Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who left a comment for the Pineapple Jerky giveaway. And now for the moment everyone has been waiting for. The winner is ...Jenn from a "A Day in the Life..." !

I used Random (dot) Org to generate the winning number. Jenn when you have time, shoot me an e-mail so you can collect your Pineapple Jerky.

I can see you looking at the muffins. I know you're thinking "...banana muffins? Been there done that." Yes, that maybe true; but have you had banana muffins with espresso?

At first, I was unsure at how well the banana and espresso would pair together. I finally gave in to my curiosity and made the muffins. The espresso adds a nice element to the muffins. Personally, I think the espresso made the brown sugar and chocolate more pronounced in the muffins. [Which made the muffins special for me.]

I really enjoyed my squat little muffins. In case you're wondering go ahead and divide the batter evenly without fear of "overflow". These little guys don't rise too high. The recipe is from the book titled "Baked" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. [Great book by the way!]

Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

Did you know that March 28th is National Lemon Day? This would be the perfect cake to celebrate the day with. The Cake Slice bakers voted to bake Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman And Peter Wynne.

I cannot believe how easy this cake came together. The curd? Easy peasy. The cake? One, Two, three ...done. The whipped cream icing? Piece of cake.

The only modification I made to the recipe was to add a little agar-agar to the whipped cream. I don't know about you, but I am a slow at frosting cakes. The agar-agar would be the equivalent of adding a little gelatin the whipped cream. This is just my way of insuring that the whipped cream doesn't melt or slide off the cake before I can snap a photo.

If you would like to see more lemonicious cakes then visit The Cake Slice Bakers here.

Awe, ...I didn't know you guys loved ballerinas as much as I do. This is where I bought them ...here.

Banana Bundt Cake

As you may have already guessed by reading this blog; is that I love to bake. Yet, I never share the really simple recipes that my family and friends love.

For example, this bundt cake is utterly moist and full of banana flavor. It will last forever in the fridge without drying out. I love it warm with a glass of soy milk or cold with a cup of hot coffee.

Despite how much I heart bundt cakes, I have only posted one bundt cake recipe so far. Shame on me. Especially since they always bring a smile to my face.

Every single time I bake a bundt cake I think about my mom and a particular scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". My mom loves-loves bundt cakes. To her a bundt cake is "real cake". No fancy icings to hide a bland, dry, and over priced cake. I guess you can say, bundt cakes are the "salt of the earth" cakes.

For me, bundt cake recipes are reliable, honestly delicious, large enough to share and show kindness with a slice. Just like my mom's love.