Banana Cake - A Classic

This is an oldie but goodie that my mom likes to say gets better each time I make it (thanks mom!). This banana cake (not "bread", says Anne Takemoto, the brilliant baker behind this recipe), is moist but with a great crispy edge. In my opinion, the secret ingredient is the crushed pineapple.

I hesitate a bit to share this recipe, since in my mind it will forever belong to dear Anne, our resident fellow from college. However, I often get requests, and those of us who lived in Okada probably reminisce about the warm-fuzzy-cozy dorm meetings that residents would show up to if for no other reason than to eat this cake at the end. This is edible love, and I hope I have Anne's blessing to spread the love!

Banana Cake (oven 325 - 350 degrees)

Mix dry ingredients together:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Mix wet ingredients together:
1½ cups oil (a little less works too)
1½ teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chopped bananas (about 4 very ripe bananas)
1 8oz. can of crushed pineapple, with juice

Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring gently.
Add 1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Pour into greased Bundt pan (I strongly suggest using non-stick spray with flour).

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until done. Don't try to underbake to ensure moistness. If the cake is underbaked, it will likely tear when removing from the Bundt pan. Plus, you will want that surface to be crispy!


I have tried to make this in a cupcake version with a honey cinnamon frosting, which is also delicious. However, the cupcake form loses the crispy edge (even without frosting), which is such a great part of this cake.

Chocolate Krispie Treats

These were inspired by Eric Wolitzky's "Peanut Butter Krispy Bars", the winning dessert on Season 1, Episode 3 of Top Chef: Just Desserts. (You won't be surprised to hear that I love that show—Season 2 premiered tonight!) His recipe was posted with ingredients measured in grams, which is inconvenient if you lack a kitchen scale. I also prefer a higher (rice cereal:chocolate topping) ratio. Once I convert the recipe to more accessible measurements and make some tweaks, I will update this post with a suggested recipe.

There are two versions here:
(1) Regular rice krispie bar covered with a chocolate-hazelnut layer and then topped with a chocolate-peanut butter layer
(2) Cocoa krispie bar covered with the same chocolate-hazelnut layer and then topped with a white chocolate ganache layer

I discovered during this experiment that cocoa krispies weigh more per unit volume than regular rice krispies, so I ended up with about a 3:2 output for these two flavors!

These krispies are decorated with chocolate discs (dark chocolate base with white chocolate or peanut-butter-white chocolate design—not quite "faux bois" but something like that). If I had more time, I think I would have done a full reversal for the cocoa krispie bar (i.e. white chocolate base with hazelnut-chocolate design).

Milo | Turns 2!

Happy birthday Milo! Milo celebrated his second birthday (and his teenage years) with another granola cake this year. It is incredible how much he has grown, how quickly (yet sometimes slowly) the year passed by, and how few posts I made in the meantime (hopefully I can fix that in the upcoming year).

The puppy's cuteness is unwavering though. Here are a few photos!

"I spy a cake."



"Is it for me?"



"Are you sure?"



"I'll just give it a little taste test."



"Maybe a big lick."



"Okay, get thee in my mouth!"



"All mine, all mine!"