You know that cooking is one great way for kids to learn to follow directions. Sometimes we learn the hard way to read all of the directions first, like after you’re done assembling something and have a bunch of leftover parts. It takes patience to get the kids through those trials too.
Snowy weather was predicted one evening and my son said that if he had a snow day, he would use up the bananas and bake something. We didn’t really get much of a storm, but here in the south (Maryland), they cancel school for just about anything that passes for ice. I grew up in Michigan where you need a good 12 inches or that darn school bus has no problem coming down the most treacherous dirt road. And if you’re in college or the workforce – forget about it – you’re expected to go if it takes you until dark to get there.
As expected, he got the day off but when I came in from work, he was still sitting in a chair playing on his phone. I copied a coffee cake recipe from a website called Faux Martha, simplified and printed it, then reminded him the bananas were still waiting. I asked him to read through the whole recipe first. It specifically said to put half the batter in the pan, spread some crumb mixture, and then spread the rest of the batter. Lesson learned: administer a quiz instead of asking, “Did you read it?”
Luckily I entered the kitchen right after all of the batter went in the pan and, according to my son, had quite a conniption. I prefer to describe it as using a corrective tone about fixing a mistake. We got the project back on track. Earlier I caught him in the back yard with the frying pan. He said the recipe said to let the butter cool in the pan so he was putting it in the snow.
Banana Coffee Cake
Topping
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C chopped walnuts
1 t cinnamon
2 T flour
2 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
Cake
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t sea salt
3/4 C organic coconut palm sugar
1 egg
1/4 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla
3 mashed ripe bananas
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all topping ingredients with the back of a fork until evenly combined, reserving the chocolate chips; then stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
Brown butter in a pan over medium heat. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Once butter has cooled, stir in sugar until well combined. Whisk in egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add mashed bananas and stir. Slowly stir in flour mixture until just combined.
Add half the batter to parchment lined 9” baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with half the topping. Top with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.
