Banana Breakfast Coffee Cake

Oh breakfast! How yummy you are. I love that you can have cake for breakfast and coffee cake is one of the best!

Banana Breakfast Coffee Cake

Ingredients

For the Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter or your favorite gluten free flour blend)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter or your favorite gluten free flour blend)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted vegan butter, softened (Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat a 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. For the topping, combine gluten free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. You can use a food processor or save some water and just use your hands! You will get the same crumble texture and you don’t have to break out a dish. Stir in walnuts if you choose to use them.
3. Set aside your topping mixture aside.
4. For the cake, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each.
6. Add vanilla and bananas and beat until well blended.
7. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, mixing after each addition only until smooth.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with crumb topping.
9. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove cake out of pan and cool on wire rack completely.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Luckily coffee cake isn’t JUST for breakfast! I could definitely have coffee cake after lunch or as a yummy dessert. Enjoy with a delicious cup of tea or coffee! YAY ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Cozy Weekend Brunch

We’ve made it over Hump Day. Today is Thursday which mean we are so close to the weekend! Brunch is a great part of the weekend. Sleeping in that extra hour, spending time with family and/or friends. The weekend was made for brunch! Here are some brunch recipes that will keep you smiling all the way to Monday morning.

Banana Bread

Using Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free yellow cake mix, this banana bread is more like a pound cake. Definitely a brunch treat. Add nuts or leave them out – it’s your choice! Save some bananas until they are nice and ripe and get mashing!

Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free yellow cake mix
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened (Earth Balance Vegan Butter)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9×5-inch or 8×4-inch loaf pan with shortening. (Earth Balance has a great vegan shortening)
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, mashed bananas, butter, eggs and vanilla extract with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 9-inch loaf 55 to 60 minutes, 8-inch loaf 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Place sheet of foil over loaf to prevent overbrowning.) Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.

Bananas Foster French Toast

French toast gets a tasty twist with the addition of bananas, rum extract and pecans. The use of cinnamon raisin bread makes it even better!  This recipe is made the day before your planned brunch.

Ingredients

• 8 slices Udi’s cinnamon raisin bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup rice milk
• 2 1/2 cups real maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Spray bottom of 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in baking dish. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup with wire whisk. Pour over bread in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown along edges. Let stand 7 to 10 minutes before serving.
3. Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 2 cups maple syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until warm. Stir in rum and vanilla extract.
4. Sprinkle banana slices and pecans evenly over bread; drizzle with warmed syrup mixture. Serve immediately.

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Banana Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

Have some ripe bananas that no one is eating and you don’t want to throw away? Let them eat cake! Banana cupcakes that is! Now those bananas won’t go to waste!

Banana Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting  

For the Cupcakes

• 1 box (15 oz) Betty Crocker Gluten Free yellow cake mix
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium)
• 1/3 cup buttery spread (such as Earth Balance), melted
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• 1/3 cup buttery spread (such as Earth Balance)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons rice milk or coconut milk

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In large bowl, stir cupcake ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake cups.
2. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup buttery spread over medium heat just until light brown, stirring occasionally. (Watch carefully because it can burn very quickly.) Remove from heat. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, beat buttery spread, powdered sugar, vanilla and enough rice or coconut milk until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes.
5. Garnish with a slice of banana.