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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Banana Cake Balls

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A month or two ago I headed to Seattle for a business trip. I took an evening flight, after a long day of work, and by the time I arrived, it was long past my bedtime and all I wanted to do was change out of my work clothes and get some sleep. Needless to say, I was a little perturbed when the front desk employee at the hotel informed me that I was booked in a smoking room. I immediately launched into a persuasive argument to get my room changed, only to find out the hotel was completely booked. I was stuck.


I had no choice but to make the best of the situation. How do you do that? I'll be honest, it's tough to do  in a hotel room that smells like you're swimming in an ashtray. I voiced a complaint over twitter, changed into my pajamas (and immediately re-zipped my suitcase so as to keep as much distance as possible between my clothes and the air!), and burrowed under the comforter, head and all, for the remainder of the night.
Dramatic? Maybe, but secondhand smoke is gross, especially when it's completely permeated the entire space. These banana cake balls are another time I had to make the best of a situation. I set out after work one night with the intention of making a Banana Roll, similar to the Pumpkin Roll I made last fall. This time, however, I did a subpar job of greasing my pan, and when I went to remove the cake, half of it crumbled. My solution? Cake Balls! I let the cake cool, tossed it in my Kitchen-Aid, and mixed it up with 4 ounces of cream cheese. After rolling in balls and dipping in chocolate, the end result wasn't nearly as pretty as the Banana Roll would have been, but one bite and I was hooked...as were the friends I shared these with. These are best served cold, not only for taste, but so that the filling doesn't get too mushy. I stored mine in the freezer, which is why they look a little icy in the picture.

It's impossible to turn a smoky room into something that makes me smile but disastrous Banana Roll?!...that I can handle!


One Year Ago: Summer Spiked Lemonade
Two Years Ago: Cereal Mix-Ins Cookies

Banana Cake Balls
cake recipe from Pinch My Salt , banana cake balls my own creation

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-3 eggs
-1 cup sugar
-2 medium-sized bananas, mashed
-4 oz. cream cheese, softened
-chocolate candy melts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and grease well. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thickened. Beat in bananas.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until center springs back when lightly touched.
3. Allow cake to cool before removing from pan, breaking into pieces, and placing in a mixing bowl. Add softened cream cheese and beat to combine. Place mixture in the fridge for an hour to chill.
4. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place in the freezer to set.
5. Heat candy melts in the microwave until smooth and melted. Dip chilled balls into the chocolate mixture before placing on waxed paper to set completely. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.