Chocolate Banana Cardamom Cake

So call me competitive... I heard of a girl who made a Banana Cardamom cake, and I had to admit, it was a good idea. The only problem was: I didn't come up with it first! So, what could I do but improve upon her idea? Add a little chocolate and- voila! Genius!

Ingredients

Milk Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
3 eggs
1/2 cup MINUS 1 Tbsp mashed ripe banana
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 1/4 C water
(follow the directions on the cake mix box, but exchange all but 1 Tbsp of the oil for banana. Ex: if your cake mix says to use 1/3 C oil, then use 1/3 C mashed banana, minus 1 Tbsp, and 1 Tbsp oil)
chocolate frosting
1/4 c pecans, chopped


Directions

1. Mash the banana well, and measure out 1/2 c. Then take 1 Tbsp out and discard.

2. Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Don't beat eggs first. Mix really well- an electric hand mixer works best.

3. Grease and flour 2- 9 inch cake pans (I LOVE the new Pam cooking spray with flour already added)

4. Pour the batter in the pans and follow the baking directions for your cake mix. I baked mine in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, if your pecans are not toasted, toast the pieces lightly for a few minutes over a low-medium flame in a saute pan.

6. Take the cake out when a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.

7. When FULLY COOLED, frost the cake with the chocolate frosting.

8. Sprinkle the top with pecans.

This cake has a unique flavor because of the cardamom, and the banana actually makes the cake really moist. It also replaces over 600 calories of oil with about 120 calories of banana, so it's healthy to boot!

This would be an impressive dessert to serve to your worldly, sophisticated guests!

Giada's Lemon Thyme Bars

Lemon Thyme Bars on the Food Network

Amazing! This dish boasts so many virtues: lots of butter, thyme in a dessert, and it's super-easy!

We had them for breakfast today. I do have to emphasize Giada's directions to let them cool and let the glaze set. It makes a big difference.

Lavender Brownies

Lavender is one of my favorite herbs. The smell is so relaxing, and the blossoms are such a delightful light purple color, even when dried.

But lavender is also a great culinary item. It does taste slightly flowery, but also has a bit of a minty, menthol flavor as well, which is much less striking than its scent.


One of my favorite combos is lavender and dark chocolate, so the other night I thought, why not brownies?

And they were delicious! I just added about 1 tsp dried lavender flowers, chopped, to my store-bought dark chocolate brownie mix, and voila! A fresh, unique, exotic flavor. IN CHOCOLATE!

*note: use only lavender flowers meant for cooking, not for potpourri, as this is usually scented with extra fragrance. Check out your local health food store to see if they stock bulk herbs.