2 Oct 2012

Caramel and banana blondies

Big news, I'm going on holidays to Argentina!
I'm going to meet my friend Kdou who is travelling around the world for a year.

In our plans: Buenos Aires, the wildlife (whales, penguins, seals on the Puerta Madryn island, and a bit of Patagonia (glaciers, natural parks, …)
I've cleaned the lens of my camera, Chocolat my Travelling Bear (FB: Chocolat L'ourson) has jumped into the side pocket of my backpack….we are ready to go!


I can't wait to eat big steaks, dulce de leche and all these amazing foods that I don't know yet and will definitely bring back and share with you!

In the meantime, I won't take the risk of you having a hypoglycemic shock while I am away, so I've prepared a few recipes, that I will publish from the other side of the world. So you won't miss any opportunity to bake some good British food :-)

Now, I'm getting my tummy ready for Argentina with some traditional British dessert: Caramel blondies!
banana caramel blondies


Banoffee (caramel and banana) blondies

Blondies are "white brownies"
Usually made with white chocolate, blondies are as indulgent as brownies. Here, featuring two "safe bet" ingredients – caramel and banana – we can't possibly go wrong. This cake might be really easy to make and might not look very impressive, but just like brownies, it is a crowd pleaser! (Kids in particular will love it)

Ingredients:

250g golden caster sugar
100g butter
100g caramel , from a jar or tin (Nestlé Carnation Caramel works well) plus 2 tbsp for the top
100g white chocolate
2 eggs
200g self-raising flour
2 ripe bananas , sliced

Make the blondies:

1. Heat the oven 180C/fan 170C/gas 4.
2. Melt the sugar, butter, caramel and chocolate together until smooth. Cool a little, then add the eggs and fold in the flour and banana.
3. Pour into a lined 20cm square tin (I used a round one), or a silicone cake mould and add a few blobs of caramel to the top, bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and set.
4. Cut in squares and serve as you would do with brownies (I cut mine in slices because my mould was round, but it taste the same!)

blondies

banana caramel cake


carnation caramel cake

caramel blondies

carnation caramel blondies


Recipes from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com

We were innocently enjoying our cakes in Regent's park when suddenly we got robbed by a squirrel who stole a strawberry from our picnic. How happy I was, I could take picture of the robber enjoying his prize!

Last but not least, some other big news on Pauline à la crème anglaise!

It's nice to cook all this food, but what's for drinking with it?
From now one, our Thirsty Expert Alex, from the great French blog Mets Vins www.mets-vins.fr, will give us his drinks recommendations. 

Don't panic pregnant ladies, kids and friends on detox: Alex is not forgetting you and will also recommend non alcoholic drinks (look at this week's drinks, perfect to match our kid-friendly cake!)

So...

What's on the drinks menu Alex?
"The banana blondies feature the magic trio: banana, white chocolate and caramel, which make these blondies terribly good and sweet. That's why I'd recommend enjoying them with a refreshing drink, preferably unsweetened.
I would recommend :
  • a banana milk shake,
  • banana or mango banana Caribbean milk,
  • or vanilla soy milk.
All served chilled of course!"

Thank you Alex :-)

1 comment:

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