggs, divided

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese, softened

1 cup Splenda

1 can (12 oz.) 2% evaporated milk

4 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

SPRAY 12-cup fluted tube pan with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

          

BEAT cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with mixer 2 min. or until well blended; blend in sour cream. Pour over syrup in pan.

          

BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Add remaining eggs; mix well. Blend in evaporated milk and melted chocolate; gently spoon over cake batter in pan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray, sprayed-side down.

          

PLACE tube pan in shallow pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come at least 2 inches up side of tube pan. Bake 1 hour 30 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours. Invert cake onto plate; remove pan. Serve cake topped with COOL WHIP.