The Queen of Tarts

Green Velvet

 

Growing up, we celebrated almost every holiday, and they always involved some kind of sweet treat. While Halloween is still my favorite, there is a particular St. Patrick's Day that stands out. It had to have been before I was in third grade, because we were still living in Providence. I came downstairs before school and there was a silver tea tray sitting on our kitchen table overflowing with white and green iced petit-fours. As a small child having miniature cakes appear before your eyes for breakfast is nothing less than a dream come true. My parents told me that the leprechauns brought the cakes from my sister and me. Clearly it left a strong impression because 30 years later I still remember it.

Inspired by my imagination from all of those years past and a recipe I made a few months ago for my husband I made a version of little cakes. I took a red velvet recipe and changed it up a bit. While they cannot begin to compare to the onces I had that morning on a silver tray, they are quite good - think red velvet gone green in the name of the leprechauns.

 

Green Velvet Cake 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup oil + 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
green food coloring (add in enough to give a rich green color - more or less depending on your preference)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or lightly grease the pan.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and add remaining liquid ingredients (except for food coloring) and stir together with whisk/mix until blended. Set aside.
• Place all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir together really good with wire whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high for about a minute or until completely combined - now add the food coloring.
• Pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup into each cupcake space and then drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• After about ten minutes, remove the cupcakes from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 

• Then make the frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. light cream cheese
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Frost the cakes with an icing bag or a knife... and the sprinkle green edible decorations on top for the magical touch...

 

Simple Banana Bread

Banana bread has a way of reappearing time and again in our kitchen. We always get bananas, the weeks comes and goes, and before we know it, there are several brown squishy sweet smelling pieces of fruit sitting on the marble slab on the kitchen counter. Prior to mixing the ingredients together, I often hesitate. I always think about the process, and I tell myself that it takes a long time, that it is time consuming, that it is an task I do not have the time to take on. And then I really think about it and realize how pathetic and lazy I am being...I forget how easy this quick bread is, and also how versatile the recipes are. I cannot even being to count the number of variations I have come up with when I comes to banana bread. However, one thing has always remained consistent - I rarely use white sugar, white flour, or the full amount of oil that is called for in a recipe. The sweetness of the overripe bananas combined with applesauce and a touch of agave nectar make for a pleasantly, but not overly, sweet treat. Somehow the bananas sitting on the counter always last longer than the banana bread. I dare you to keep this around for longer than a week!

Simple Banana Bread

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 egg

1 tbsp plain, nonfat yogurt or buttermilk (you can also use vanilla yogurt if you prefer it or that is all you have) This can also be omitted, however increase the oil by 1 tbsp is you choose do omit it.

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Mix the bananas in a bowl with a hand-held or stand mixer. Add in the egg, applesauce, and oil. Once combined, add in the vanilla, yogurt, and agave. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, and flour. Once combined, slowly add in the flour mixture and then the raisins. Mix thoroughly and then pour into the loaf pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Take the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the bread out onto the wire rack, and allow to cool thoroughly before cutting into it. After considerable trial and error, I have found that the bread often still bakes while it is in the pan and while it is cooling on the rack.

Enjoy for breakfast, tea, with coffee, etc.