SUPER MOIST BANANA CAKE WITH WALNUTS AND ALMONDS

SUPER MOIST BANANA CAKE WITH WALNUTS AND ALMONDS image

Yield 12 2 thick slices

Number Of Ingredients 16

Alright , folks, this is my version of the ingredients that went in:
2.5 cups of self rising flour* ( notice it is self rising, why? cause I did not have the regular one ,and seriously a little bit of baking powder should technically make the cake more airy. In any case, my gripe about the run to the grocery store , well I stood my ground )
1/2 cup of unsalted butter .( You can substitute this with almond butter for a more nuttier taste I suppose )
2 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk* ( the original recipe called for butter milk. Well, I decided to use milk here . Why.. well no buttermilk and seriously, thought milk would be an awesome choice. I used 1% milk of course.)
1 and 3/4 cup of sugar* - I used brown granulated sugar entirely
About 5 medium ripe bananas * mine were pretty spotty brown ( the original recipe calls for 4. But I suppose an additional banana would do no harm )
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
A generous pinch of saffron *( I know I am obsessed with saffron )
A generous pinch of caradamom powder *
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of skinned sliced almonds*
A pinch of cinnamon powder *
( Whew, don't let the exhausting list fool you. I just emptied those nuts that were sitting in the pantry. And decided to add in a few flavors to enhance the mix. More like, once I get started, I just cannot get to stop myself from adding a dash of this and dash of that ).
Alright, now that the stage is set, lets get the gooey good stuff going.

Steps:

Prep work: Preheat the oven / 350 deg Grease and flour the pans of your choice. the original recipe called for two 8 inch pans. I used one 8 inch round and one 9 inch square pan. Let's get the party started Sift the flour,baking soda and salt together and set aside. Cream the butter,sugar and eggs. Add in the pureed bananas,,cardamom powder ,cinnamon powder and saffron strands. Add in the flour and whip up the gooey mixture. Fold in the walnuts and almonds Let's cook them: Stick those pans in the preheated oven and bake them at 350 deg for 30 min. The results: Holy mackerel ! Honest to goodness yummy light and fluffy and airy goodness in squares and circles. Beautiful brown goodness, perfectly baked and crunchy walnuts. The aroma filled the entire kitchen and brought the oldest scooting down to the kitchen.. all the way form the attic. Texture : Very very soft ( possibly the baking powder in the self rising flour combined with the baking soda, did wonders) and porus. Aroma : Fragrant cardamom and hint of cinnamon with saffron emanating creating the wonderful fusion with bananas. Serve it up..the kids devoured it it warm with the cool combination of whipped cream. Yummy! Verdict: Just awesome !.. And like I always believe, great cooking results is mostly achieved by right combination of ingredients and the freshness of your stock. And of course, the right chemistry !!! http://veggierumblings.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/oh-so-awesome-light-and-fluffy-nutty-banana-cake/