Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake 
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Note: This recipe can be halved and baked in a 20cmx20cm square pan (8-9inch)
Serves 15 Prep Time: 20 minutes Baking: 50 minutes

Cake:
360g (3 cups) plain flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
190g white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups of mashed (very ripe) banana (about 5 medium bananas)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Streusel:
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
100g brown sugar
5 scotch finger biscuits, crushed
A handful of dark chocolate chips (to finish)

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Grease and line a 23cmx16cm baking dish with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a medium  bowl, mix together the flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. With an standing mixer or hand-held electric whisk, beat the softened butter at medium speed for 2 minutes until light.
4. Add in the white sugar, and cream together for an additional 2 minutes at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
5. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract as well.
6. Add in the mashed banana and yogurt, and mix for a few seconds until the mixture has combined. It will be quite liquid-y at this point- that's okay.
7. Add in the flour mixture prepared in step 2 and mix at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
8. In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients: the cinnamon, sugar and crushed biscuits.
9. Transfer half the cake batter into the prepared dish. Top it evenly with half the streusel mix. Repeat with remaining cake batter and streusel.
10. Bake for approx. 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached to it. If the top is browning too quickly, place some foil over the cake at the 20 minute mark.
11. As soon as the cake is done and is removed from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
12. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

-Cake is good for up to 4 days sealed in an airtight container.

I'm having a real moment with lighter cakes at the moment. By no means am I saying that I'd turn down a slice of caramel cake that is dense as hell and I'm not even ashamed about the huge amounts of peanut butter chocolate I've inhaled. I literally do not care. But after all that it's nice to have something that doesn't put me in a food coma to pick at for breakfast. Or anytime of the day really, because like I said - I actually don't care. Treat yo'self, all the time.

The base of this cake is the same as my Peachy Keen Coffee Cake, with a couple of adjustments that I think complement this fruit topping even more. I would say that pitting these cherries without a pitter(?) is quite the task. It was pretty amusing to remove the pits like you would an avocado and I'm sure you can imagine this took much longer and a lot more like  a murder scene than the peaches.

But it was worth it! The contrast in colour between the cherries and cake is more pronounced than the peach version which makes it look just a bit more exciting.The juices pool in the crevice where the pit used to be, and the cherries become soft and sweeter, sweeping away any apprehension you might have about cooking fruit when it's at its prime, instead of what we all commonly do when it's a little battered and bruised.

The almonds toast in the oven, and add an element of crunch to this light, moist cake.



Please let me know what you think!

2 tbsp milk
2. Grease a 20cm square pan then dust with flour, disposing of the excess, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

One of my favourite things about summer is the abundance of my favourite fruits. I always look forward to the nectarines, watermelon and berries that provide that instantaneous sense of refreshment on a ridiculously hot (40°C+) day.

As expected, we were greeted with a variety of produce but at prices higher than I'd ever seen before. Desperate for our dose of summer fruits, my family and I drove to Sydney markets (Flemington) to scope out some of our favourites. I hadn't been to the markets for probably, five or six years and was in awe at the atmosphere. Picture a massive hall, filled end to end with sellers, hoarse from yelling enticements at the crowds, speaking of which rivalled those on Nathan Road, Mong Kok at 6pm...

We picked up a box of white peaches, which worked out to be 12 times cheaper than what we could get at our local fruit shop and supermarkets. It served to be a perfect opportunity to try out Deb's (Smitten Kitchen) dimply plum cake.












You can certainly see why Deb has (very aptly) named this cake 'dimply' - as the cake rises, the peaches appear to sink into little crevices. I think this effect would be even more prominent if you cut the fruit into rounds like Deb has done with her plums.

Another thing about this cake that I love is that it can be cut and shared easily. One peach wedge per slice gives a perfectly sized portion that won't ruin your appetite for dinner but is enough to satisfy the mid-afternoon sweets craving.

Completely irrelevant note: This was baked and photographed in my grandma's kitchen where I was testing out her oven that she hasn't used since she moved in. How amazing it was to use an oven that stays the temperature that you preheat/set it as, that tells you when it's done preheating, cooks evenly negates the need to turn the pan and soothes my paranoia that my cake is on the verge of becoming a black crisp. And the natural lighting that she gets in her kitchen was incredible.

Definitely give this one a go, use the fruit you have on hand, and let me know how it turns out!









Peachy Keen Coffee Cake
 From Smitten Kitchen's Dimply Plum Cake, originally from Baking: From My Home to Yours
2. Grease a 20cm square pan then dust with flour, disposing of the excess, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Bananas are roasted until blackened to enhance their aroma to make this simple, vegan banana bread- something easy to start off 2016.

A chocolate cake covered with toffee shards, layered with bittersweet chocolate mousse and salted toffee popcorn makes for a decadent dessert - and believe it or not, it's vegan.