The BEST Banana Cake Everrrrrrrrr

 On the blog that I took this from (Thanks Sally), this is entitled

"The best Banana cake I've ever had"

she aint' wrong.

I have no notes, it's bomb, just need to remember this recipe!

The Best Banana Cake Ever

Ingredients

Banana Cake

• 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large bananas)
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces (224g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch pan.
2. Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
4. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
5. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up.
7. Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
8. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Pork Roast with Crackle

 I'm always down for crackle, so I've been trying to perfect making Pork roasts.  I figured I better record it since I keep forgetting all my 'lessons learned' and every attempt ends up being "oh that's right, I was meant to..." smh.

Anyways, I made this perfectly ONCE ... and then got botz and tried to do things based on my memory and yep, a couple more imperfect Roasts...but I still think this one is the winner so here it is, REMEMBER YOUR NOTES SUI!!

(Original recipe can be found here)

Pork Roast with Crackle

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pound (2 kg) boneless pork shoulder or butt, rind on 
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Remove all plastic wrap from the pork. Lay it out flat in a tray, rind-side up and uncovered. Allow to dry completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight if time allows. (I add salt coz that's what Marion Grasby says to do lol)
• Remove pork from the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before roasting to allow it to come to room temperature. (I should probably do this)
• Preheat oven to 460°F (240°C) (230 degrees fan bake...and the actual fan bake, not the grill on the top fan bake setting)
• Use a sharp knife to score the rind in 1-inch intervals. Thoroughly pat the skin dry with paper towels. (I suck at scoring, I found that if I cut right through the skin that my crackle is guaranteed to crackle, does that still count as scoring? Also, don't score so thin, coz then you'll burn the crackle before the pork is ready)
• Turn pork skin-side down. Rub garlic powder and about 1 teaspoon of salt into the meat underneath. Drizzle the olive oil over the pork rind and the meat, rubbing it in with your fingers for best results (if you need more oil, add more). Season the rind with a generous amount of sea salt (about 1 tablespoon).
• Transfer pork to a roasting dish and roast for 50 minutes, or until the rind crackles. (The rind starts crackling way earlier than 50mins, but I think I need to play around with this time, 50mins seems too long, 30ish mins I think may be good?) Reduce temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue roasting for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, depending on how well done you like your roast. 
• Increase the oven temperature back up to 440°F (230°C). Roast for 10 minutes until the rind has turned into an amazing golden crackling and the pork is cooked through. 

  (To check if the pork is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the meat with a knife. If the juices run clear, the pork is cooked. Alternatively, pork is cooked when the thermometer shows 160°F (71°C).
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

I can't wait to get this recipe down, so that my crackle is consistently crackly lol