from my orchid kitchen

These dense and sweet (but not overly) squares have an intense banana flavor and aroma, complemented by the crunchy nuts and creaminess of the white chocolate.

We see a lot of recipes out there that use the term "blondie" to name them. 

As I already mentioned when I posted these chickpeas and chocolate chips squares, not all recipes have the requirements to be "blondies". But such is not the case with this recipe. 

I had 2 very ripe bananas in my fruit bowl, and instead of making one of the many banana cake recipes that I still have saved to try, I decided to make something else to snack on, and these banana blondies were worth it. To make them even more blondies, I decided to add white chocolate and also some walnuts. 

As I didn't have many in the pantry, I preferred to use them as decoration on top of the squares, but I must mention that they are much better chopped in pieces and wrapped in the dough of these blondies (which is what I'll do next time I make this recipe). 

These also have other characteristics that differentiate them from other blondies: they are made with oat flour and without eggs, and they can be vegan if the white chocolate used does not have dairy in the ingredients and if vegan butter or oil is used instead of butter.

The Ingredients

• Banana - it's their flavor that will be predominant in blondies, and the creaminess helps to create the dense texture typical of blondies.
• Oat flour - this flour works very well in blondies and brownies because they always have a compact texture and the smooth flavor of this flour complements the other flavors present.
• Butter - I used regular butter, but it can be replaced with vegan butter or 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil (I recommend neutral coconut oil or grapeseed oil).
• White chocolate - the fact of using white chocolate in these blondies allows you to reduce the amounts of butter and sugar presented in similar recipes, and also gives a flavor similar to the one of condensed milk with a touch of vanilla.
• Light brown sugar - this type of sugar is essential in making blondies, and can be replaced with other types of brown sugar or coconut sugar (in this case it can change the color of the blondies).
• Vanilla and Cinnamon - they are optional but they combine perfectly with the banana flavor.
• Nuts - some make brownies and blondies without adding extra ingredients, but this type of cookies improves significantly with the addition of crunchy elements inside them, such as walnuts (or pecans), cranberries or raisins, or chocolate chips.

Banana white chocolate walnut blondies recipe

Ingredients

2 medium sized bananas
100 g of oat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
100 g of white chocolate
30 g of butter
50 g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
30 g nuts

1. Coarsely chop the walnuts. Reserve.
2. In a bowl, melt the butter together with the white chocolate.
3. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and sugar.
4. Peel the bananas and puree them.
5. Fold the banana puree into the white chocolate cream.
6. In a bowl, add the baking powder to the oat flour.
7. Gradually mix the oat flour into the mixture until it becomes homogeneous.
8. Finally, add the walnut pieces.
9. Place the mixture in a square or rectangular pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake at 175ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.
11. Cut into 9 or 16 squares, and serve when completely cooled.

This cake is full of textures and flavor with each bite, moist by the presence of apples and raspberries and crunchy due to the slightly toasted nuts by the oven's heat.

The recipe for these cake squares had already been tried and shared on the old blog about 6 years ago, and I almost forgot about it.

However, I found it again and thought it's a nice suggestion to share at this time of the year when the first nuts start to appear, and when there is a lot of apples to savour.

The ingredients

• Eggs - serve to bind all the ingredients of these squares.
• Self-raising flour - if only all-purpose flour is available, just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe. For a gluten-free version, just use a gluten-free flour mix.
• Cornstarch - the original recipe mentioned cornmeal, but as there are two fruits that will release moisture when cooking, I decided to use corn starch to counteract this situation.
• Sugar and brown sugar - this apple and raspberry cake doesn't use much sugar, since it also takes advantage of the sweetness of the fruit, and because the topping also has sugar as an ingredient. I decided to use brown sugar in the nut topping, as it gives this crumble a slight caramel flavor. As I am a fan of these sugars with stevia, I reduced even more the amount of sugar (but without compromising the sweetness!)
• Butter - the presence of butter essentially gives it a flavor that goes very well with the one of apple and also with the topping.
• Oil - the other source of fat in this cake is oil, and I preferred a neutral one like grape seed, but coconut oil is also a good option. Despite being in small quantities, it also helps to keep the cake moist and leaven when baking.
• Milk - any type of milk can be used, and in this case, the one chosen was almond milk.
• Apple - any variety of apple will do, and I've tried the Fuji and Golden varieties.
• Raspberries - in cakes or muffins, it is always better if we choose the smallest fruits as they are better distributed throughout the cake. If you prefer, the raspberries can be replaced by blueberries or a mix of the 2 fruits. I used frozen raspberries, and as such, they should only be added right at the end of the preparation so that they don't thaw and fall apart.
• Cinnamon and Vanilla - in the recipe I was inspired by, the aromas used were vanilla and also lemon zest. However, since it's an apple cake, I replaced the zest with some cinnamon. If you don't want to use cinnamon, you can always use lemon or orange zest (about 1 teaspoon).

How to make

• You start by preparing the topping of the cake, chopping the walnuts into pieces that are not too small (personally I prefer to do it with the knife, but you can use the food processor/robot in the pulse function).
• The other ingredients in the icing are butter (preferably at room temperature or slightly melted) and sugar, which must be well beaten together before adding the chopped walnuts.
• After the icing is prepared, it is set aside because it will only be needed before the cake is placed in the oven.
• The cake is made by mixing the flour together with the baking powder, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
• The apple is peeled and pitted, then grated in thin strips using a mandolin, or in the food processor. Reserve.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the butter and oil until the sugar is well dissolved.
• Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beating well after each addition.
• Add the milk and vanilla little by little and mix the flour in the mixture.
• Finally, add the previously grated apple and then the raspberries, wrapping without beating too much.
• Place the cake dough on a previously greased tray (mine is 26x20 cm).
• The walnut, butter, and brown sugar topping is then distributed over the preparation (it's easier and faster to do it with your hands) and press slightly to adhere to the dough.
• It's placed in the oven at 175ºC between 45 to 50 minutes (although it is a shallow cake, it contains many moist ingredients, so it takes a little longer in the oven).

Apple raspberry walnut squares recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
125 gr of self-raising flour
30 gr of cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
40 gr of butter
1 tablespoon of oil
100 gr of sugar
80 ml of milk (of any kind)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 grated apple (approx. 1 cup)
30 small raspberries
Pinch of salt

Topping
30 gr of butter
50 gr of brown sugar
100 gr of walnuts

1. Chop the walnuts coarsely.
2. In a bowl, mix the butter (at room temperature) with the brown sugar, and the walnuts. Reserve.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
4. Peel the apple, remove the seeds and grate it.
5. In another bowl, beat the sugar with the butter and oil.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time.
7. Add the milk and vanilla.
8. Gradually wrap the flour mixture in the preparation.
9. Finally, add the grated apple and then the raspberries.
10. Pour everything onto a greased baking tray.
11. Distribute the walnut, butter and brown sugar mixture over the preparation.
12. Bake at 175ºC for 45 to 50 minutes.

Adapted from "Pecan-berry coffee cake" / Originally posted in 2014

 

The ingredients

• Wild arugula leaves (for salad)
• Eggs
• Flour and baking powder - self-raising flour can also be used, in which case the teaspoon of baking powder is omitted.
• Olive oil - I prefer extra virgin olive oil that will also add flavor to the cake, but in the absence of it you can use vegetable oil, neutral coconut oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Milk - you can use any type of milk, but if using vegetable milk you must take into account the flavor that will add to the recipe.
• Cheese - for this recipe I like to use 2 different types of cheese, 50gr of mozzarella and 50gr of S. Jorge's island cheese (9 months cure), but can be substituted for others like Emmental or Cheddar cheese.
• Walnuts - the cheese-arugula-walnut combination is almost a classic, so I decided to use it here too, but the walnuts can be substituted for laminated almonds, which will also make a crunchy cake.
• Onion and Garlic powder - in savory cakes I prefer to use these dry spices instead of the fresh ones because they are better distributed in the dough, but as it can still be difficult to find powdered onion, it can be replaced by chopped fresh onion and lightly sauteed in olive oil (using part of the olive oil in the recipe).
• Salt and Pepper - are two basic spices that we use in almost everything, but I reduced the amount of salt since I use S. Jorge's island cheese that is saltier than mozzarella; when using other cheeses, always take their salt into account in the recipe.

How to make

Arugula, cheese and walnut cake recipe

1. Beat the eggs, and add the olive oil and milk.
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion.
3. Add the arugula leaves, as well as the grated cheese and chopped nuts.
4. Gradually add the flour mixed with the baking powder.
5. Place in an loaf cake pan previously greased and lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 180ºC for about 40 to 45 minutes.