Quarantine baking has commenced! Well… it actually started for me WEEKS ago. Probably since the first week of having to practice self-isolation at home. Since I finished my course very early (mid to late March) as my professor decided not to go through with our final exam, it wasn’t long until I had to try and find things I enjoyed doing to get through each day. 

As one may know, I enjoy baking. Regardless of this strange period in our lives, I’ve been baking for awhile. My annual baking moment is usually during the winter holidays when I’ll literally bake 4-5 different types of sweets for my family and friends. I try to find new recipes and if it makes the cut (aka if I can picture myself eating it again or if others, like my family members, go all heart eyes for it) then I just might bookmark it. 

Looking at the title you might think that I’m a basic gal who has only made #trendy banana bread during this quarantine. Well, I’d say yes and no to that. Yes, you can call me basic because of that BUT I’d like to point out that I’ve also made cupcakes, apple pie, pumpkin scones, chocolate chip cookies, apple crumble, and a chocolate cake during this time. And might I add that I’ve made banana bread (using different recipes each time) several times BEFORE this whole quarantine thing happened. Woah. Did you even think about that?

I’ve dabbled into the banana bread baking world for long enough to say that I 99% believe that this recipe that I will share down below with you is a very simple (with probably the least amount of baking materials used – yes, I’m here for anyone who wishes for quick clean ups), fail-proof, moist, and flavourful banana bread that will have you craving for ANOTHER BITE. A lot of banana recipes I’ve tried call for granulated sugar. I’ve tried this and also tried not adding any sugar or very little to the mix. Of course this is a healthier alternative, but none thus far have really made me crave one more bite if you know what I mean. 

So when I came across Bon Appétit’s “Best Banana Bread“, I was a little bit skeptical because they claim their banana bread to be the best which means it better be that and nothing less! I often modify any recipe I use from the internet mostly because I know my taste preferences. I also find that the banana recipes I do use and modify, the top of the bread when letting it cool from the oven actually deflates. I don’t know why but some type of scientific reasoning allows it to every time and I am not here for that. I like my bread tops to be plump, full, round.. pretty much the opposite of flat. Surprisingly, I didn’t alter the sugar amount this time. And also what got me to choose this recipe was the fact that it called for solely brown sugar (as the added sweetner besides bananas) and plain Greek yogurt. I felt like this combination would be good and holy heckin’ bob (yes I am a Whitney Simmons supporter) this banana bread is pretttty good. Like the kind that you can imagine yourself buying at Starbucks or see freshly displayed behind a bakery or cafe counter. Not only is this banana bread aesthetic and thiccc (depends how thicc you cccut it), but I have finally found one where I crave another bite. Something about banana bread just warms my tummy and fills me up. Also, the smell of banana bread baking in the oven is so heavenly and fills up the entire home (not just the kitchen). You can definitely include chocolate chips and/or any nuts or dried fruits you’d like however, I chose not to include the chocolate chips or walnuts it calls for because I know my ripened bananas acted as a natural sweetener and the added brown sugar was plenty for me. I’ve added chopped up medjool dates once before and they add a nice chewy texture but I just didn’t feel like doing so this time. Anyways, I encourage you to bake this banana bread for yourself, your family, or friends! And then you’ll agree with me that this is a pretty damn good banana bread. (You’re welcome in advance).

What You’ll Need:

• Non-stick vegetable oil spray
• Parchment paper
• Loaf pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 stick (or 1/4 cup) of butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat non-stick spray inside loaf pan and place parchment paper down, ensuring an overhang on each side for easy take out.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. Beat brown sugar, greek yogurt and butter in a separate bowl until light and fluffy for 4 minutes.
4. Add one egg at a time to the wet ingredients and beat to blend after each egg.
5. Add in your flour mixture and mix until combined.
6. Add mashed bananas and cinnamon and mix until combined.
7. Scrape mixture into loaf pan and ensure it is evenly distributed.
8. Bake banana bread for 60 minutes (mine came out a bit more brown than I’d like, so try for 55 minutes). Ensure tester comes out clean from the center. Let cool on counter for 30 minutes before cutting or taking it out of loaf pan.
9. Cut THICCC slices for a delicious snacc :)

ENJOY!

Xoxo,

Ali

                         If this doesn’t scream Spring, I don’t know what does.

Happy first day of Spring! What better way to kick off the first day of a new season with a sweet treat? These sweet cakes aren’t just pretty to look at, they are delicious too. Light and moist, these are a perfect afternoon pick me up or late night craving fix. 

With the ongoing health advisories, social distancing isn’t something I find enjoyable for more than a couple days (much less weeks or months), especially if the weather is nice. But, I took this opportunity to bake more often. Like I’ve mentioned in my previous baking post, I enjoy baking. I find it stress-relieving and fun and see it as a craft. Yeah sure I’m not the world’s meticulous baker (sometimes I don’t measure out ingredients to a tee), but modifying recipes to my own liking and tasting my own creations excite me. 

                                       Light, fluffy and moist? Say no more.

I baked these cupcakes on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) and purposefully used green food colouring for the buttercream frosting. Although I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I thought these cupcakes were fitting for the occasion as well as with the start of Spring. What inspired me to make these specific vanilla cupcakes was watching @erinireland instastory where she showed a step-by-step process of making vegan vanilla cupcakes from @itdoesnttastelikechicken cookbook. After watching her instastory, I immediately wanted to try to recreate it. I was a bit weary as I normally use eggs to make cupcake batter, but since these didn’t call for any (they’re vegan) I was curious as to whether @erinireland’s opinion on it being ‘so good’ would actually be the same in my mind. 

Okay so after making this, can I just say that the vanilla cupcakes alone were FAN FREAKING TASTIC. Betty Crocker cupcakes? Who is she? Eggs in the batter? Don’t know her. Yeah, these cupcakes were light, fluffy, moist and just wonderful. Simple and not too sweet. Honestly, you don’t even need the buttercream frosting. If you’re looking for a treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, I got you. The original recipe from @itdoesnttastelikechicken was for a vanilla cake and I’m sure I’ll be making a cake using this recipe in the future. Yummy!

The buttercream frosting, on the other hand, was just OK. I googled a generic recipe and picked the first decently rated and reviewed one online. I didn’t sift the confectioners’ sugar (because I didn’t read the instructions closely hence, I’m not VERY meticulous) and perhaps that’s why it turned out watery after combining all ingredients in a mixer… so I added a bit more (the recipe includes my modification of adding more sugar). In the end, the buttercream frosting was honestly just for aesthetics and presentation. In real life, I would be more happy to just devour the vanilla cupcake by itself. 

Well there you have it, folks. Probably one of the more simple recipes out there (aka you can’t really go wrong). This recipe is pretty versatile; you can make it anytime on any occasion. Change up the food colouring to match a holiday, a celebration or just your mood! All my family members have tried it and have shared nothing but positive reviews. If you give it a whirl, please tag me on Instagram @alison.mah or comment below! 

Vanilla Cupcakes Ingredients:

(yields 16 cupcakes)

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsps salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 apple cider vinegar OR 1/4 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used lemon juice because I didn’t have the former)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry bowl mixture and then mix with whisk.
5. Fill cupcake tin with 1/4 cup of batter.
6. Bake in oven for 21 minutes.

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients (adapted from online recipe):

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted, but I forgot)
• 2 Tbsp almond milk
• Food colouring of your choice

Instructions:

1. Cream butter in a mixer.
2. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar to mixer.
3. Pour in vanilla extract.
4. Pour in almond milk and beat for 3 minutes.
5. Add desired food colouring.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. I hope you stay healthy, strong and safe during this daunting time in the world. 

Xoxo,

Ali