Banana Cake (Edmonds recipe)

It isn't hard to make a good banana cake so it always amazes me that cafes can have such rubbish ones. The main problems seem to be using oil instead of butter, esp using too much oil, and not using enough bananas to give the delicious flavour and wonderful moistness. This recipe is from the NZ classic cookbook of basic recipes, The Edmonds Cookery book. The main meals in that book are pretty dated, plain and bleugh, but the baking recipes are winners - no surprise as Edmonds is a baking powder company so baking is their business. And this banana cake means business, with about 4 ripe (brown or black bananas). If you don't have enough really ripe bananas, you can either make a mediocre cake or just PEEL, chop and freeze the bananas you have to use with more at a later date. 

125g butter, softened

¾ c sugar

2 eggs

2 c mashed ripe bananas (about 4 largish bananas)

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp hot milk

2 c plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

chocolate or lemon icing or dust with icing sugar

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed banana and mix thoroughly. 

Stir baking soda into hot milk and add to creamed mixture.

Sift flour and baking powder. Fold into mixture.

Turn into a greased and lined 20cm round tin (or a ring tin or loaf pans of about same volume).

Bake at 180˚ for 50 min or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave in tin for 10 min before turning out onto a wire rack. When cold, ice or dust with icing sugar sifted over.

Can also be made as two cakes baked in 20cm round sandwich tins at 180˚ for 25 min. The two cakes can be sandwiched together with whipped cream and fresh banana slices.

Zucchini and Nut Fritters

I think my French in-laws are convinced that fritters are New Zealand's national dish as they're what I usually whip up as a vegetarian dish to share as part of Sunday lunches. Well fritters are pretty versatile aren't they? Just chop and chuck in whatever's in season. Below I'll add a few other suggestions for substitutions/additions to this zucchini recipe. This one is from Rowan Bishop's 'Good Health Adventure Cookbook'

Zucchini and Nut Fritters

Serves 4-6 (photos show less than half the mixture)

4 cups grated zucchini (about 4 zucchini) - I used both green and yellow varieties

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp fresh basil or oregano, finely chopped, or 1 tsp dried

2 Tbsp finely chopped chives

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped, roasted peanuts

4 free-range eggs (yes, 4, it helps the flavour and consistency)

½ cup cottage cheese

1 Tbsp lemon juice

⅓ cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

-pinenuts instead of peanuts (though more expensive and less wonderfully crunchy)

-mint as well as or instead of other herbs

- feta or ricotta instead of cottage cheese and sour cream

- roasted pepper strips, chopped

Grate zucchini and place in a large bowl with the garlic, herbs, flour and baking powder. Roughly chop roasted peasants in a food processor and add to other ingredients in the bowl. 

Break eggs into another bowl with the remaining ingredients and whisk vigorously. Add to the zucchini mixture and mix thoroughly until well-combined. 

Heat 3-4 Tbsp oil in heavy-based frying pan (or less oil if using a non-stick frying pan) at medium heat then drop spoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the hot oil. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Take care that the heat is not too high, to ensure the centre of the fritters cook, not just the outside. You will probably have to cook the mixture in two or three batches. As each batch cooks, drain on absorbent paper, add more oil to the pan as required and keep the cooked fritters warm until ready to serve (eg in oven on low heat). They are best eaten as soon as they are cooked but may also be frozen (stored in container between sheets of greaseproof paper) and reheated in oven.

Serve with tomato caper sauce and salad or lightly steamed veg etc. 

Tomato Caper Sauce

1 Tbsp oil 

1 onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 small capsicum, seed and chopped

1 440g tin tomato puree (or better yet, use fresh - un-hydroponic - tomatoes)

1 tsp capers, chopped

½ tsp salt (or skip this and use a few more capers - yum)

freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a small heavy-based saucepan. Saute the onion, garlic and capsicum over a low heat until the onion softens. Add the tomato puree, capers and seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve in a jug or bowl to accompany the fritters.