Chunky Mango Cake

Continuing the tradition of savoring mangoes we decided to bake with mangoes. We had a barbecue party to attend to at a friend's place and we thought this would be a good dessert to take along for the party. The flavors of this cake are mild and not too sweet. My little one helped a lot with this and breaking the eggs for the cake was her favorite part in the entire process:) She did a fine job in icing the cake and dressing it with fresh mangoes. Serve this with some vanilla ice cream for a perfect combination !

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk at room temperature
• 2 tablespoon mango extract ( if not available use almond extract)
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup diced fresh mangoes
• 1 box Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting
• Fresh cut mangoes for topping

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 350F.
• Spray a bundt cake pan with non stick spray.
• Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a pan.
• Cream butter, eggs, sugar, milk and mango extract in a bowl till it is well mixed.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and mix well.
• Now fold in the fresh chopped mangoes and mix well again
• Pour batter in a bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
• Allow the baking pan to cool for 15-20 minutes , then turn it over in a serving plate.
• Dress the cake with the frosting and garnish with fresh cut mangoes.
• Enjoy with the ice cream or just have it as is...

Orange Cake

This is a refreshingly light cake and I made this for our New Year's get together - serve this with whipped cream and fresh oranges and you are surely going to love it. The Grand Marnier liqueur in the simple syrup makes all the difference in the world:)

A very Happy New Year's to all !

        Ingredients:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (21/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 to 3 oranges, sectioned
  

  
  Simple Syrup:

  
  

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

  
  Method:

  •  Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Generously grease two 9x2 inch round baking pans.
  • Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.
  • With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the orange rind and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture and orange juice alternately until well blended. Scrape batter into prepared pans, smoothing the top of the batter.
  • Bake in 350 degree oven 25 to 30 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. 
  • Mix the ingredients of the simple syrup and drizzle generously on the cakes.
  • Invert cakes in a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream and fresh oranges or just eat it plain as is and enjoy.
  
  

  
  

   

  
  

Halloween Goofy EyeBalls Chocolate Cupcakes

Halloween is all about weird things and so it goes for food as well. This was made by my talented 7 year old daughter and she choose the scary blood eyeballs for decoration- we also made witch hat cupcakes with her favorite Oreo cookies and candy cone candies. These are super easy to make and am sure your kids would love baking this.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

Method:

• Mix all of the dry ingredients well with a mixer or wooden spoon first then add in all your liquid ingredients. It should be brown and smooth, free of lumps.
• Bake at 350 F for 15-17 minutes if you are baking cupcakes for a cake I'd say 17-25 minutes.
• Decorate with kids as desired and enjoy! 

Fresh Berry Tart

This dessert with loads of healthy berries and fat free yoghurt /cream cheese filling is perfect for summer and very quick to make.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• ¼ cup of softened butter
• ⅛ tsp of salt
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of lemon peel (finely shredded)
• 1 cup of thick plain fat free yogurt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp of lemon rind
• 1¼ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup of tub-style low fat cream cheese (softened)
• 2 tbsp of powdered sugar
• 2 cups of different berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries)
• Thawed light-whipped dessert topping (optional)
• Fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put the butter in a bowl. Beat it with an electric mixer for 30 seconds (on medium speed).
• Add the granulated sugar, lemon rind, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Beat with the mixer until fully combined.
• Add the egg and flour and continue beating the mixture. Knead the mixture gently until the dough is soft.
• Press the dough into a tart pan. Use a pan with a removable bottom so you can easily remove your crust when baked.
• Line the crust with a thick foil. Bake it for about 6 minutes then remove the foil. Bake for 6 -8 more minutes or until the crust turns brown.
• Remove crust and cool on a wire rack.

For the Lemon Cream:

• Mix the cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of lemon peel, powdered sugar, and fold in the yogurt.
• Spread the mixture on the base of the cooled crust. Add the berries on top.
• Garnish your tart with fresh mint and whipped topping (optional).
• Cut into wedges and serve

 

Baked Cheesy Zucchini Chips

I love chips and always end up feeling guilty about the amount of fat that's in it. So here is the healthy alternative to the potato chips and these are super easy to make. Panko bread crumbs do the trick and you will get the best crispy taste only when you use them- enjoy !

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini sliced into thin rounds
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 5-6 tablespoons grated cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking oil spray
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit / 220 degrees celsius.
• Pour the milk in one small bowl and bread crumbs, cheese, red pepper, salt and pepper in another bowl.
• Dip the zucchini rounds in the milk, then the crumbs mixture, pressing down to adhere the crumbs to the zucchini. 
• Place on a wire rack and spray cooking spray on top.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.

Disney Princess Three Tier Cake

This year I wanted to decorate my daughter's 5th birthday cake with fondant and my experiment was a success- my daughter was super thrilled and she helped a lot making the fondant flowers- here is my proud creation:)

Cranberry Orange Muffins

My husband's birthday is in a few days and my four year old wants to start baking already. So we baked these muffins today with her favorite berry - Cranberry. These were super yum !:) This recipe will make 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Method:

• Combine dry ingredients.
• Stir in cranberries.
• Beat egg, orange juice, oil and orange rind well for 5-6 minutes.
• Add to dry ingredients all at once.
• Mix well with a beater.
• Spoon into greased muffin cups (fill 3/4 full).
• Spring tops lightly with a bit of sugar.
• Bake 400F 15-20 minutes til lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Baking Tip : Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing the ingredients. (e.g.- egg, orange juice etc)

Caramel Custard

The smooth silky texture and the lovely caramel topping makes this a wonder in itself. The world loves it and so do I .
I discovered this is one of the easiest desserts to make - it's just that the caramel making process which needs some extra attention.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar for caramel
• 1 full egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup fresh cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest ( orange peel grated with a fine grater)
• 1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier ( Orange Liqueur)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence 
• 1/4 cup sugar     

Method:

• Grease the insides of four custard moulds with oil.
• In a large heavy bottom saucepan, cook and stir 1/2 cup sugar over low heat until sugar is melted and golden. Do not overcook the sugar else it will turn bitter. Pour into custard cups, tilting to coat bottom of cup; let stand for 10 minutes. Caramel sugar is very hot so deal with it carefully.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla essence, grand marnier, orange zest and remaining sugar until combined but not foamy. Pour over caramelized sugar.
• Place the moulds in a large baking pan. Pour boiling water in the pan to a depth of 2 inches. Pre heat oven to 325°F (162°C) and bake for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.  
• To unmould, run a knife around rim of cup and invert onto dessert place. Serve warm or chilled. 
 

 

 

Princess Birthday Cake

My daughter turned four and she is completely into princess dolls and princess stories. So I discovered this amazing princess cake recipe from the Betty Crocker website and it turned out just right. My daughter and all her friends totally loved it.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix boxes
• 3 containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
• Red food color
• 1 Princess Fashion/Barbie Doll (11 1/2 inches tall)
• 1/4 cup Betty Crocker® star-shaped candy decors

Method:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease a 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) and three 8-inch round cake pans with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).
• In large bowl, make both cake mixes as directed on boxes. (Two boxes of cake mix can be made at one time; do not make more than 2 boxes, and do not increase beating time.) Pour 3 1/4 cups batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl and divide remaining batter among 3 pans (almost 2 cups batter into each cake pan).
• Bake cake pans 23 to 30 minutes and bowl 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. 
• Remove cakes from pans and bowl; place rounded sides up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Chill cake in fridge for 45 minutes before cutting to reduce crumbs, if desired. If necessary, cut off rounded tops of cakes. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally. Cut 2-inch-diameter hole in center of all 5 cake layers.
• Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in enough food color until desired pink color. Place one 8-inch cake on serving plate; spread 1/3 cup frosting over top. Top with second 8-inch cake; spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Repeat with third layer; top with larger bowl cake layer, cut side up. Spread with a small amount of frosting. Top with rounded bowl cake layer, cut side down. Trim side of cake if necessary to make a tapered "skirt."
• Spread thin layer of frosting over side and top of layered cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 45 minutes to set frosting.
• Wrap hair and lower half of doll with plastic wrap. Insert doll into center of cake.
• Starting at waist of doll, frost cake with downward strokes to make ruffled skirt. Gently press star decors into frosting to decorate neckline and skirt. Unwrap hair. Store cake in fridge until ready to serve.      

Rich Chocolate Cake with Orange Marmalade and Almonds

Hubby's birthday and we all were craving chocolate so here comes the chocolate cake- absolutely divine:)

Ingredients:

Oven Temp: 300F/140C

• 2 cups white flour              ( maida)
• 1 3/4 cup castor or powdered sugar 
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup water  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs 
• 1 Bundt cake tin 

For the Dressing:

• 4-5 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 4-5 tablespoons almonds sliced
• 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• Multicolored sprinkles

Method:

• Line the base of the tin with butter paper or grease the base and dust either with flour or sugar till well coated.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder and transfer into a mixing bowl.  
• Add the salt, sugar, oil, water and vanilla essence.  
• Beat the mixture using a beater, till well blended. 
• Break the eggs one at a time and add to the cake batter and beat till smooth. The batter looks almost glossy when done. 
• Pour batter into the baking tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. To check insert a butter knife into the cake-if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
• Remove from the oven and leave it to cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Place cake in a serving platter and spread orange marmalade on the top evenly. 
• Decorate the top of the cake with sliced almonds, chocolate chips and sprinkles.

       
 

Kids Easy Carrot Cake with Chocolate Orange Dressing

My 3 year old daughter loves the idea of cakes and parties so we baked this cake together. It is an instant recipe which kids can bake. We did have a great doll party after the cake was ready.

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Betty Crocker Carrot Cake
• Eggs, Vegetable Oil and Water as per the box
• 25 ml Milk
• 1 Bar Cadbury's Dairy Milk Orange Chocolate Bar ( or any orange chocolate of your choice)
• Sparkles for decoration 

Method:

• Make batter for the Carrot Cake as directed in the box.
• Pour batter into a 12 Cup Fluted Tube ( bundt ) cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.
• Melt chocolate with milk in a non stick pan in low heat for 5 minutes.
• Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes and then drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake.
• Decorate with sparkles and enjoy.

Brownie and Berries Dessert Pizza

You can use any of your favorite fruits and will sure love decorating this sweet pizza. 

Ingredients:

• 1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup apple jelly

Method:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or shortening.

• Make batter as directed on brownie mix box. Spread in pan.

• Bake 26 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

• In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Carefully spread mixture evenly over brownie base.  

• Arrange berries over cream cheese mixture. Stir jelly until smooth; brush over berries. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into wedges. Store covered in refrigerator. 

Walnut Chocolate Bread

I made this when we went to a friend's place for dinner and the result was outstanding !

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) thickened plain fat free yogurt

TOPPING
• 1/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds
• 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat the egg whites slightly.
• Add it to the butter mixture and then beat in extracts.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with yogurt.
• Pour half of the batter into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.
• Combine topping ingredients;sprinkle two-thirds over the batter.
• Top with remaining batter.
• Sprinkle with remaining topping; press down lightly.
• Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Finally found an easy recipe for the cake I've been wanting to eat for long - made it for the New Year Eve's party at our friend's place and everyone enjoyed it a lot..

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can ( 20 oz ) pineapple slices in juice, drained. Reserve the juice.
• 1 jar ( 6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained
• 1 box better crocker supermoist yellow cake mix
• Vegetable oil and eggs as per the cake mix box

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
2. Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/4 cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes (42 to 48 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

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Cherry-Chocolate Chip Cake

I made this cake for my daughter's second birthday - with the icing and little Dora decorations the cake was a hit ! It is very easy to make and takes little time to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
• 1 container ( 8 ounces ) sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 egg whites
• 2 jars ( 10 ounces each ) maraschino cherries , well drained and chopped ( 1 cup)
• 1 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tub Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy cherry ready to spread frosting

Method:

• Heat oven to 350° (325° for dark or nonstick pans). Generously grease bottom only of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour (or spray bottom with cooking spray; do not flour).  
• Beat cake mix, sour cream, oil, almond extract and egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes (batter will be thick). Drain chopped cherries on paper towels; pat dry. Stir cherries and chocolate chips into batter. Pour into pan.  
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. 
• Cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread frosting over top of cake. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

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Naan Khatai

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
• 1/3 cup fine sooji or semolina
• 1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
• Pinch of baking soda (a little less than 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seed coarsely powder (ilaichi)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sliced almond
• 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio

Method:

• Pre heat the oven to 375 degree. 
• In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, gram flour, sooji, baking soda and cardamom powder and set aside. 
• Let the butter come to the room temperature (butter should be soft not melted) 
• Add butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for two to three minutes until light and fluffy. 
• Add the flour mix to butter and sugar mixture and knead them together to make smooth dough. 
• Divide the dough into about 24 equal parts and make them into balls. 
• Press each ball between your palms lightly; every piece should be about 3/4″ in thickness. 
• With a sharp knife softly draw a tic-tac-toe design on the top and put few pieces of almonds and pistachios and press them into the dough gently. 
• Put naan khatai on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 13 to 15 minutes or until naan khatai are lightly gold brown. 
• After they are lightly golden brown remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Let the naan khatais cool down for two to three minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet.

Baklava Rolls

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.

Ingredients:

• 6 sheets of phyllo dough (one package weigh 1 pound and have 18 14 x 18 inches sheets)
• 1/2 cup clarified butter
• 1/2 cup ground almond
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/3 cup sugar

Syrup:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• About 1 tablespoon sliced pistachios for garnish

Note:
Be sure to thaw the phyllo dough using the instruction from the package, phyllo dough should be at room temperature before using. Do not open the package until you are ready to use. Unused sheets roll them in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for next time but do need to be used within 3 to 4 days.
For baking I am using 8×8 baking pan.

Method:

Filling:

• Combine all the dry ingredients, ground almonds, walnuts, coconut, sugar, and cardamom.
• Preheat the oven 350 degree F.
• Work on a clean, dry, flat surface, Open the phyllo dough and take 1 sheet spread over the working surface and fold it making it double in length wise. Lightly brush the butter covering the whole sheet.
• You will be working with the short side.
• Leave about half inch of sheet across the short side and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the filling from edge to edge evenly. Roll it like a jelly roll twice and brush lightly with butter, only the rolled part.
• Sprinkling again 2 tablespoons of the filling from edge to edge evenly.
• Roll it up carefully, after every roll brush it with butter, and place seam side down in the baking tray.
• Repeat the process until you finish rolling all six sheets.
• The pieces should fit snugly, but not squashed.
• With a very sharp knife, cut the roll into 3 equal pieces in length, total of 18 pieces.
• Lightly brush the butter over each piece.
• Bake the baklava for about 25 to 30 minutes until they are light golden brown in color.

Syrup:

• Boil the sugar and water together until syrup is 220 degrees on candy thermometer or ½ thread. Add the lemon juice and cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Lemon juice keeps the syrup from crystallizing.
• Carefully pour the hot (but not boiling) syrup evenly over all the baklava pieces. Sprinkle few pieces of the sliced pistachios over baklava.

Allow the baklava to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Bread

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped, peeled apple
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. 

• Beat in eggs and vanilla. 

• Combine flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. 

• Fold in apple and nuts. 

• Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. For topping, combine the first four ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. 

• Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees farenhite for 55-60 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Orange Bread

It's the zest of the orange which has the highly flavorful orange oil that you need for this quick bread.
The glaze adds a lot of flavor to the bread.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp orange zest (or more for more intense orange flavor)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped (optional)

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan. To make it easier to remove the loaf from the pan, you may want to lay down a wide strip of parchment paper, along the length of the bottom of the loaf pan, and up the narrow sides. Butter this as well.
• Beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on high in an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated after each addition. Beat in the orange zest.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• Add the yogurt and dry ingredients by thirds, starting with the yogurt, alternating the additions. Beat only until just incorporated. Mix in the golden raisins.
• Immediately pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place in middle rack of 350°F oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes*, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and cool for another 10 to 15 minutes.
• While loaf is cooling, prepare optional glaze if using. Whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, and powdered sugar until smooth and there are no lumps. Place loaf on a serving plate. Use a toothpick or skinny skewer to poke holes in the top of the loaf and drizzle the glaze over the loaf.

Note: If you are using a 5x9 loaf pan, the loaf will be done earlier. Check at 40 minutes. You can use this recipe for muffins, in which case the cooking time should be 20-25 minutes.

Banana Bread

This is such a simple yet a perfect banana bread recipe for all of us to enjoy. 

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

Method:

• No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
• With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. 
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. 
• Add the flour last, mix. 
• Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. 
• Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.