Category Archives: Desserts

WARNING!!! Contains Inappropriate Photos!

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Banoffee Pie is one of my favorite sweets! Full of all things naughty, banoffee pie tastes amazing.

But before I pass you the recipe, I’d like to apologize to all those who are on a strict diet, to all those who are trying hard to fit in a smaller size of jeans, to chicks aiming for a flat belly this summer, to all my friends who are in the middle of their Vela Smooth sessions and to all those who are cutting on carbs. For all the rest, I hope you try this British classic dessert cause it’s irresistible! 🙂

I admit it’s a sweet dessert, a little bit too sweet than other desserts, the reason why I prefer to do it in a small glass /verrines and to decorate it with dark chocolate.

Banoffee stands for Banana+toffee, these 2 ingredients must have exchanged vows once upon time …and I lived happily ever after.

Banoffee Pie Verrine Style

Ingredients

  • For the base: 60g butter, melted
  • 250g digestive bicuits
  • For the caramel: 100g butter
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 1 can of Condensed Milk
  • For the topping: 4 bananas, sliced
  • Cocoa Powder, to dust
  • Chocolate curls, to decorate
  • Whipping Cream (optional)

Preparation

  1. Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter and stir. Divide the mixture into 12 small glasses and press into an even layer. Chill the base while you make the filling.
  2. In a non-stick saucepan place the butter and sugar. When the butter melts and the sugar dissolves add the condensed milk and stir continuously. Bring gently to the boil. As soon as it thickens, remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Spread the caramel on the biscuit base evenly and chill for about 1 hour or until firm.
  4. Slice the bananas, dust liberally with cocoa powder and layer over the caramel. Finish with whipping cream and some grated chocolate. Serve.

Chocolate Banana Cake

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The first time I ate a chocolate banana cake was at a friend’s place. When I asked her for the recipe, she told me that it was a ready mix box that she bought in Poland 😦 Very disappointing!

I simply fell in love with that cake and wanted to have more of her delicious dessert. When I got back home, the next thing I found myself doing was looking online for Chocolate Banana cakes recipes. Then, after baking this cake several times, I ended up making my own “flattering” recipe. Why flattering, you might ask?  ‘Cause I swear that anyone who tried this cake immediately asked me for the recipe!

Whenever I’m invited to a dinner or a gathering and I feel like leaving a good impression, I bake a chocolate banana cake and bring it along. Splendid! It makes it even more flattering when my “Hero cake” gets so many compliments or when I receive indirect compliments through the ones addressed to my husband Serge, such as “niyelak” i.e. lucky you 🙂

Genius!

Before you start with the preparation, you need to know that ripe bananas have more flavor and a good quality of milk chocolate makes a lot of a difference (I often use Galaxy chocolate plain milk).

This cake is very moist, hopefully you will try it and love it.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup oil or 50gms/half stick butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 small mashed ripe bananas
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Preparation:

 

  • Pre-heat oven on  180 degree C.
  • Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Add bananas. Beat well
  • Add dry ingredients; flour, baking soda and baking powder. Blend.
  • Add milk and mix.
  • Pour batter in a pre-greased baking pan and add chocolate chips on the top of the batter and push it gently with a toothpick. Do not let it sink.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes.


Apple Crumble

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One of the many things I love about Lebanon is that when you go and visit someone who has a house in the village with a garden, you always come back with a goody bag, and here I mean fresh fruits and vegetables “min el jnayneh” i.e from the garden.

My father in law, who by the way makes anything he puts his hands on turn green, is a fantastic gardener, and a very generous one as well. No one can visit him and leave empty-handed.

APPLES were my reward for taking the girls to play in his garden last Sunday (I’m a mom of 2 girls).

Granny smith, fuji apples, golden apples, and many more. But my favorites are the Gala apples, not only because of their fairy tale name but also because of their sweet taste.

Hands-on APPLE CRUMBLE

Ingredients

Crumble:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup brown Sugar
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 250 gms or and a half sticks unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup of oats

Filling:

  • 450g/ or 5 to 6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm/in piece
  • 50g/2oz unrefined brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemoncello
  • 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease a rectangular oven dish with a knob of butter

3. Place the apples inside the dish and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and lemoncello.

4. Make the crumb topping: In a bowl, combine together flour, sugars, salt and oat. Pour warm melted butter over mixture and rub with your fingers to make large clumps or crumbs.

5. Sprinkle the raisins over the apples then spoon the crumble mixture on top.

6. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture soft.

7. Serve with vanilla ice cream