Microwave Banana Bread / Muffins

I had been baking a lot of chocolate cakes since my family loves chocolate in any form,   but was longing to try something different. Finally settled for Banana Bread/Cake since had some ripe Bananas at home, but sadly did not have a recipe! The closest I could find was Banana and coconut Cake which is actually my cousin’s recipe that I have adapted to bake this bread.  The recipe called for Coconut and bread crumbs but I omitted them and just used Bananas and added cinnamon powder since I remembered the distinct taste of cinnamon in Banana Bread that I had tasted long time ago.

Lo behold, the Bread turned out so soft and moist…the house was filled with the sweet aroma of Cinnamon, Banana and Baked Bread!! Someone has rightly said …..baking really has a soothing effect on our minds!! My Mum in law declared, that was the best bread she had ever eaten J  The bonus point was, I let my little boy taste it for the first time and I felt, it was all worth the try, when I saw his little dance after taking his first bite J.  Ever since it has become a frequent tea time snack at home and breakfast menu for my little bunny! 

Moreover it’s a healthy recipe with the goodness of Bananas, eggs, and a dash of spice which really calmed my senses!! I have replace the bread crumbs with wheat flour and butter with cooking oil J.  So here goes my first attempt in baking my first Banana Bread / Muffins J

Ingredients required:

1 ¼ cup sugar

½   cup butter or oil

3 eggs

1-2 cups mashed bananas ( I used 2 cups)

1 tsp vanilla essence

¾ cup soul milk (yogurt)

1 tsp cooking soda

1 cup Maida/All purpose flour

1 cup Wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup cashews / walnuts finely chopped

1 ½ tsp Cinnamon powder

Method:

1.      Pre-heat oven at 350 F or 180 C. Beat eggs and add sugar and oil and cream together.

2.      Mix in mashed banana, Vanilla essence.

3.      Combine sour milk with soda, once it rises in volume, add it and mix well.

4.      Sift together all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder and Cinnamon.  Add this to the creamed mixture and blend it well.

5.      Stir in the chopped walnuts/cashes and pour into a greased and floured cake/loaf pan.

6.      Bake for 40-45 minutes in moderate oven or until the bread is done.

How to bake in Microwave: If you are using a microwave, set the micro power to 480 Watt (which is a moderate power setting to bake in my Microwave model) and bake it in greased and floured borosil dish for 20 minutes on the rotating tray.  Once done, insert the round steel stand used for grilling and place the cake dish on top of it. Bake for 3-5 more minutes under Combi Grill mode in the medium setting to brown the top. Please do go through user manual of your microwave if you are not too sure about the power settings. It differs in each Microwave model. The objective is to keep the temperature setting in moderate power.…not too low or too high to get best results.

If you are using small cupcake molds made of silicon, it will be done in 8-10 minutes under 480 watts. I did not use silicon cupcake molds in the combi- grill mode, since I was not sure if they would be safe under excess heat!  Use your best judgment and bake in short durations in order to avoid any kind of burning! That’s what I do J

Will come up with more updates about the microwave baking as and when I discover the secrets! Till then take care and bake some healthy banana bread/muffins and enjoy!!

Points to Ponder:

You must be aware of verities of bread that can be prepared in your kitchen. But you would be delighted to know few more verities which you may have never heard before!! Read on to know more………….

Genesis 3:19 – Bread of sweat (hard work)

Proverbs 31:27 –Bread of Idleness

Proverbs 4:17 –Bread of wickedness

Psalms 127:2 –Bread of Sorrows,

Psalms 80:5 –Bread of Tears

Isaiah 30:20 – Bread of Adversity

The Bible references mentioned above talks about people who eat bread according to their deeds. But the best of all is Bread of Life who is Jesus himself. As eating bread is so essential for us to sustain physically, Jesus the Bread of life is also very essential to sustain us spiritually, emotionally and eternally!!!

John 6:35 – Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life, Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Microwave Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Whenever I go shoping these days I end up looking for things that I can use in baking and also browse for new cutlery to present the food! Few weeks ago I had been to Big Bazaar and found these cute cupcake moulds made out of Sillicon. I quickly put that in the shopping basket as soon as I read that I could use them in microwave as well. I was restless to use them ever since I bought and found this mint chocolate cupcake recipe in one of the recipe books which was compiled by the ladies of Bethel Baptist Church. There are a lot of tried and tested recipes contributed by the ladies who are excellent cooks, loving moms and wives! Will post more recipes as and when I try them out!

The first batch turned out dry and hard becasue I didn't realize that baking takes less time in sillicon molds. So you don't have to bake it for too long when using sillicon molds. Just about 5 minutes and its done!  Here are the cupcakes in red sillicon molds!

Ingredients for Cupcake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour/Maida
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetned cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup butter/oil
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 100 grams Sweet/semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa and set aside
2. Cream butter and sugar until light, for about 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition.
4. Beat in peppermint extract
5. Slowly blend in flour mixture alternating with milk until blended
6. Spoon batter into greased Sillicon molds or paper liners upto 3/4 full
7. Microwave under 60% or 460W power for 5-6 minutes or bake in preheated oven to 350 degress for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not over bake or it will turn out dry and hard.
8. Cool on wire rack. If you are using sillicon molds let it cool in it becasue it continues to bake even after removing from oven

For Frosting:

Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in peppermint extract. Cool until spreadable. 

Since I didn't have chocolate in stock, quickly made a thick chocolate sauce using cocoa powder, butter, sugar and milk for the topping without following any  measurements before cupcakes would vanish without posing for pictures :)

 

Points to Ponder:

The wise woman builds her home, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.                                                                                                            

                                                                                      Proverbs 14:1  (NIV Bible)

Microwave Chocolate Cake in a Jiffy!!

I did not have any plans to bake that night but I had to make it because its been a tradition at our home since our marriage, to welcome each one’s birthday in the midnight over a hot cup of coffee and some good cake.  So made this cake in a jiffy for my boys for Midnight Birthday celebration, since the official cake was going to arrive only in the morning!!

Microwave Chocolate Cake in a Jiffy

Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½  cups sugar – (you can make it 2 cups if you like more sweetness)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• I teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• ¾  cup butter softened

Directions:

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder/soda and salt in a bowl and keep it aside. In a large bowl,  beat the eggs, sugar and butter till it blends well. Add the sieved dry ingredients slowly and fold it in. Grease the microwave-safe dish and pour the cake mix into it. Microwave on 60% power i.e., 480W for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once done, remove from Microwave and cool on a wire rack.

Since, it was close to midnight, I didn’t have any energy left to make hot chocolate fudge. Just melted some dark chocolate in the microwave for a minute and poured it over the cake.  Bling….Yummy Midnight Birthday Cake is ready. =)  This is one good recipe which came with the Microwave Oven purchase, which I often use.

Do try it!! It can be made in a jiffy even at midnightJ.

Points to Ponder:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,.......

                                                                                                                        Psalms 139:13-14