Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Banana-Date Coffee Cake from author @DarylWoodGerber



From Daryl aka Avery:

Congratulations to Krista and Sheila on their new releases! 





 In honor of the cyber tea party Krista held yesterday - SO MUCH FUN! -  I decided to make myself a little tea plate that I could enjoy while e-chatting with her fans. This simple little dessert was the perfect addition to the afternoon. I have often made a banana coffee cake, using raisins in the filling, but I was all out. However, one of my favorite "breads" at Christmas is a date bread. I thought, hmmm, I bet dates would be good in this coffee cake. 

And they are.  By tonight, the verb might be "were". I am finding it hard to resist eating the rest of it. I must put my fingers to work and get cracking on my next book.

Enjoy!

Look below the recipe for some fun news from me.


 BANANA-DATE BROWN SUGAR
CREAM CHEESE
COFFEE CAKE
(Gluten-free*)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanillin (you may use real vanilla if you have no reaction to it)
2 eggs, large
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon xanthan gum

Filling:

1/2 cup chopped dates, pre-soaked
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9 x 9 pan or line with parchment paper.

Soak the “filling” raisins in ½ cup hot water and set aside.


For the batter:  In a large bowl, mix melted butter and sugar and vanillin (or vanilla).  Add eggs and beat on low.  Still beating on low, add cream cheese and vinegar.  Then add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum and stir until thoroughly mixed.



For the filling: drain raisins.  In a small bowl, mix raisins with the bananas, brown sugar and cinnamon.


Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan. Pat down with your fingers. This is the fun part – like working with play dough. Layer all of the filling on top of that.  Spread the rest of the batter over the filling. Again, pat down with your fingers.

Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle topping all over the coffee cake.




Bake for 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned. 

Let cool for 20 minutes and remove from the pan. Serve warm or room temperature.

If you want to make this with regular flour, just sub out regular flour with the gluten-free flour and omit the xanthan gum. Same baking time!

NOW FOR THE NEWS. 

FINAL SENTENCE is on sale for $1.99 - e-book!!  This is to generate sales, I'm sure, for GRILLING THE SUBJECT. So if you haven't read the Cookbook Nook series, you can get the very first book for a steal!


Here are links:


Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1Uco1ky

Coulnd’t figure out how to do link for iBooks - sorry

NEXT NEWS


I've revised my website a bit. Are you part of my fan club?  There are fun puzzles, special pictures, tidbits, and giveaways. Do you get my newsletterSign up today so you don't miss out in the future. I won't inundate you with mail. I'll just share announcements when special things are happening, like the release of my books. The next? GRILLING THE SUBJECT, August 2016.



SPARKY IS GEARING UP FOR GRILLING! LOOK AT HIM SNIFF!




Savor the mystery and say cheese!
Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames
Tasty ~ Zesty ~ Dangerous!

Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest

Plus check out my website.

GRILLING THE SUBJECT, the 5th Cookbook Nook Mystery, can be pre-ordered.
Coming August 2016!! 
Click here to pre-order.


FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, 
the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery.
Came out in February 2016

Click to order.




When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, 
Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free? 
To order: CLICK HERE.

$2.99 in e-books everywhere. Print is available on Amazon.


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8 comments:

  1. Hi Daryl! I've never baked with cider vinegar before - can you taste it? I use King Arthur Flour's Boiled Cider when I bake with apples, but never vinegar - it sounds very, very yummy (and very moist!!!) and it probably wouldn't last long it my kitchen either. Sparky is adorable, as always! Nicole :-)

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    Replies
    1. Nicole, you can't taste it at all. The vinegar merely works with baking powder (or soda) as a chemical reactor. Sugar balances out any tart flavor. Promise. ~ Daryl

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    2. Oh, that makes sense! (High school chemistry and Home Economics flashback!!!) :-)

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  2. I like that the bananas aren't mushed into the batter, but retain some structural integrity.

    As to the vinegar--Because baking powder is a leavener that contains both the sodium bicarbonate and the flavor-saving acid, it is usually paired with non-acid ingredients like whole milk and Dutch-processed cocoa. Baking soda need an acid. Baking powder has an acid.
    In this case the vinegar gives a boost to the leavening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Libby! I appreciate the chemistry lesson. Yay! I like that the bananas have structure, too. Very creamy and delicious. ~ Daryl

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  3. Looks like another amazing gluten-free recipe! Love the use of dates and bananas in the filling for extra natural sweetness. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. That looks very good! My Grandma Rose used to make a very good prune cake. I requested it for my birthday cake for many years. So moist like this must be. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete