Banana Split Brownies

I never ever would have thought to use that manky old blackened banana rotting on my counter to spruce up a batch of brownies. Until I saw a recipe for banana split brownies, that is. Then I couldn't get the notion out of my head. Add browned butter into the mix and it became irresistible.

The original recipe calls for a layer of toasted marshmallows on top. I'm not a huge fan of marshmallows and didn't have any on hand anyway so instead I took the idea of a banana split and ran with it, making the recipe my own. In addition to the banana and browned butter in the brownie, I added some chopped maraschino cherries. The ganache layer is made with cream steeped with fresh banana slices, which I mixed with some diced strawberries. The entire thing is sprinkled with another banana split topping: crushed pineapple.

I was warned these brownies would be rich, and they certainly are. I wish I had some vanilla ice cream to pair them with as the experience is not unlike eating an extremely chocolaty banana split. And that's a good thing in my book.

As an aside, is it just me or is photographing brownies one of the most difficult things in the world? They're so dark it's hard to capture the details and make it look like anything other than a brown blob. I'm sure I could have staged the shot differently to make it a little more interesting and attractive but I'm hoping my description alone is enough to make you drool.

Banana Split Brownies
Recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Brownies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup mashed overripe banana (about 1 medium banana)
18 maraschino cherries, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (3 oz) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (2 1/2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped ripe banana (about 1 medium)
7 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (55-62% cacao), finely chopped
8 large strawberries, diced
1 cup canned shredded pineapple, drained

To make the brownies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides so you can lift the brownies out. Spray the foil with cooking spray and flour (or butter and flour the foil).

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it smells nutty and is golden in color, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the butter cool for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt to the pan and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs, banana, cherries, and vanilla. Finally, add the flour and cocoa powder and whisk until all ingredients are combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.

To make the topping: while the brownies are cooling, bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped banana. Cover the pan and let steep for 1 hour.

While cream is steeping, place strawberries in a bowl and microwave 30 seconds. Stir and microwave an additional 30 seconds. Drain and let cool.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Return the cream (with the banana still in the pan) to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour the cream through a strainer into the bowl with the chocolate. Discard the banana in the strainer. Let the chocolate/cream mixture stand for 1 minute then stir until smooth. Stir in strawberries. Pour the ganache over the brownies and spread. Evenly sprinkle the crushed pineapple over the surface.

Let cool until the ganache is set, at least 1 1/2 hours. Lift the brownies from the pan using the foil handles. Cut and serve.

Strawberry Milk Cake

When I saw a recipe for strawberry milk cake at The Kitchn I was so excited. My Valentine's Day baking plans were still up in the air and I immediately thought this would be the perfect Valentine's Day treat for my strawberry-loving husband. I'm disappointed that despite the use of artificially flavored strawberry milk the cake doesn't actually taste like strawberries. Sure, there's an adorable pink hue to the cake but that's partially thanks to the red food coloring I added because with the milk alone the color didn't seem strong enough. The cake isn't bad but it's just not what I was hoping to give to my husband for Valentine's Day. I think because of that I'm more upset about this baking failure than I usually would be. So frustrating. I wish people would be more honest when posting recipes online.


I skipped the frosting recipe they included in favor of a strawberry buttercream and malted chocolate filling. I guess I should be glad I did so there's some strawberry flavor to be found in the dessert.

Strawberry Milk Cake
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup scalded strawberry milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Red food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and grease two cake pans, set aside. Beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar until fully combined (I used a whisk). In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour to egg mixture, mixing until just combined. In a small sauce pan, heat milk until almost boiling (there will be some steam and a few small bubbles on the side of the pan), add butter and turn off heat, stirring until butter is fully melted. Pour scalded milk/butter into the batter, add red food coloring (if desired), and stir until combined. Divide evenly into prepared pans and bake for 20-30 minutes, until done. Let cool completely in pans on wire rack.

Malted Chocolate Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon malted milk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons chocolate ice cream topping
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter for one minute. Add malted milk powder, chocolate topping, and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed until combined. Gradually add milk until desired consistency is reached. Spread onto bottom layer of cake. Top with other layer of cake.

Strawberry Frosting
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons pureed strawberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter for one minute. Add strawberries, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed until combined.

Eton Mess Cupcakes

I may have mentioned a time or two my enduring love for all things British. Although England is not renowned for its cuisine (I could happily go the rest of my life without ever trying blood pudding) there are certain dishes that pique my interest. Namely the desserts. When I first heard mention of banoffee pie in the movie "Love Actually" I couldn't believe that someone had invented such deliciousness! Sticky toffee pudding? Yes, please! Bakewell tart? Don't mind if I do! It shouldn't surprise you that I sampled all of these and more while in London last year.

One of the most iconic foods of England is the strawberry. Wimbledon coverage would be measurably shorter if they didn't devote entire montages to the infamous strawberries and cream served there and mention the staggering statistics that an average of 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten each Wimbledon with 7,000 liters of cream. That's my kind of diet! Every summer I look forward to devoting hours, camped out in front of the TV, to watching my favorite tennis players compete in one of my favorite countries. It's a fantastic tournament full of tradition and charm and I wouldn't miss it for the world! For those two weeks in June through July my social life grinds to a halt and I neglect housekeeping and even the poor cats as I immerse myself in the world of tennis. Dare I say my own tennis skills even improve as a result of watching the masters at work. My poor little brother didn't know what hit him when I dragged him out to play one Sunday after the men's final.

There's a British dessert that takes the concept of Wimbledon's strawberries and cream to the next level by combining strawberries, cream, and crunchy nuggets of meringue. Eton mess is a relatively simple concoction with ties to well-known Eton College, a posh boarding school that has educated royalty and produced prime ministers galore. Of course I, in my cupcake obsessed madness, needed to figure out a way to combine my love of cupcakes with this fantastic British dessert. Enter the Eton Mess Cupcake: yellow cake filled with fresh macerated strawberries topped with dollops of whipped cream and homemade crisp meringue.

Even though it meant I had to wait another day to taste this masterpiece, I wanted to make the meringues from scratch. That way I could shape them into these adorable spiked little buggers:


Yes, I'm aware that some look a bit dodgy but those didn't live long enough to make it onto the cupcakes. They became victims of my taste test.

I'm entering these in Hoosier Homemade's Summertime Cupcake Challenge because these cupcakes remind me of everything I love about watching Wimbledon every summer. Just like Wimbledon they're stylish and steeped in tradition but with a youthful, modern flair. That and they're darn tasty!

Eton Mess Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla and eggs, beating after each addition to incorporate.
4) Beginning with the flour mixture, add flour and milk alternately with three additions of flour and two additions of milk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined.
5) Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcakes comes out clean.

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar (or run granulated sugar through food processor)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

1) Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
2) Gradually add sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until stiff and glossy.
3) Using a pastry bag, pipe spiked shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake at 225 F approximately one hour or until shapes are crisp and firm. Rotate pan once during baking.
5) Open the oven a crack and allow to dry overnight.

Note: This will make much more meringue than you need. Next time I'll try halving the recipe but posted the original version here until I've had a chance to test it.

Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

1) On high speed, beat whipped cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and salt and beat until stiff.


To Assemble Cupcakes:
1) Finely dice approximately seven strawberries and combine with a dash of sugar (or more to taste).
2) Cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake and discard. Fill cavity with diced strawberries.
3) Pipe whipped cream onto each cupcake and place meringue pieces on top.
4) Hum "Rule, Britannia!" to yourself while feasting on these babies!