Gluten free banana bread with passionfruit cream cheese icing

Gluten free banana bread with passionfruit cream cheese icing

29 Jul 2023

When I was home in Brisbane, Dad had what seemed like kilos of over ripe bananas. I froze some and also used a few to make a loaf of Flour Bakery's famous banana bread. I'd forgotten just how delicious it was and ate most of the loaf myself, slathering each slice with cream cheese. The following day my gluten free friend visited and I had nothing to offer her. I was sorry I hadn't thought to make a gluten free version of the banana bread.

With that in mind, I took some of the manky bananas home with me to Sydney just so I could work on creating a gluten free version. I made a half batch of the mixture and the loaf was so tiny, I didn't feel I could post that to the blog so I made a second, larger version.

Not all bakes run smoothly and my gas oven went out during the first 30 minutes of the bake and I was left with a slightly sunken cake. I'd always planned to ice the cake and made some passionfruit cream cheese icing to fill in the depression. 

Here's the recipe for you which makes a standard loaf. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Gluten free banana bread with passionfruit cream cheese icing

Ingredients
150g GF self raising flour 
10g potato starch/corn flour or tapioca starch
½ tsp bicarb soda

¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt flakes 
50g almond meal
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g vegetable oil 
340g mashed over ripe bananas 
30 mls sour cream or yoghurt
1 tsp rum

Passionfruit Cream Cheese Icing
40g unsalted butter
50g room temperature cream cheese
150g icing sugar
Pinch salt
pulp of 1-2 passionfruit

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C conventional, with the rack in the centre of the oven. Grease and line a standard loaf tin with baking paper. 

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, bicarb soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Stir through the almond meal then set aside.

With a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the oil, taking your time. Add the bananas, sour cream and rum, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. The loaf should be golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, the remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack before topping with the cream cheese icing. 

Icing
Place all the icing ingredients, except for the passionfruit, into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat for 10 minutes on low speed until the icing is fluffy and ultra-creamy. It should hold its shape and not be melty or slack. If it slumps, chill and re-beat. Just before using, stir through the pulp of 1 passionfruit. You can drizzle a little more passionfruit pulp over the icing just before serving if you like.

Well as expected, this banana bread was a hit and every-one loved the passionfruit cream cheese icing.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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flour bakery cranberry maple pecan cake

flour bakery cranberry maple pecan cake

27 Jun 2022

I've had this recipe bookmarked since last year's lockdown, an oldie but a goodie from Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery. As the cake contains cranberries, pecans and maple syrup it would make the perfect Thanksgiving cake. 

Even though the original recipe made a loaf cake, I really wanted to make it in a bundt tin because bundt cakes are so pretty. 

Here are all the reasons why you shouldn't bake this cake in a bundt tin. There is maple syrup in the batter and despite how well greased and floured the tin is, as the maple syrup cooks it welds the cake to the tin. 

Secondly, the bundt tin I used is probably closer to a 4 cup tin than a 5 cup tin and the batter overflowed during baking, something I didn't realise until I took the cake out of the oven. The excess batter overflowed into the central hole, once again welding the cake firmly to the tin. 

It took 30 minutes of cooling time with the cake upside down and loads of encouragement from an offset spatula before the cake finally released. You may notice the exterior of cake isn't pristine but I was just grateful the cake came out in 1 piece and not 6 pieces. So please, don't bake this cake in a bundt tin, go the easy route and bake it in a baking paper lined loaf pan. It will be so much easier to unmould.

 

Here's the recipe for you, which will make a 9 x 5 inch loaf or a 5 cup bundt cake. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional oven so if you have a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 20°C. I've made this cake twice now and have made quite a few changes to the original recipe, the link to which can be found below.

Cranberry Maple Pecan Cake -  adapted from ‘Flour’ by Joanne Chang.

Cake
50 gm toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 tbs (10g) cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarb soda
pinch salt
⅔ cup (145g) caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 mls maple syrup
100 grams fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed), coarsely chopped

Icing
½ cup (75g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp melted unsalted butter
½ tsp maple extract
1-2 tbs boiling water or milk
pinch of salt

To decorate
2 tbs coarsely chopped toasted pecans
2 tbs chopped dried sweetened cranberries

Method
Centre the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C, conventional. Grease and line a small 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper or grease and flour a 5 cup bundt tin. Set aside.

Cake
Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached or you can use a handheld mixer. Add the sugar and cubed butter and mix together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until the butter is completely mixed in. It should look like coarse meal. If you are using a handheld mixer, you may need to add on a few more minutes.

Place the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup into a jug and whisk together. Add half of the mixture to the butter/flour mixture and beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. On low speed, add the remaining egg mixture and beat for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl again, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for another 30 seconds. If the batter is looking too thick then add a tablespoon or so of milk, yoghurt or buttermilk. Use the spatula to fold in the cranberries and pecans then scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

If baking a loaf cake, bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake is golden and springs back when your press it in the middle with your finger. If the cake is browning too quickly cover with foil or baking paper. You can also use a cake tester and insert it into the centre to see if it comes out clean. A bundt cake will take 40-50 minutes to bake. 

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool for at 30 minutes before unmoulding and removing the baking paper. If making the cake in a bundt tin, cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow the cake to completely cool before icing.

 

 

 

Icing 

Once the cake has cooled, make the icing. Place the icing sugar in a small bowl. Add the melted butter, the maple extract and sufficient boiling water to make a thick but pourable glaze. Add a pinch of salt to counterbalance all the sweetness. If you don't have any maple extract, then just use maple syrup to make the icing. You won't need to use any water or milk.  

 

 

 

Place a tray underneath the cake or a piece of baking paper to catch the drips. Spoon the icing over the cake, letting it run down the sides. If you like, you can decorate the top of the cake with some chopped toasted pecans and cranberry pieces. Let the icing set for about 10 minutes before doing so. 

 

 

 

Allow the icing to completely set before cutting into thin slices. The cake will keep for a few days at room temperature, well-wrapped in plastic wrap.

 

 

This is a nice light cake with a subtle maple flavour. The cranberries give that little pop of freshness and it was a big hit at work.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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apple vanilla pound cake

apple vanilla pound cake

23 Nov 2020

I'd planned on making an apple pie this weekend but lost my pie making mojo and decided to make an apple cake instead. I've become a big fan of Joanne Chang's recipe and found this recipe for an apple vanilla pound cake on her IG live series. It uses an unusual technique, so I wanted to give it a try.

I had everything I needed in my pantry so quickly whipped up the loaf (literally) on Saturday morning.

The cake was easy to make and the batter tasted lovely.

All the cake needed was a light dusting of icing sugar before serving. Here's the recipe for you which makes a small loaf cake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Apple vanilla pound cake - Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
120 g unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
45 mls cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 medium granny smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tsp lemon juice

3 large eggs
¾ cup caster sugar
1¼ cups plain flour, sifted (sift after measuring)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon icing sugar, for garnish
 
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C and place a rack in the centre of the oven. Line a small loaf tin with baking paper.
 
In a small pan, melt the butter. Add the vanilla bean paste to the butter. Whisk in the cream and vanilla extract and set aside to let the mixture come to room temperature.

In a small bowl combine the apple slices with the lemon juice and set to one side.
 
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip together the eggs and sugar until thick and lemony coloured, 4 to 5 minutes on medium high speed. While the eggs and sugar are whipping, sift and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. When the egg-sugar mixture is thick, add the dry ingredients and gently fold by hand using a rubber spatula.
 
Spoon a few large spoonfuls of the batter into the butter-cream mixture and stir to combine well. Once the butter-cream mixture is lightened, add it all into the batter and fold until completely combined.
 
Scoop into the prepared loaf pan. Layer the apples across the top in 2-3 rows. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until the pound cake is golden brown on top and firm when you press it in the middle. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool.

Sift a bit of icing sugar on top to finish off the cake and slice and serve. Use a very sharp serrated knife to gently slice through the apples. Pound cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

I'm planning to remake this using the classic butter creaming method and let you know which method produced the best cake. 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

Bye for now, Jillian

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pumpkin spice cupcakes

pumpkin spice cupcakes

9 Nov 2020

You can tell Thanksgiving is around the corner when instagram is flooded with all things pumpkin. How could I not add my own pumpkin flavoured cupcakes to the mix?

Originally this was going to be pumpkin bread but when I walked past the shelves and spied the friand tin, I decided to turn the pumpkin bread into cupcakes.

The cake mixture itself is very tasty but the cream cheese icing with pecans atop, make these little cakes into very tasty treats. I shared these with my neighbours and workmates and when one asked for the recipe, you know you have a hit on your hands.

Here’s the recipe for you which makes 9 friands or 12 cupcakes. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with cream cheese icing - inspired by the Flour Bakery Famous Banana Cake recipe

Cake 

¾ cup plain flour 

½ teaspoon baking powder 

¼ tsp bicarb soda 

½ tsp ground cinnamon 

¼ tsp ground ginger 

pinch nutmeg 

pinch cloves 

pinch sea salt 

¼ cup brown sugar 

¼ cup caster sugar 

1 egg 

¼ cup canola oil 

200 gm pumpkin puree

1 tbs yoghurt 

1 tsp vanilla 

Icing 

30 gms unsalted butter, softened 

60 gms Philadelphia cream cheese, softened 

½ tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup sifted icing sugar 

Whole pecans to decorate (mine were maple glazed)  

Glazed Pecans 

12 pecan halves 

¼ cup maple syrup or maple flavoured syrup 

Pinch of sea salt

Method 

Position the rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180°C. Butter 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners. I used a friand pan. 

In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarb soda, spices and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, or a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar and egg on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the machine on low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil. Do not pour the oil in all at once. Add it slowly so it has time to incorporate into the egg mixture and doesn't deflate the air you have just beaten into the batter. Adding the oil should take about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, the yoghurt and vanilla, then continue to mix on low speed just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible.

Carefully spoon the batter into each muffin or friand tin. Fill each tin about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden and tests cooked when a skewer is inserted. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Ice when completely cold.

Pecans

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (conventional). Toss pecans in maple syrup then spread out in a single layer on a baking paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle the pecans with a few flakes of sea salt. Bake until maple syrup is caramelized and pecans are toasted about 10 minutes. Normally I check the pecans after 5 minutes, and then turn them over. Remember the maple syrup is hot so use tongs or a fork for this step. Let cool completely on baking sheet before storing the pecans in an airtight container.

Icing 

While the cupcakes are cooling, blend the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a food processor until smooth or you can do this using hand beaters. Refrigerate the filling for an hour to allow it to firm. Top each cupcake with a generous dollop of icing before topping with a pecan. Store in a sealed container in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving.

Like the rest of the world I was on tenterhooks all weekend awaiting the outcome of the US election. 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

Bye for now,

Jillian

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flour bakery famous banana bread

flour bakery famous banana bread

12 Oct 2020

Whilst looking for banana bread recipes I discovered this one by Joanne Chang from Flour Bakery. I made a loaf using the US cup measures and whilst it tasted quite nice, it contained too much flour and as it was made with oil, I found I missed the flavour of butter.

I decided to revisit the recipe but used the metric version and instead of a neutral flavoured oil, I used cooled melted butter.

Instead of using pecans in the cake mixture, I used them to top the cake. I couldn't help myself and suddenly the cake was topped with some extra banana slices and a sprinkling of raw sugar for a bit of crunch. I went to Dungog for the weekend and took the banana bread with me.

 

Here's the recipe for you which makes a medium loaf. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60 g eggs. My oven is a conventional oven so if you have a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 20ºC.

Flour Bakery Famous Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (340g mashed bananas)

210g plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

¼ tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled or 120 mls neutral flavoured oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs yoghurt

1 extra banana halved lengthwise

2 tbs pecans, coarsely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 9 x 5 inch loaf tin.

 

Sift together the flour, bicarb soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside. With a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the cooled butter or oil, taking your time. Add the bananas, yoghurt and vanilla, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible. 

 

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the banana halves, the chopped pecans then sprinkle over the raw sugar. Bake for 1 to 1 and 1/4 hours for a 9×5-inch loaf. The loaf should be golden brown on top and the cake will spring back when you press it.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.

I had my slice topped with a little bit of butter and I can report that the cake is very moist and packed with flavour. 

 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

 

Bye for now, 

 

Jillian

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