Thursday, October 6, 2011

Banana Upside Down "Cake" Recipe



Not all recipes work. Not all recipes like to work. I keep reminding myself of this whenever I experiment. 


I wanted to make a banana bread and add cheese to it. Why not? Put a dollop in the center and it would be delicious, right? 

Well, baking is chemistry.  It's a matter of fact. And sometimes proportions get out of, well, proportion and textures change. 






But I'm always up for an experiment. I used a basic gluten-free recipe I had used in the past and added, tweaked, and fiddled.

The result was a gooey, gooey "cake" instead of a bread. The flavor was fabulous. What's not to like about sugar and spice and everything nice? However, the texture was more like a pineapple upside down cake. I have to admit I thought those are weird cakes. My mother liked to make them and, honestly, I just don't like cooked pineapple, so the texture didn't suit me.

In this instance, I didn't mind the texture. It was gooey, but the kind that sticks to the roof of your mouth gooey - like peanut butter. I tried a slice by itself, yummy.

I added a scoop of ice cream...the best. That's the way I will eat this in the future. I might also cut back on the honey because I think that's what made the cake gooey-er  than it need have been. 


The cheese?  A nice addition.

So here’s my submission for an experiment that went “almost right” and I’d bake it again.


(*Note, if you can eat regular and not gluten-free breads/cakes, then you can make this with regular flours; omit the xanthan gum and use regular vanilla)



BANANA BROWN SUGAR
RICOTTA CHEESE
COFFEE CAKE
(Gluten-free)

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed gluten-free flours (*I used tapioca starch, potato starch, sweet rice flour)
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla (vanillin)
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, large
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. cider vinegar

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the filling ingredients and set aside.

For the batter:  Mix melted butter and sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs and beat on low.  Still beating on low, add ricotta cheese and vinegar.  Then add flours, baking powder and xanthan gum.

Spoon half of the batter into a greased loaf pan.  Layer all of the filling on top of that.  Spread the rest of the batter over the filling. Cut the batter with a knife, in a swirling fashion.
 
Bake for 40-45 minutes, when inserted a toothpick comes out clean.  When cool, remove the cake from the pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.  [You could serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or more of the banana and brown sugar mixture.]

Enjoy and say cheese!


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8 comments:

  1. I think this sounds super-moist and delicious...who cares if it's gooey? I love the idea of ricotta in a coffee cake...yum!

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  2. I'm just having my morning coffee and I could absolutely go for this delicious coffee cake! (And I love using ricotta as an ingredient, too. It's the Italian in me, I guess. :)) Nice post, Avery, have a great day.

    ~ Cleo

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  3. Elizabeth, I like your attitude.

    Cleo, it is the Italian in me, too. Oh, wait, I'm not Italian, but I do love Italian food. By osmosis, maybe? :)

    Both of you have great days.

    Hugs from way, way far away.

    ~Avery

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  4. I have never thought about putting a layer of bananas and sugar in the middle of banana bread. What a great idea! No wonder that gooey part was so delicious!

    ~ Krista

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  5. Oh my gosh! this recipe sounds so...good!
    I love banana bread, ( and sweets in general )...
    Thanks for sharing! =)

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  6. Gooey is a good thing! This sounds and looks delicious, Avery.

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  7. It never occurred in my mind to add some toppings on a banana cake. This sure looks good and delicious. Thanks a lot Avery for the recipe and for the idea.

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