Friday, August 28, 2009

Rewind TWD: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Every summer for the past seven years, some friends from college and I have gotten together for a little mini-reunion. Five of those years, we've gathered in the obnoxiously touristy and overcrowded town of Gatlinburg, TN which is nestled in the Smoky Mountains. It's perfect. We rent ourselves a big ass cabin that is usually equipped with a hot tub, a pool table, walls and walls of pine and all the bear-themed accessories that you can handle.

We spend the majority of the weekend catching up, laughing, hiking, drinking, eating, and engaging in some ferociously competitive games such as badminton, beer pong, poker, and there was that one year (that we no longer speak of) where the game of Risk was bought. It's a fun time. It's the one guaranteed time every year that I know I'm going to laugh so hard that I almost pee myself, multiple times throughout the weekend. These guys are an absolute riot.

This year was no different. The first night is always the same. We always go to dinner at a steakhouse (usually Texas Roadhouse or Outback) and then we always go to the grocery store to load up on essentials like... beer (which we always buy too much of) and snacks (which, again, we buy too much of). I decided to act as Betty Homemaker this year, though, and I baked up some goodies to take, so that we'd have homemade snacks. Excellent idea.

I made this bundt cake with the idea that it would be a good thing to nibble on for breakfast (or... while we wait for a certain someone to wake up in time to go out for breakfast). Turns out, it was perfect for that. It was also perfect for nibbling on throughout the day and even as soon as we got home from eating dinner. I couldn't tear myself away from it. Particularly from the bottom of the cake: where the glaze had pooled and left the cake slightly soaked and yet lightly crunchy from the drying of the glaze. Oh. My. God. I'm drooling just thinking about those pieces.

I missed this recipe when it was chosen for Tuesdays with Dorie by Mary, The Food Librarian, but after hearing everyone rave about how delicious it was, I couldn't hold out for very long before I made the cake myself.

If you're looking for a good recipe for a banana snack cake, look no further. This is easy and delicious. Just make sure you've got a crowd to help you with it, otherwise you'll wind up eating the whole damn thing yourself.

Classic Banana Bundt Cake -- Click link for recipe
A recipe by Dorie Greenspan

This cake is easy. Super easy. Like, the only thing to worry about is to make sure you butter the hell out of your bundt pan. Luckily, I did and mine slid right out.

I didn't like the idea of lemon and banana, so I opted out of Dorie's glaze suggestion and just whipped up my own milk glaze: confectioners sugar with enough milk (actually, I used cream!) to make the consistency you want. Delicious.