Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

12 tablespoons (168 g) butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

2 large fresh eggs (100 g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups (270 g) cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

3-4 medium-sized super ripe bananas (450 g)

6 tablespoons (90 g) sour cream 

Cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.  Combine the eggs and the vanilla extract together and slowly add to the creaming mixture, stopping to scrape mixer and sides of bowl to ensure proper mixing.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  In another bowl, mix together mashed bananas and sour cream. Mix well and scrape sides before adding half of the mashed banana and sour cream.  Add remaining dry mixture and mix until just combined.  Then add remaining banana/sour cream mixture.  Prepare pans--line with greased parchment paper or spray with Baker's Joy.  Portion into desired pans or muffin liners and bake immediately at 350 degrees F until it's done.  Time will depend on pan size used.  About 17 minutes for muffins, 25 minutes for cake pans, or 40 minutes for Bundt cake.  

Yield: 2 x 8-inch round cake layers, 24 cupcakes, one 13x9-inch cake, or one thin half-sheet layer

Frost with cinnamon cream cheese frosting if desired:  Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut Pineapple Cake with Pineapple Curd

I recently discovered the blog "Baking with Blondie."  Usually I am more interested in making cakes from scratch, but her recipes intrigued me!  Search for site for her sheet cakes--I love the style she uses to decorate a simple sheet cake!  This is another cake recipe I brought to Dad's birthday party.  Instead of making the cake a layer cake, I baked it in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and imitated her style of sheet cake decorating.  I found a pineapple curd recipe from a different site that I used to garnish the cake--and I thought it enhanced the flavor, so I am including that link as well.  

The pictures for the lemon bar sheet cake recipe and the Biscoff sheet cake recipe inspired my sheet cake version of the coconut pineapple cake.

Click here for cake recipe:  Coconut Pineapple Cake

Click here for pineapple curd recipe: Pineapple Curd

German Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is one of the cakes I brought to Dad's birthday party this past year.  I love this version of German chocolate cake.  It is very simple to make and tastes delicious!

Click here for the recipe:  German chocolate sheet cake

Key Lime Coconut White Chocolate Chip Cookies

The flavors in this cookie are delicious -- coconut, lime, white chocolate.  And the coconut gives the cookies a chewy texture.

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp lime extract OR 2 tablespoons key lime juice (the extract will have stronger lime flavor)

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons freshly grated key lime zest

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

1 10 oz package sweetened flaked coconut

To make cookie dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, lime extract (or lime juice) and vanilla.  Cream for 2 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the lime zest.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients.  Stop and scrape the bowl as needed.  Beat until the dry ingredients are fully moistened.

Mix in the white chocolate chips and coconut by hand.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

To bake:  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or a silpat.  Divide the dough using a 2 oz cookie scoop, leaving 3-inches apart to allow for spreading.  Bake for 11 - 14 minutes until lightly browned on the edges.