Banana Cake with Smooth Coconut Cream & Pomegranate Coulis

I promised you on Twitter that I would post this banana-heaven cake before tea time, I guess I should never make promises if I can't keep them..though it's better later than never.

I must start with a confession: baking is not my strongest suit, mainly because I love savoury dishes more and I prefer Middle Eastern desserts to European ones. There are, however, some cakes I just love: Viennese apple strudel, banana bread, and rich dark chocolate cake (Sachertorte, to be more precise). Indulgence!

I baked banana bread many times in the past, but the other day I was reading on Honey and Jam the story behind a Coconut Loaf. It's funny how internet works for us all. It's more like Chinese whispers, really. The author had found the recipe on Tara and the Seven Spoons, while the source of inspiration had been adapted from another cook's recipe. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Since I love bananas and coconut milk with equal intensity, it was going through my mind that it would be great if I married the two into one heavenly, luscious, smooth and velvety cake.

You will need the following 

4 eggs

1.5 cup of sugar

extract of vanilla

3 bananas

3 spoonfuls of coconut milk/cream

4 tablespoons desiccated coconut 

3.5 tablespoons of flour

baking powder (1 sachet)

2 spoons of oil

butter (for greasing)

almond flakes for topping

1 pomegranate

Method

Start by making the pomegranate coulis: peal and clean a pomegranate, pick the yellowish skins, put the fruit in a small pot, add a cup of sugar and half a glass of water (just to barely cover the fruit) or, better still, pomegranate juice. Let it simmer and reduce. Use the vertical blender to mash the fruit. To discard the seeds (as they are hard), pass the sauce through a sieve. For a smooth coulis do this twice. Set it aside to cool.

To make the sponge, separate the eggs, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla extract and the whites with the sugar (half a cup). Mix the two to make a fluffy composition.

Put the desiccated coconut flakes in a separate bowl and cover with hot water. They will expand. Sieve.

Beat 3 very ripe bananas and add them to the eggs with the coconut flakes and 3 spoons of coconut cream/milk.

Mix the flour with the baking powder and run your fingers through. Pour the egg, banana and coconut mixture and work in the flour. Add 2 spoons of oil.

You can use muffin shapes or a bake the cake in a normal pan.

Sprinkle the almond flakes on top.

Heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, but bake at 120 degrees for 50 minutes. I have noticed the lesser the heat, the moister the cake. But that's just me as I own an electric oven with a powerful fan.

Banana Heaven with African Tundra from Twinings

Serve with the coulis on top and some extra almonds on top. Now that I think of it, I should have toasted them first to give them a crunchy feel.

The coconut milk enhances the delicate, naturally sweet taste of banana, giving it the softness of silk. It will simply melt in your mouth.

I am sure you will rush to cook this cake and have it with your favourite tea. Then you can tell a story.

Lassi on the Rocks

Between me and lassi there is a love story! 


The first time I had lassi was in the Indian restaurant in Ramada Continental Hotel in Jeddah. 
The restaurant is open-space, the food and the service are both excellent, and the Indian staff is friendly and attentive.
One evening, the waiter offered me a drink on the house. It was a glass of lassi with honey and almonds. 
So, I fell in love with it and when I came back home, I decided to make lassi as well. The wonderful thing about lassi is that it is so versatile and you can play with a variety of fruit, vegetables and spices. 


According to Wikipedia, "lassi (Punjabi: ਲੱਸੀ, Hindi: लस्सी, Urdu: لسی,) is a popular and traditional Punjabi yogurt-based drink of India and Pakistan. It is made by blending yogurt with water or milk and Indian spices.Traditional lassi is a savory drink sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin while sweet lassi on the other hand is blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices. [...] With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis". 

Savoury lassi is the actually the first entry to this blog. 

http://lemonlovenotes.blogspot.com/2010/11/quick-snack-irish-style-tamis-with.html

Yoghurt with cumin seeds, mint, salt and lime juice. 
It goes so well with freshly baked bread: French baguette, pita, tamis, or naan bread.

Summery "Fru Fru" Lassi

Yoghurt with honey and blackberries.


I made this lassi in July when I went to the farmers' market and bought fresh blackberries. 
Since now it's cold and winter and fresh forest fruit are not readily available, you could give it a shot and try buying them frozen from the supermarket. 

"I don't give a fig" Lassi

Actually, how nonsensical this saying is! It doesn't do justice to figs. I love figs. These wonderful delicate fruit, slightly sweet and full of calcium and vitamin K, remind me of the Bible.


"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, be queen over us.’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good produce, and must I go to wave over the other trees?" Judges 9/10, 11.

Yoghurt with figs, banana, cinnamon, orange blossom water.


"Honey, I'm home" Lassi is another favourite of mine. 

Yoghurt with honey, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg. I usually have it early in the morning with a handful of cereals or oatmeal to replace a big breakfast.


There are so many ways of making lassi. One could use walnuts, pistachios, almonds, mango, peaches, mint, papaya, strawberries, raspberries, cardamom, saffron, cucumber, chives, avocado, crushed ice, you name it. Be creative. Try out your own version. However, as I learned from trial and error, lassi doesn't blend well with citrus fruit, kiwi or pomegranate. 


Lassi is very easy to make and, basically,  all you need is a vertical blender and the ingredients of your choice.