Banana Coffee Cake

There can't be a thing wrong with coffee cake throw in a banana or two and you have a GREAT coffee cake. I found this recipe in a book A Sheetcake Named Desire by Jacklyn Brady. I tweaked it a bit to suit my own tastes, and I hope you love the results as much as we do!

Ingredients:
2/3 c packed brown sugar
2/3 c walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 c ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp greek yogurt (can use sour cream)
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2 pan ( I used a long loaf tin).
In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and egg until fluffy. Add bananas, sour cream, and milk. Mix well. Beat in dry ingredients until just blended.
Spread half the batter in your pan, cover with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar. Top with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, between 40 and 50 minutes. Cool in pan. Can be served warm or room temperature. Can also be frozen.


Brown sugar.

Add in your cinnamon and nuts if using. Set aside.

Cream together butter, sugar, and egg.

Add mashed bananas, greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla.

Mmmmm banana....

Add in the dry ingredients.

Mix until smooth.

Add just over half the batter to your greased pan.

Cover with half the cinnamon sugar.
Repeat.

I added some butterscotch chips to the top on my cake. You can omit these, or use chocolate.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.



Enjoy!

Cheddar pinwheels (Or anything really)

Ever need an amazing side and not know what to do? Other than my standards of Cheese biscuits and cheese stuffed crescent rolls (think I might like cheese?) I love these bacon and cheddar pinwheels. This recipe does work well with pretty much everything though. Try out some different fillings! Tuna and kale is a favorite of my hubby, we've tried several things. Shredded chicken with a bit of tomato is good too. This is all probably stuff you have on hand... if not... what do you have in your fridge? ;)

Bacon and cheddar pinwheels

1 pkg Pillsbury crescent rolls (reduced fat works, but stay away from the BIG rolls)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp fresh chives, chopped (dried works as well)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 c. finely grated cheddar cheese
3-4 slices bacon, cooked and cooled then crumbled

Open your crescent rolls. Smush all of the seams together, you're using this as one big piece of dough. Roll out slightly. Combine the softened cream cheese, chives, and garlic powder. Spread this evenly over your dough. Go all the way to the edge, you're going to use all of the dough. Add your cheddar, and bacon. Roll up the LONG way. Your pinwheels won't cook in the middle if you roll the other way. Seal up the edge by pressing it together. Get our your sharpest knife and cut into 1/2 inch to inch long pieces. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake according to package directions. :) These are always a crowd pleaser, try them out!