Anna Sultana’s Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake - Full Hunter’s Moon

A little while ago I posted the recipe for Ma’s 

Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze.

It is a great way to use overripe bananas.

And it makes an impressive dessert if you’re having the family over for a big meal.

But it is big if you’re cooking for a small family.

And it does take a bit of time to bake.

Ma had a a quicker recipe that uses the bananas.

This is a smaller cake, so it’s just right for a regular meal.

Hints:

If you don’t like a caramel flavour use regular sugar.

If you’d like to dress it up you could dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

You could also make a quick glaze and squiggle it over the cooled cake.

This is a small amount and is a bit runny.

Don’t try to ice a whole cake with it.

In a small bowl combine

1/4 Cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

a dash of salt

Add 

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 Cup sifted icing sugar

Beat well until smooth.

You want it to be runny but still solid enough to hold its shape.

Drizzle over the cake.

If you’d like a mocha flavour add 1 Tablespoon instant coffee.

Still have a few more overripe bananas?

Why not make a few loaves of Ma’s Banana Bread?

                        Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake

Grease and flour an  8 inch square pan

For the Crumb Topping

Place in a medium bowl
3/4 Cup rolled oats
1/3 Cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, melted 

Cut the ingredients together until crumbly.

Set aside.

For the Cake

Stir together in a medium bowl

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour 

1 1/3 Cups rolled oats 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking soda

Set aside.

Peel and place in a measuring cup (a 2 Cup size gives you room to work)

2 very ripe bananas

Mash well.

You want to have 1 Cup of mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350º F

Combine in a large mixer bowl

1/2 Cup butter, softened
2/3 Cup brown sugar, packed  

Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Add the mashed bananas.

Add the combined dry ingredients.

Stir just enough to blend.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle over the batter

2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts 

Top with the crumb topping.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

About the sky this week…

According to the Farmers Almanac:

The large, waxing Moon will be right between planets Uranus and Neptune. Because the Moon will be so big and bright, you might not be able to see the two planets. Look to the southeast in the evening.

October 26 – Venus reaches its greatest elongation west of the Sun in the morning sky. Look to the east, before dawn: Venus is also very close to Jupiter and Mars, which will be the closest for all of 2015. We won’t see this close of a grouping of planets until January 2021. 

Bonus: look for Mercury near the eastern horizon while it’s still dark.

October 26— The nearly-full Hunter’s Moon will be at it’s closest point to Earth.

October 27 – Full Hunter’s Moon, astronomically full at 8:05 a.m. The entire disc of the Moon is fully illuminated by direct sunlight. Though the Moon is only technically in this phase for a few seconds, it is considered “full” for the entire day of the event, and appears full for three days.

I think the kiddies will be calling it the Halloween Moon!