Banana-Chocolate Upside Down Cake

I'm not really one to advocate "healthy" desserts.  I say, if you are going through the trouble to make a dessert, or if you are really craving a dessert, then just eat something worth eating.  Eating low-sugar or low-fat desserts rarely satisfies my craving, so I'd much rather eat sensible meals and reasonable portions of real desserts.

However, if I happen to come across a dessert that is appealing, and it just so happens to be on the healthier side, then I'll give it a try.  I actually saved this recipe over a year ago, and only when I went t bake this did I realize that it is actually relatively healthy/not terribly bad for you.  The banana puree and light sour cream keep the cake moist without adding too much fat, and the bananas also sweeten the cake enough to where cups and cups of sugar aren't necessary.  And the sliced bananas cooked in brown sugar give the cake a wonderfully sweet caramel flavor.  Chocolate and bananas are just meant to go together, so the addition of chocolate chips just seems natural as well. The recipe gives several options to make it healthier, but I pretty much ignored them all.  :-)

This cake is best enjoyed straight from the oven - with a scoop of ice cream, if you're feeling decadent.  But it is great at room temperaure as well.  I couldn't stop myself from cutting off slices all day.  And being that it is ridiculously easy to throw together - you don 't even need to break out the mixer - this is a dangerous cake to have in your repertoire.

Banana and Chocolate Upside Down Cake
adapted from David Lebovitz



For the topping:

• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbs packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 2-3 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs low fat sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the topping, place the brown sugar and butter in a 8-inch square baking pan.  Set the pan over a burner set to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the brown sugar is thoroughly moistened.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Arrange the banana slices over the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.  In a small bowl, mix together the butter, banana puree, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add pour the wet ingredients into the well.  Stir until just combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Scrape the batter into the cake pan, being careful not to disturb the banana slices.  Smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake until the center is just set and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes.  Allow to cool 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake pan, and invert onto a serving platter.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Barefoot Bloggers: Mango-Banana Daiquiris

I was super excited when I saw this month's first Barefoot Bloggers recipe. I absolutely love mango! And while I'm generally not a huge huge fan of frozen drinks (I mean, I'll drink them of course, but they aren't my favorite), mango daiquiris take me back to our honeymoon to St. Lucia.

We stayed at the best resort, Ti Kaye Village, and I had one (or 2) mango daiquiris every day. Seriously they were the best frozen drinks ever. Fresh mango puree, rum, and ice. That's it. And they were sooo good. I can't say that these rivaled the drinks I had at Ti Kaye, but they were pretty darn good. I loved the addition of banana, and I used coconut rum to add another flavor into the mix.

I had initially planned on making these on Sunday for us to take to the pool with us, but never got around to buying rum on Saturday, and of course Georgia has the ridiculous no-alcohol-sales-on-Sunday law. So we enjoyed them on Wednesday night instead. Not a bad way to celebrate the halfway point of the week. :-)

Thanks again to Veronica of Supemarket Serenade for picking a great recipe, and for allowing me to take a trip down memory lane.

Mango Banana Daiquiris
adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics

• 2 cups chopped ripe mango (1-2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
• 1 ripe banana, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
  
• 1/4 cup simple syrup (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar, heated until sugar is dissolved)
• 1 1/4 cups coconut rum, such as Malibu

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, simple syrup, and rum in a blender, and process until smooth.

Add 2 cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice cold in glasses. Garnish with mango slices and lime wedges.


And here is a picture of me enjoying some mango daiquiris at lunch on our honeymoon :-)