BANANA SNACKING CAKE WITH CASHEW COCONUT CREAM

It hasn't completely sunk in, but the holidays are paving their way. The tree lots are popping up, we've got our Thanksgiving assignments and little white lights are slowing starting to line the houses in our neighborhood. I've got tubs of peppermint ice cream (my absolute favorite) in the freezer and there is a blooming white poinsettia on the porch. I just began to feel taken by the sentiment of this time of year in craving more time with friends and family, reflecting on the past year with thanks. Days pass and then you look back at a years time and so much has happened. So much! I know I have a ton to be thankful for. The big things like a kind and funny husband, a supportive family (two of them now!) a great place to live and good food. But the little things are not lost on me either. I just hope we all take the time to soak it all in.

This snack cake is my last non-festive treat before I jump into the holiday dishes with two feet. You don't get much less festive than banana cakes this time of year, but I couldn't help myself. I'm now ready to burn out on pumpkin and peppermint with the rest of you. I've been having a thing with almond meal lately, as I appreciate the flavor, extra protein and the crumbly texture in my baked goods. Because it is gluten free, I am careful when I use it exclusively, to make sure everything stays together. Anyway, notes below!

It's a tasty little snack, a perfect compliment to afternoon coffee, but personally, a distraction to keep Hugh out of my peppermint ice cream.

BANANA SNACKING CAKE WITH CASHEW COCONUT CREAM // Makes one 8x8 cake

The cream frosting is from So Good and Tasty via My New Roots

You could use sweetened coconut if that is what you have on hand, just know your cake will be a bit sweeter. I gathered a tip from Kamran's recent post, and think it's perfect for baked goods with almond meal. I pull it out a tad early and cover it with a dishtowel to hold the steam in and it keeps it moist. He leaves his cake covered for 8 hours, I felt mine was good after an hour. Lastly, I have found that nut meals dry out quicker, so keep it air tight and it should last you 2-3 days. They have a great, well priced almond meal at Trader Joe's.

If you have a nut allergy, you can use completely all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free all purpose flour.

3 medium, extra brown bananas

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, warmed to a liquid

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or 1/3 cup coconut flour for GF)

1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (or walnut pieces or chocolate chips)

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice

Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaking in water for an hour, up to overnight

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 Tbsp. honey or maple

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350'.

In a large mixing bowl, smash the bananas really well, breaking down the chunks. Add the oil, eggs, vanilla and mix. Stir in the almond meal, flour, coconut (or chocolate chips), baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and spice.

Grease an 8x8 glass baking pan or line it with parchment paper. Pour in the mix and spread it evenly. Sprinkle a little extra sugar over the top. Bake on the middle rack for about 30 minutes. Being sure the center is set.

Allow it to cool.

For the cream, drain the cashews and put them in a food processor or blender with the coconut milk, honey and lemon juice. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. It will have a bit of texture to it. The cream will keep in the fridge for about a week.

I prefer to add a bit of the cream to each piece as eaten, not frost the whole cake. Finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

PLUM TART WITH MASCARPONE CREAM

There was a piece in Sunset magazine from writer Anne Lamott awhile back, and I was redirected to it recently from Orangette. Anne Lamott is a great writer, I have read a couple of her books, and appreciate how she makes points with both humility and humor. The line that struck me the most was "Time is not free - that's why it is so precious and worth fighting for". I make plans with my sister-in-law months in advance, or start discussing a date for a dinner with friends weeks before it's a reality, but isn't that how time goes? We fill it up in trying to get the most out of it, and then end up a bit drained. I just think you should read the article, it will mean something.

I've been envisioning this tart for awhile now, after seeing the posts from the two ladies mentioned below. Hugh shakes his head when we do a post over something I haven't ever made before (which is actually pretty frequent). It is time consuming, especially at the moment while both of us have pretty full plates, but I took a chance. The crust is great, with a nice crunch of cornmeal, and not so much butter than you feel a bit of guilt with each bite. The plums are sweet, barely tart, with some nice texture from not being cooked much at all. Then there's the filling, which may have turned out a bit gooey on first run (I made changes below, don't fret!), but it tastes quite nice. We started this blog as a creative outlet - a place for both of us to collaborate on things we enjoy, food and pictures. The moment it becomes solely about perfect food and a perfect story and mass traffic, I'll have lost sight of why we started doing this in the first place. I love sharing this space, am grateful for relationships I've started and opportunities that have come from it, but every now and then, the tart turns out a little gooey, alright? We ate it anyway, cause time is precious, and if you're waiting for everything to be perfect... you're going to be doing a lot of waiting. Cheers.

PLUM TART WITH MASCARPONE CREAM

With influence from Not Without Salt and Beyond The Plate

As mentioned, the first time around I used honey and cream to thin out the mascarpone, which was unnecessary once it went back in the oven. Even if you want to play around with the sweetener, just make sure it is a dry one, as things melt during its second trip to the oven.

1/2 Cup Cornmeal

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tbsp. Natural Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

4 Tbsp. Cold Butter or Coconut Oil

2-3 Tbsp. Ice Cold Water

4 Ripe Plums

1 Tbsp. Tequila

Bit of Orange Zest

1/2 Cup Mascarpone, room temperature

2 Tbsp. Muscavado or Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Walnuts

2 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar

1. The crust can be done in a processor, or by hand with a pastry cutter. For the processor, put all the dry ingredients in the bowl and give them a quick pulse to combine. Cut the cold butter into cubes, add it to the processor and give it a few more pulses so there are little pea size flecks of butter. Add the cold water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the crust just begins to hold together (Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the flour mix with a pastry cutter, and add the water 1 Tbsp. at a time as well). Press the dough in an even layer, into a 11x5 rectangular tart pan and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400'. Bake the crust on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until golden on the edges, remove to cool.

3. While the crust cools, cut the plum into thin slices and gently toss it in the tequila. In another bowl, mix the mascarpone with the honey. Chop up the walnuts pretty fine (you can use the processor, but I hate washing that thing), mix them in a bowl with the turbinado.

4. Set the oven to 475'. On the cool crust, spread the mascarpone cream, drain the plums if needed then layer them nicely on top of the mascarpone. Lastly, sprinkle the walnut turbinado mix across the top. With a rack in the upper third, bake it another 5 minutes just to toast the top. Put it back in the fridge to cool and set the cream. Eat it!

DATE + PECAN SCONES

I have this almond strawberry shortcake recipe for the book that I have now made four times. I love this cake, but honestly I would be ok if I didn't have it again for awhile. Not to mention there are two of us in this lovely apartment, and I have a paranoia about food going to waste, so even while giving some away to friends, guess who has been eating a lot of cake? Yea. So I went to Zumba last night, trying to make up for cake... and scones. Have you been? It's so ridiculous that I keep going back. It's a workout of embarassing salsa-type moves that make me feel like I am in some terrible latin children's musical. The high school girls in their booty shorts and the older women who wear jingly belly dancing belts, it's entertaining, but still liberating in its own way. I think it's because there is no way you could take yourself seriously in that hour, and I like being forced into that state of mind.

I have unsuccessfully made scones a few times, but this recipe is my sweet victory for the previous batches which either spread flat or came out tasteless. Their edges may be imperfect and they don't have the lighteness that a bakery scone using all white flour yields, but I wouldn't change it. The spelt and oat bran give a warmth and heartiness to the scone, while it still welcomes a thin shmear of creme fraiche or butter. The trick to a good scone is to use your hands, not tools, so you can be gentle as possible as to not overmix and work quickly so the batter stays cold. I may not be a master yet, but these are pretty delicious.

DATE + PECAN SCONES // Makes 8

Ratios adapted from Maria Speck's Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup Spelt Flour

1/2 Cup Oat Bran

1/4 Cup Natural Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Nutmeg

2 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans

5 Medjool Dates, cut in small pieces

6 Tbsp. Butter, cold

1 Egg

3/4 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tbsp. Orange Zest

Turbinado Sugar for Garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400'. Mix both flours, oat bran, sugar, salt, nutmeg and baking powder together. Mix in the chopped pecans and dates.

2. Working quickly, cut the butter into chunks and work it in to the flour mix with your fingers until you get small pebbles.

3. Whisk the egg, cream and zest together and add about 3/4 of the cream to the flour and incorporate with as few stirs as possible. Add more of the cream as needed until you get a shaggy dough that just holds itself together. Pat it together and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in two and make two disks that are about 1.5'' thick. If you just want to cook four scones for now, wrap the other disk tightly in saran wrap and keep it in the fridge. Cut the disk in half, then in half the other way so you get four triangles. Place them on the parchment. Brush a bit of the remaining cream on top and sprinkle a few pinches of turbinado sugar on top. Bake on the middle rack for 16-18 minutes, rotating the baking tray half way through cooking. Remove to cool. Serve just above room temperature with a bit of creme fraiche.