Hummingbird Cake

I made a most delicious cake this weekend. I had 3 bananas sitting in my freezer waiting to be used in some sort of baked treat, so I decided this cake would be the one. Oh...I left out the nuts...not a fan.

Unsalted butter, for greasing

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3 ripe bananas, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1-3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

For the frosting:

2 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz. each), at room temperature

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (I used 9-inch) and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour.

Toss together the bananas, pineapple and 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.

Whisk the remaining 2-1/4 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold to make a thick batter. Fold in the fruit mixture, then transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50-55 minutes (45 minutes for my 9-inch pans). Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stirfry

This turned out way better than I expected, so that's always a good thing. I pretty much followed the recipe for the sauce part of it but I added in way more veggies than it called for and left out the cherries and green onions. I also doubled the sauce since I did add in a lot more veggies. Below is what I used.

12 tbsp. chicken stock
6 tbsp. ketchup
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. pineapple juice
4 tbsp. vinegar
4 tsp. soy sauce
1.5 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 pound shrimp
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (I didn't have fresh)
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2-3 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup pineapple chunks

To make the sauce, in a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of stock, the ketchup, sugar, juice, vinegar, soy, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper flakes. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the remaining stock and stir to dissolve. Set aside. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the ginger, garlic, and remaining pepper flakes. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the onions, peppers, broccoli and carrots and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Return the shrimp to the pan and add the pineapples. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and serve over rice.