Cream Cheese Filled Banana Bread

Super moist cream cheese filled banana bread with cacao nibs.
So moist I am doubting myself if I have under- baked this. 

To date, I have baked a good amount and variety of banana bread. But, baking a layer of cream cheese into the banana bread is totally new to me. I was expecting a creamy, lava-flow like, tangy cheese layer but was met with a more solid, flour-y, sweet layer. On hindsight, I should've incorporated some graham crackers in (or on?) this banana bread to make it a full-on fusion of cheesecake and banana bread.

Cream Cheese Filled Banana Bread
recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
makes one 9x5" loaf

Bread
1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed *used a little less brown sugar and filled to 1/2 cup with granulated sugar/cinnamon mix
1/4 cup liquid-state coconut oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Optional: 1/4 cup cacao nibs or nuts

Cream Cheese Filling
1 large egg
4oz cream cheese, softened
1/4cup granulated sugar
3tbsp AP flour

bread batter and cream cheese filling

ready to bake!

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line one 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In large bowl, add the egg, sugars, coconut oil, greek yogurt, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
3. Add mashed bananas and stir to incorporate.
4. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don't overmix; set aside.
5. Turn about two-thirds of the batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into corners and sides as necessary; set aside.
6. In another large bowl, add egg, cream cheese, sugar, flour, and whisk until smooth and no large lumps. Alternatively, mix with a hand mixer.
7. Evenly pour filling mixture over the bread batter, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into corners and sides as necessary.
8. Top with remaining batter, smoothing the top very lightly with a spatula as to not disturb cream cheese layer and pushing batter into corners and sides as necessary.
9. Bake for about 48 to 50 minutes or until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
10. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. 

*Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To be honest, I am disappointed with how this bread turned out. I had great expectations after seeing the photos of them and imaging the taste and texture in my head. 

First of all, the top is not domed. A domed top makes all the difference.. At least to me, the bread is thousand times more appealing. I love a toasty hard crust. Next time, I want to try this recipe from Entertaining with Beth. Ah, just look at that domed top.. 

The sweetness was also a bit overwhelming and one noted to me. I omitted the original 1/4 cup granulated sugar in the batter and still found this cake to be too sweet for my liking. I should've taken into account of the over ripen (sweeter) bananas and the additional 1/4 cup in the cream cheese layer. If I ever make this again, I would need to reduce it more to make it breakfast appropriate and mom friendly. In addition, the cream cheese layer needed a bit more tang to highlight it. Some lemon juice or zest would help.

The spontaneous addition of cacao nibs, suggested by Ip Man, was nice and toned down the sweetness a bit (but not enough).

The texture of this bread was between moist and mush. The top half of the cake was a bit soggy and mushy, while the lower half was just right. I sprinkled turbinado raw sugar on top prior to baking hoping for a nice crispy crusty domed top, but well,, it didn't turn out quite as planned. 

Taste: 3 stars out of 5

Too sweet; cream cheese layer lacked tang and a pop of flavor

Texture: 3 stars out of 5

Good moist bottom layer, but soggy/mushy on top; cream cheese layer too dense and dough-y. 

Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti

ft. elly (my new elephant mug)

Crisp. Nutty. Toasty. 

Perfect complement to some Earl Grey Latte (or coffee or tea or anything)!

Both the flavor and texture of these biscotti were elevated from the incorporation of the grounded toasty oats, coconuts, and almonds. The grounded-ness of everything also made slicing easy.

Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti

recipe adapted from Culinary in the Country

makes 1 log (about 20 biscotti)

1/2cup old-fashion rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup toasted almonds
7/8cup (100g) all-purpose flour
3/4tsp baking powder
1/8tsp salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/8 cup light coconut milk
1/2tsp vanilla extract

dry + wet

ready to form into log

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Toast oats, coconut, and almonds until golden and fragrant. Stir occasionally. Set aside to cool.

3. In food processor, pulse cooled oats, coconut, and almonds until finely ground. 

4. In big bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and grounded oats/coconut/nuts.

5. In small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and vanilla. 

6. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined and dough comes together.

7. Form dough into log about 1" thick, and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes in preheated oven, or until log is firm and lightly brown. 

9. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. 

10. Cut log into roughly 1/2" thick slices. Place slices upright on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

after first bake

sliced and ready for second bake

20 more minutes!

cooling upright

Love love love the toasty aroma of the oats/coconut/nuts. The aroma lingered throughout the night and made these biscotti very irresistible. I ate two slices at 11pm fresh from the oven!

The biscotti were crisp but also had a slight chewy bite from the coarsely grounded oats and coconut. At first, the dough may seem too dry, but be patient and keep mixing/kneading.. eventually the dough will moistened and become sticky. 

I oversaw the instruction to bake the slices upright. Going to try that next time to see if the biscotti will be even crisper. I ended up flipping the biscotti slices 14 minutes into the second 20 min bake. 

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
The toasty, coconut-y, caramel-y flavor is perfect. 

Texture: 4.9 stars out of 5

The small end slices of the biscotti were thoroughly dry and crisp. Hoping to achieve that next time throughout the whole log. 

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Fudge Tart

Sick of my tofu theme yet? Here's another one - Mexican Chocolate Tofu Mousse Tart. Possibly the last one until I set my eyes on another tofu sweets, but hey.. these no bake tofu recipes are so simple and take no time to whip up. And bonusES, there's not much dishes to wash either, and they are sort of healthy for you with the high protein content! I've given you no excuse to not make one of these even on a lazy weeknight. Not unless you hate chocolate.. or tofu. But then, you won't be reading this if you do. So give it a try! Prep and whip, head to bed, and wake up to some tasty chocolate tart.

This particular chocolate tofu mousse is pretty indulgent and satisfies my big sweet tooth just right. The tofu provides the structure of the mousse and you won't be able to detect any soy flavor actually.

What makes this Mexican? I don't really know, but maybe the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, and paprika. The flavor turned out distinctly spiced and well balanced. The spices were not overwhelming and simply elevated the flavor from being just an ordinary chocolate tart to something exotic for the taste buds.

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Mousse Tart
recipe inspired from Kiki Cuisine's Mexican Chocolate Pie and Chocolate Covered Katie's The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie
makes one 6" tart (& a bit extra mousse)

120g graham crackers, crushed
60g melted butter

1tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp nutmeg

349g (12.3oz) silken tofu
1 1/2tsp cocoa powder
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp milk (*reduced fat)
1/8tsp salt
8oz chocolate chips (*semi sweet)

2-3tbsp sweetener (*reduced to 1tsp honey)

Optional spices:
1/4tsp instant espresso
1/2tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle of paprika

Next time, I will probably top this with some cinnamon cream:
1cup heavy cream
2tbsp sugar
1/4tsp vanilla extract

2 large pinches of cinnamon

tofu mixture, crust prepped, chocolate not yet melted

melt the chocolate

whisk together everything else
optional: use food processor and strain through sieve

fold melted chocolate into tofu

1. In a bowl, combine crushed graham crackers, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press down evenly on the bottom and sides of a 6" tart pan. Bake at 325F for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool while prepping the filling.

2. Melt chocolate chips over double boiler until smooth. Set aside.
3. Whisk together silken tofu, cocoa, vanilla, milk, salt, sweetener, and any optional spices. Alternatively, blend until smooth in food processor or blender.
4. Strain through sieve for silky texture. (*skipped this time)

5. Fold melted chocolate into tofu mix until combined.
6. Pour onto chilled crust.
7. Cover and chill for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.

8. Dust with powdered sugar or top with cream and enjoy!

pre- dust; the crust is a beauty

innovative way of using cooling racks?

I love the flavor of the mousse and crust with the addition of the spices. Texture-wise, I was expecting whipped cream like fluffiness. It turned out on the dense and fudge-y side which I also enjoyed very much. I should probably call this Mexican Chocolate Tofu Fudge Pie?

I used a tart pan with non- removable bottom and placed a small round sheet of parchment paper as insurance. With some wiggling, the tart slipped out with no problem. The crust was firm enough to handle without breaking. I am really starting to become addicted to this quick and delicious graham cracker crust.

A slice a day keeps the cravings away (:

Taste: 4.5 stars out of 5

The spices were well balanced and exciting

Texture: 4 stars out of 5 as a mousse

5 stars out of 5 as fudge

Should I make some cream puff to use up the leftover mousse/fudge? (;

Cooking with Fatty Episode 8: Acai Bowl Roundup

08 02 15

The Fatty and I are getting so good at this acai thing. We have been frugally using our four packs of acai and spreading it into four meal for two! I'd say this is an accomplishment in itself. We are saving $$.

How our usual prep looks like

We omitted tofu and added more frozen fruits (berries and mangoes) into the base. This makes the base more refreshing and cold which is absolutely perfect for the hot summer days.

Back: his, Front: her

We got strawberries for a pop of red this time too. Fatty has been going for the organized chaos theme while I am neatly arranging my toppings in rows.

Fast forward two Sundays,

08 16 15

Her - closet comparments theme

His - symmetrical mess (;

Check my first post for the basic recipe we are following. Happy acai!

Mini Applesauce Muffins

Time to use up that big jar of applesauce that I've bought since May! Stay tuned for an abundance of applesauce bakes to come. Here's the first of many: mini applesauce muffins dipped and rolled post bake for a delicious sweet cinnamon sugar topping! These muffins are very moist and soft fresh from the oven and overnight. They are fluffy and light without the grease thanks to the applesauce.

Mini Applesauce Muffins
recipe adapted from lil`luna
makes 24 mini muffins

¼ cup unsalted

butter, softened
⅓ cup sugar (*used a little less)
1 eggs
½ cup applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

step 2- mixture curdled

ready to spoon into pan

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until well combined. Fold in egg and applesauce.
3. Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon batter into greased mini muffin pan. Fill each ⅔ full. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

5. Let cool for a bit.
6. In a separate bowl, combined sugar and cinnamon. Also, melt butter in another bowl.
7. Dip muffins into melted butter and then into the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Eat.

The resulting muffins are tasty. However, the curdling and separation of the mixture in step 2 confused me. I whisked the egg in first and everything was fine until I dumped the applesauce. This was probably due to the cold applesauce and/or the large amount of applesauce I dumped in at once.**

Personally, I love crunch (read: muffins with higher fat and sugar content). But these will definitely please any soft and moist muffins lovers. And the cinnamon sugar topping did add a slightly crispness to the bite (& a nice brown top).

There was a hint of apple coming from the applesauce which I think paired well with the cinnamon sugar topping. The sweetness is good for most, but to me.. sugar can be lowered a bit to lessen the guilt(:

Next time:

• Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup
• Let applesauce get to room temperature and add slowly to butter/sugar/egg mixture.**
• Add 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Incorporate some real apple chunks?

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

Subtle apple taste.

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Moist and soft. No greasiness.