The New York metropolitan area is now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. With the ever-rising community infections, going out to the grocery stores can be a risky business. The virus may be invisible, but fear and danger are palpable. I have enough food in the pantry to last me a while. So I’m in a lockdown mode; no unnecessary trips to the store. The task at hand is to find creative ways to make do with what we already have. The last-of-the-bunch banana bundt is a recipe bore out of the need in repurposing leftovers which are languishing around.
I have most of the ingredients, other than the coconut oil. I use butter as Dorie suggests. There are two sticks of butter in the batter, a bit too much in my book. My general preference is a healthier olive oil bundt cake, a popular one on this blog.
The banana bundt is a rather substantial cake. There is no room in the freezer for leftovers. So I left it sitting on the kitchen counter. Dorie is right that the cake tastes better after an overnight rest.
A Poem of Hope
Here where all seems lost. We witness selfless actions from brave doctors and nurses, grocery store cashiers, truck drivers, police and others
Spring feels close and trees bring hope of new beginnings where once bare limbs reminded us of winters past
Nature reminds us all must pass and new life springs forth when all seems lost
Virus in Verse, The New York Times
Last-of-the-Bunch Banana Bundt
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 3 cups (408 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) coconut oil, at room temperature, or another stick (113 grams) butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 ripe bananas, mashed to a puree (about 13⁄4 cups; 360 ml)
- 1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
- 3 ounces 84 grams) chocolate (milk, semisweet or bittersweet), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) sweetened flake coconut
- For the icing (optional)
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar 1 to 11⁄2 tablespoons milk
- 1 handful sweetened flake coconut, toasted, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a Bundt pan, dust with flour and tap out the excess (or coat with baker’s spray). Do this even if your pan is nonstick.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and nutmeg.
Working in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, coconut oil, if you’re using it, both sugars and the salt together at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until well blended, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in, then beat in the rum, if you’re using it, and the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, beat in the mashed bananas; don’t worry about how curdled the batter looks.
Still working on low, add half of the flour mixture. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in all of the yogurt, and when that is almost in, add the rest of the our and mix until blended. Switch to a flexible spatula, scrape down the bowl and mix in the chocolate and coconut.
Spoon the batter into the pan, smoothing the top and swiveling the pan from side to side to even the batter and get it into all of the pan’s curves.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the top is brown and the sides of the cake pull away from the pan when gently nudged; a skewer inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it rest for about 5 minutes, then unmold it onto the rack. Let cool to room temperature. If you have patience, wrap the cake once it cools and let it “ripen” overnight.
To ice the cake (optional): Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk if necessary, a drop at a time, stirring until you have an icing that falls easily from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle the icing over the cake and sprinkle over some toasted coconut, if desired. Let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes, or until the icing is set, before you serve or store the cake.
Storing: Covered, the cake will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature. Without the icing, it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.
Working ahead: I think the taste and texture of this cake are better after an overnight rest.
Notes
https://food52.com/recipes/78084-last-of-the-bunch-banana-bundt
7 Comments
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
March 27, 2020 at 8:37 amYours is so gorgeous – but the full recipe is huge, no? It’s a great snack to have while you’re in isolation! Stay safe and well!
Diane Zwang
March 27, 2020 at 3:38 pmOh be well my friend. NY may be the epi-center but Los Angeles is quickly catching up. I am glad you were able to make this one. Luckily I had bought the ingredients before lock down.
cheznana
March 28, 2020 at 10:18 amThis is definitely a large cake, but so delicious. I love all the ingredients in the recipe, and like you, I used the two sticks of butter. I’ve never used coconut oil and don’t know when it would be used again, so I skipped it. Your cake looks so perfect.
Tricia S
March 29, 2020 at 7:20 amGorgeous ! As Nana shared, we went with the all butter route as well. No time for special ingredients not on hand. We loved this whopper of a cake and the book continues to knock it out of the park.
steph (whisk/spoon)
March 29, 2020 at 4:32 pmbeautiful! living in brooklyn, i’m also trying hard to avoid too many trips to public places and was glad to have all the ingredients for this on hand.
betsy
March 29, 2020 at 6:08 pmThis is a big cake, but it looks great. I like the idea of some (all?) olive oil for a lighter cake. From what I read in the news, we’re not the only ones baking lots of bread! Flour and yeast are now in short supply. I’m glad I stocked up on flour before this got bad and I don’t need yeast because I have my sourdough starter. Hopefully we can go to the grocery store freely — and everywhere else — before too long. In the meantime, it’s a comfort to be able to create delicious food from whatever’s on hand. Take good care, Shirley!
Kim
April 1, 2020 at 7:28 pmOh, be safe! I am so sorry to hear you are in the thick of it in NY. I am glad you are stocked up and found some joy in baking this cake. It was big, but my family and friends loved it! Yours looks beautiful!