Banana Cake from Make Like Zen

In the weekend I had a little gathering to celebrate Rob and I moving in together and so my friends could have a little nosey at our new place.

I thought I'd make a few decorations (I will post the DIYS later this week) and decided that a cake would be a mighty fine idea. I had planned on making a little cake topper but I couldn't find any skewers. Useless! I guess it's just another excuse to have another occasion for cake. 

I asked the lovely Zenica from Make Like Zen to bake the cake and she was kind enough to share the recipe with you all. I knew that it would be delicious, and it sure was! It was also huge so I guess that will be our breakfast for the next couple of days.

Z E N I C A ' S  B A N A N A  C A K E

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

4 very ripe bananas, mashed

4 eggs

1 cup oil

How to:

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda along with the salt into a large bowl. Stir in the white sugar.

Whisk together the brown sugar, bananas, eggs and oil in a separate bowl. Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix together until all combined.

Divide the mixture evenly between two 23cm round cake tins that have been lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven at 160˚C for about 45 minutes, or until the cakes have risen and spring back when lightly touched. 

Let cool fully on a cooling rack before icing.

L E M O N  C R E A M  C H E E S E  I C I N G

Ingredients:

200g cream cheese

100g butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar

1 lemon

How to:

Beat the cream cheese and butter together really well, then sift in one cup of icing sugar at a time, beating well after each addition. Finely grate in the zest of the lemon, and add a little of the lemon juice if you would like the icing to be less thick. Beat well, then use to ice the cooled banana cakes.

Cut the tops off the cakes to even the surface, then spread some icing on the top of one cake. Place the other on top of it (upside down) and ice the top and sides of the whole thing. 

I C I N G  T I P S

Use a cake spatula or knife with a smooth flat surface to spread the icing. Dollop some icing on to the cake using a spoon, then use a sweeping motion to spread the icing, but be sure to touch only the icing and not the cake itself to prevent crumbs in the icing. Place the cake in the fridge or freezer briefly if the icing has become too runny and hard to work with. If the icing is too cold and won't smooth properly, then warm your spatula up by running under hot water, dry it off then smooth the icing.

Christmas Ice Cream Cakes

For Christmas this year, Rob and I decided it would be easiest to have a Christmas Eve dinner with my family and have a BBQ with his family on Christmas day. It turned out to be the best idea ever because there was no rushing around PLUS we didn't feel so guilty about eating so much food.

I told my Grandma that she was in charge of the roast pork (there is no way that I'm ready to take on that responsibility just yet) and Rob and I would take care of the extras. After seeing this beautiful recipe on Made From Scratch, I decided that this was the dessert we would be having on Christmas Eve.

 As there was only four of us, I changed the recipe slightly and used ramekins to make four mini christmas cakes. I was so stoked with how they turned out.

It's probably (definitely) the prettiest dessert I've ever made.