Sock It To Me Cake

Sock It To Me Cake

Sock It To Me Cake

Sock It To Me Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cups sugar
3 cups sifted cake flour
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1 cup milk (whole or low fat)
1 cup sour cream
3 tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 tsps cinnamon
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, mix together your filling of cinnamon, brown sugar, and finely chopped pecans and set aside.

Cream the butter in large bowl. Gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Sift the already sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt. Add eggs one at a time to cream mixture, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, blending after each addition until smooth. Add sour cream. (Do not overbeat as this will yield a dry cake.)

Pour 1/2 of batter into your greased Bundt or tube pan. Pour dry mixture on top of your batter. Pour remaining batter over the dry mixture.

Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick and make sure it comes out dry. Let cake cool for 25 minutes then invert onto wire rack to continue cooling.

Glaze

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tbsps milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together and drizzle and brush over cake. Adjust glaze to your liking.

Editor’s Note: This recipe is special to me because my mother made this cake for our family when I was child. It is also one of the first cakes I made when I was a teen. We used boxed cake mix for this cake originally. I was unable to find a Sock It To Me cake recipe from scratch that I liked so now you have one! Enjoy!!!

Banana Bread/Banana Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread



Banana Bread & Strawberries, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

This week’s treat is very yummy banana bread. I decided to plate a few slices, garnish them with strawberries and take a few photos.

The banana bread recipe is adapted from the Fanny Farmer Pumpkin Bread recipe.

Banana Bread Recipe

1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) banana purée
1/2 cup (1 dL) canola or vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mash the bananas into a puree and be sure to leave it a little lumpy. Mix the banana, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, honey, and cinnamon together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts (optional.) Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Spread liberally over the banana bread dough before placing in the oven. The aroma will make you want to hurt someone!!! Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack. Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

Thanks to Bakesale Betty for her guidance and mentoring on this yummy recipe.

Updated 08/16/2017: Banana Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread: I cannot believe I posted this recipe 11 years ago. I usually make a double batch of the banana bread. Right before folding it into the pans, I add about a cup of dried cherries and chocolate chips to the mixture to make Banana Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread. It has become a big hit and I make it often. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes with the added moisture. Enjoy!!!

Just a little Brown Sugar…

Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends

No, this is not about the popular D’Angelo song from a few years back or the popular movie from last year. It’s about the new cookbook from Joyce White entitled “Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends” which is the sequel to “Soul Food: Recipes & Reflections from African-American Churches” which was published five years ago. White definitely does her homework and even if you have never baked before, her instructions are clear enough to make you a success. Her recipes are gathered from urban and rural home cooks, church groups and her wide circle of friends. Just the cover is enough to make you hungry. Thanks Dre!!
Read more about Joyce White and “Brown Sugar” in the SF Chronicle article, “Old-fashioned desserts with soul