Lot's of Ways Banana Cake (TWD)

I've made this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Lot's Of Ways Banana Cake several times before, and I can tell you that this is a keeper!

For some, all they see are sad old bananas. For me, I see a delicious banana cake in the making:

In the book Dorie shares that this cake can be baked in a variety of shapes and sizes. I've previously made this recipe into a layer cake and cupcakes, and they turned out perfectly in each case. I wanted to try a different pan, so I dug into my cabinet of "I'll use them once every 5 years" baking pans:

So, what did I find? Mini loaf pan...perfect! I haven't used this pan since 2002.

Dorie share a number of suggestions to play with the ingredients in the cake (thus the "Lot's of Ways" in the recipe title). As I had all of the ingredients readily on hand, I didn't veer off course from the original recipe. I made half the recipe, which yielded me 8 mini-loaves. I also reduced the oven temperature to 325F degrees and baked the cakes for 18 minutes (I think the dark loaf pan expedited the baking time).

To dress up these little loaves, I topped them with some Mascarpone Frosting leftover from another cake I was working on.

This cake is DEEELISH! The cake is beautifully moist and tender, and it does not have that dense, gummy texture that I get with other banana cake recipes. The banana flavor definitely shines, and the toasted coconut gives the cake a nice chew (for those of you who hate coconut, you can easily omit it). The mascarpone frosting's light creamy texture is the perfect complement as it doesn't overwhelm the cake.

If I haven't already convinced you to try making this banana cake, peruse the TWD blogroll to check out all of the beautiful banana cakes - you'll be convinced to try this recipe. For the complete recipe (including all of the variations), please head to Kimberly's blog, Only Creative Opportunities.

Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte (TWD)

Chocolate, cherries, and mascarpone mousse - what's not to love about this Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte? This inspired recipe takes the flavors of a black forest cake to a decadent new level with a ultra rich brownie studded with kirsch soaked cherries and a light and creamy mascapone mousse. The flavor quotient is punched up with a healthy grinding of black pepper in the brownie base.

There has been a lot of baking happening in the Tender Crumb kitchen, so there was no way I was going to make a full sized torte. I halved the recipe, which was more than plenty for a 7 inch torte and a 4 inch mini-torte (pictured here).

Rich and flavorful, you only need a couple of bites to satisfy you sweet tooth. The punch of the black pepper and the not-too-sweet mascarpone mousse helps to balance out the richness of the chocolate brownie base.

Please visit April's blog, Short + Rose, for the recipe, and make sure to make the rounds with the TWD blogroll to see some inspired baking!

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

When I started my brownie quest earlier this year, Teanna recommended that I check out this recipe for Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies.

With a half a tub of mascapone cheese leftover from a recent effort to make Tiramisu Cake, I had the the perfect opportunity to take this brownie recipe for a test drive.

The sweetness takes a back seat to the intense chocolate flavor, which comes from the chocolate (Callebaut bittersweet in my case) and cocoa powder.

The brownie is wonderfully moist and cakey at room temperature (which is definitely my kind of texture), but it turns wonderfully fudgy if you let it chill in the refrigerator.

A tall, cold glass of milk would be a perfect accompaniament for one of these squares!

Thank you Teanna for introducing me to this utterly decadent and delicious brownie recipe!

Tiramisu Cake (TWD)

I was so happy to see that Megan of My Baking Adventures selected Tiramisu Cake for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe. For a while, tiramisu was considered THE dessert, and it was included on almost every restaurant menu. Trendy or not, tiramisu has always been one of my favorite desserts.

In BFMHTY, Dorie Greenspan developed a twist to the traditional recipe, transforming the trifle-like dessert into a layer cake. Instead of making a whole cake, I reduced the recipe in half, and made individual layer cakes.

My recipe notes and adjustments are as follows (for the full recipe, please visit Megan's blog):

- I used one 9" round pan to bake the cake, and used 3 inch ring molds to cut out individual cakes. I also cut the cake rounds crosswise to get thinner layers. This yielded enough to make 4 triple layer mini cakes.

- Instead of figuring out how to halve 3 eggs and 1 yolk, I went ahead and used 2 whole eggs. The cake turned out just fine.

- I brushed a mixture of 1 tbsp espresso syrup and 1/4 C sweet marsala wine on the cake layers.
- Chopped bittersweet chocolate was nestled between the layers

- For me, the mascarpone filling is the best part of any tiramisu, so I made a full batch. I used about 2/3 of the batch for this recipe. The remaining filling will not go to waste; I'll use it as a delicious topping for some gorgeous strawberries that I picked up over the weekend.

- Definitely serve the dessert at room temperature. Chilling the cake will change the texture of the mascapone filling.

I had some leftover cake and mascarpone filling, and just for fun I created one traditional style tiramisu in a small trifle dish:

Regardless of the presentation, Dorie Greenspan's riff on this classic dessert is fantastic! The layer cake version was easy to make and assemble, and even more a treat to eat.

The yellow cake was nice and dense like a pound cake, and the layers kept its shape after a healthy brushing (i.e. soaking) with the espresso/marsala syrup.

The mascarpone filling / frosting was different from the zabaglione filling that I'm familiar with. I would give the the traditional filling a slight edge in terms of texture and flavor, but I wholeheartly welcomed this no cook version.Thanks Megan for this great 90's flashback! Make sure check out the TWD blogroll to see the handiwork of some amazing bakers.