Tuesday, July 20, 2010

TWD: Banana Chocolate Chip Cake



Bananas. Coconut milk. Oh, and a large handful of chocolate chips for good measure. However, I opted not to add the shredded coconut and frosting as I wanted the cake to shine in its own unadulterated glory. There's banana bread and then there's banana cake. Often the names are used interchangably but in this case, this cake is definitely a CAKE. It was slightly sweeter and moister and less banana-y than most. Delicious.



I have to thank Only Creative Opportunities blog for this week's selection.

When we did Dorie's banana bundt recipe - almost a year ago in Aug/09 - I posted some banana tips HERE which include how to ripen bananas in the oven. Today I have a few more tips I've learned since then:

*Putting a tomato or apple in a sealed brown bag with your bananas makes them ripen faster because the ethyene gases get trapped in there and the apple/tomato works as a ripening agent.
*To slow down ripening, separate all the bananas from each other and from other fruits. Yes, this looks somewhat odd to have individual bananas lying around your house, but it works!
*When preparing a dish with uncooked, peeled bananas, dip them in an acid to reduce discoloration (ex. citrus or pineapple juice)
*Choose slightly underripe bananas for cooked savory recipes and overripe ones for baked goods.

30 comments:

Amanda said...

Looks fabulous Tia! This was my farewell post with TWD after almost two years of baking along. Hope you'll stop by and say goodbye!

Kimberly Johnson said...

Your cake looks wonderful! I like in the form of a loaf. Thanks for baking with me this week and sharing your banana tips!

Peggy said...

It definitely was not banana bread which surprised me. Different texture. I love your photo. I like that you did it in a loaf. So many variations to this one. We loved it!

Valerie Gamine said...

What a perfect treat to snack on after a long day, or for breakfast, or for late at night...or anytime! :D

Thanks for the banana tips too!

Unknown said...

I would sooo eat this... I love banana and I love choclate chips... and I LOVE when they are combined in a dessert or other treat!

Jessica of My Baking Heart said...

Yum! Love chocolate chips in banana breads and cakes. Love your pictures, too - very pretty! :)

Sihan said...

oooh.. yours look so pretty with the chocolate chips. I'm pretty sure i could scuff down 2 slices of that in one shot. Let's make it 3. hehe.

Shandy said...

I love your banana tips. THe individual bananas lying around to keep from ripening to fast cracked me up . . . but I had no idea. Your banana cake looks delicious on its' own!

Nicole said...

I bet this was great with chocolate chips. The coconut was a good addition, too.

Unknown said...

i bet the chocolate chips made for a great addition! i agree that it did not need frosting--just perfect on it's own!

Mary said...

Thank you for sharing your banana ripening tips.

TeaLady said...

YUM!!! That looks moist and delicious. I like adding the choco chips.

Mary said...

It looks fantastic! Chocolate chips in banana bread are a great idea--I plan to make this lots more ways!

Anonymous said...

Funny, I've noticed that a bunch of bananas always ripens together, but never thought of separating them. Good tip!

Nichicakes said...

great tips tia! yours looks lovely

Cindy said...

Great banana tips. This cake really could stand on its own--with a bit of whipped cream.

Criollobylisa said...

I did chocolate chips too! I also used coconut. This cake didn't need frosting. I turned mine into muffins.

Heather Davis said...

I was recently told the tip about not letting your bananas anywhere near the other fruit. For years I had been sticking them on top of the fruit bowl! Your cake looks really delicious. Will have to try it with chocolate chips.

Piggy said...

Your cake looks gorgeous! And thanks for the tips too, I didn't know that bananas can be ripened in the oven. ;-)

Nickki said...

Your cake looks so good! I love banana and chocolate. Thanks for the tips!

spike. said...

loved this with chocolate chips! so good. your pic is making me hungry!

Pamela said...

Looks delightful as is! Please pass the platter. :o)

Rachel said...

Looks great! Love it with chocolate chips. Mmm! :)

margot said...

Your cake looks wonderful. Thanks for the banana tips! I learned the hard way about keeping bananas separate from other fruit.

Charli said...

I like my bananas on the slightly underripe side, so I might take to random single banana placement throughout the apartment! Thanks for the tip!

Your cake looks delectable with the chocolate chips inside.

SweetsSuccessBaking said...

Thanks for the tip on how to ripen banana in the oven. Now I won't have to wait for them to ripen on their own.

Mary at http://sweetssuccessbaking.blogspot.com/

Erin said...

Looks delicious, as usual! I can hardly stop myself from adding chocolate chips to banana bread and banana cake. They just belong together!

mike said...

Now THAT looks great!!! Love the chips - what a great way to add chocolate! Love how you vary the recipes so wonderfully!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

Chocolate chips - how wonderful. Tia, this is beautiful. You do have a way with cakes.

Criollobylisa said...

Hey Tia,

Check out this site for the tulip wrappers. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/tulip-muffin-papers-brown-set-of-24