Simple And Delicious Banana Bread

Banana bread is a perfect dessert for people who enjoy healthy snacks, but also for people who have a sweet tooth. In addition to this, most recipes only use one bowl, which is a lot easier to clean up after. :) After searching for the perfect recipe, I found one from Simply Recipes that was flexible with the amount of sugar, only used one bowl, and looked delicious. I figured I'd give it a try, and it turned out super tasty and delectable! As an extra plus, there are only 8 ingredients and they're all very common. So without further ado, let's get started!

First,  collect all the ingredients, which are:

• 2-3 ripe bananas (I used 3)
• 1/3 cup melted butter or oil (I used oil a healthier option)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups sugar (if you would like it less sweet, use 1/2 cup and if you like it sweeter, feel free to use 1 cup of sugar)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, in a large mixing bowl, mash up the bananas. 

Don't worry if there are lumps; the bananas will never be completely smooth. 

Next, mix the melted butter or oil into the bananas. 

Add the baking soda and salt into the mixture. 

In a separate bowl, beat an egg lightly. 

After that, mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and sugar. 

Last but not least, fold in the flour. 

Transfer the batter into a 4x8 loaf pan, and bake for 50 minutes to an hour. 

Let the banana bread cool before cutting it and serving it. I hope you enjoy this recipe! In my opinion, the banana bread would've tasted better with chocolate chips or nuts, so feel free to add those in accordance with your taste buds. :D

Banana Bread Recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Perfect Cake Pops

Cake pops consist of the perfect blend of cake and icing. After looking for an easy, simple, delicious vanilla cake recipe, I found a recipe that tasty and not too hard, and a separate how-to of using a cake pop maker. This is very simple and perfect for beginner bakers, but also fun and easy for a baker of any age.  

The vanilla cake recipe is made for either 2 9-inch round pans, 3 8-inch pans, or 2 12-pan cupcakes, so feel free to cut it in half if needed. So without further ado, let's get started!

Start by gathering the ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter 

• 1 and 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 4 eggs, or 6 egg whites

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 and 3/4 cups cake flour*

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)

*You can make cake flour at home by following this simple method. For every 1 cup of flour, remove two tablespoons of flour and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. 

The first step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing in between. 

Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder. 

Then, alternating between the milk and flour mixture, add them to the butter mixture slowly, mixing thoroughly.

If the batter seems thick, feel free to add in extra milk, and if it seems thin, add in more flour.

Next, grab a large ziplock bag and spoon the batter into it. Cut a hole in the corner so you can pipe the batter into the cake pop maker.

Pipe the batter mixture into the unheated cake pop maker carefully. You should fill it up to the top of the bottom indents; it will rise and fill the top half when it bakes.

Close the cake pop maker and plug it in. When it beeps, letting you know it is hot enough, set a timer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. After it is done, let the cake pops cool in the pan before removing.

Transfer to a cooling rack, or if you're in a rush, you can put it in either the fridge or the freezer.

I topped my cake pops with chocolate ganache, which didn't give them a too rich flavor, and it complemented the vanilla flavor well. To make the ganache, you will need

• 1 part chocolate chips
• 1 part half and half

This recipe is very simple; just pour the half and half into a saucepan until it simmers and then pour it into a heatproof bowl with chocolate in it. Mix them until smooth, and then let it sit for 20 minutes. It may seem a bit liquidy but it tastes amazing, and works as a great icing for cake pops :)

I hope you enjoy these cake pops! :D

Vanilla Cake Recipe: https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/basic-vanilla-cake-recipe/

Cake Pop How To: https://snapguide.com/guides/cakepops-with-a-cakepop-maker/

Chocolate Ganache Recipe: http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2015/6/10/can-you-make-ganache-with-half-and-half-instead-of-cream