Vanilla Sponge Cake w/ Lemon Curd and Raspberries, Buttercream Frosting & Sprinkles

"Fairy tales had been her first experience of the magical universe, and more than once she had wondered why people ended up distancing themselves from that world, knowing the immense joy that childhood had brought to their lives." (Paulo Coelho) Almost immediately upon seeing a cake completely covered in sprinkles, it feels as if you have been transported back to those wide-eyed wonder days of your childhood. In that moment, all of the feelings associated with the happiest days of your youth come flooding back. It's not like you have gone through life without ever seeing a decorated cake before. Yet for some reason this cake is unlike any other. And this is all before you take your first bite. Not surprisingly, you don't even care what the flavor of the cake or the filling might be. Because never could you have anticipated a cake with sprinkles would have such magical, time-traveling qualities. 

Ever since watching the first season of the Great British Bake Off, I have wanted to make a sponge cake. Considering it is quite possibly one of the most versatile cakes ever created, I wondered how it was that this cake never worked its way into my baking life. The only possible explanation is my obsession with chocolate blinded me to the deliciousness of a buttery sponge cake. The blinders are now off.

Walk in any bakery and you will see the cupcakes and cakes decorated in sprinkles are often some of the most expensive. Is it because of the cost of the sprinkles? Probably not. Is it the time and labor that goes into the making a sprinkle cake? Maybe, but probably not. Could it be that a cake with sprinkles has the added psychological affect of making one feel heart racing joy? Well if you believe the ability to give someone a moment of happiness is one of the most priceless gifts you can give, well that just may be the most plausible reason. You might not remember the presents you received growing up, but you are not likely to ever forget your happiest memorable moments.

There is no shortage of lists identifying the essential dishes everyone should be able to cook, master, and commit to memory. Making some of these lists is the classic Victoria Sponge Cake. Named in honor of Queen Victoria this is a cake where the weight of the eggs (in their shells) determine the amounts of caster sugar, all-purpose flour, and unsalted butter. Some vanilla and baking powder round out the ingredients in this relatively simple to make cake. If there was ever a reason to justify the purchase of a good scale, this sponge cake would be one of them.

There is enough batter in this recipe to fill two 6 inch cake rounds (buttered, floured and lined with parchment paper). And using a scale helps to ensure there are equal amounts of batter in each pan.

The cakes are baked in a 356 degree (F) oven. No that isn't a typo. It is 356 degrees (F). The conversion from Celcius to Fahrenheit can make baking a little challenging for those of us without digital ovens. Baking time ranges from 25 to 30 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. The cakes remain in the pans for five minutes before they are unmolded and transferred to a rack to cool completely.

Traditionally sponge cakes are filled with jam. But I couldn't let all of the lemons I had in the refrigerator go to waste, so I made some lemon curd. Homemade lemon curd and fresh raspberries were used to fill this cake, however, the filling possibilities are almost endless. In its' simplest presentation, this sponge cake can be filled with fresh fruit and lightly sweetened whipped cream. 

You will make the frosting of the cake easier on yourself if you pipe a circle of icing on the bottom layer of the cake before you spread on your filling. Trust me on this.

A classic sponge cake just begs to be frosted with a homemade buttercream icing. For a whiter icing, use a clear imitation vanilla extract versus the pure madagascar bourbon vanilla extract used in for the cake. However, since this cake was being completely covered in sprinkles I used the real versus the imitation vanilla.

The recipe for the icing yields enough for a thin layer of frosting on the sides of the cake and a slightly more generous layer for the top of the cake. More than enough for the sprinkles to adhere to the frosting. However, next time I will consider doubling the frosting recipe (or at least make a single and half batch) just because I happen to like alot of icing on a cake. 

No matter how careful I tried to be, I still ended up with a few sprinkles on the floor. I thought by putting pieces of aluminum foil under the cake platter the mess I was making in the kitchen would be kept to a minimum. Without the foil, I might have had more sprinkles on the floor than on the cake. The Cake Blog also has a good tutorial on their approach to decorating a cake with sprinkles. Theirs doesn't look as messy.

You don't need an occasion to make this cake. But it makes for a perfect birthday cake. Especially for those double digit birthdays leaving you wonder where has the time gone and wishing it would just slow down.

It might be hard to resist having only a single piece of this light, airy, buttery, classic cake even if its' one iced with homemade buttercream frosting and covered in colorful sprinkles. There is something rather magical about this Vanilla Sponge Cake w/ Lemon Curd and Raspberries, Buttercream Frosting & Sprinkles. You can't help but believe that any wish made on it will come true. Unless of course you were someone who never believed in fairy tales.

Recipe
Vanilla Sponge Cake w/ Lemon Curd and Raspberries, Buttercream Frosting & Sprinkles (cake recipe inspired by The Little Library Cafe's Victoria Sponge Cake; vanilla icing recipe inspired by Molly Yeh's vanilla icing recipe)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
Vanilla Sponge Cake
3 large eggs, room temperature (weighed in shells)
Unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and caster sugar (or superfine sugar) each in amounts equal to the weight of the eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Vanilla Icing
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups confectionary sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or use clear imitation vanilla for a whiter frosting)
pinch of sea salt

Store bought or Homemade lemon curd 
Half pint of fresh raspberries
8 - 9 ounces of Sprinkles

Directions
Vanilla Sponge Cake
1. Preheat oven to 356 degrees (F). Butter and flour two 6 inch cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Weigh eggs in their shells. Use this weight amount and measure out the unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and caster (or superfine) sugar. Note: All four ingredients will have the same weight measures.
3. Sift all purpose flour and baking powder, three times. Set aside.
4. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and caster sugar until pale yellow and creamy (approximately 4 minutes).
5. Add eggs in one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.
6. Add vanilla and mix in.
7. Add flour mixture and mix gently using a spatula until flour is fully incorporated.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top is lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Remove baked cakes from oven. Allow to sit in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool completely before assembling.

Vanilla Icing
1. In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix all frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Cake Assembly
1. Place on the cake layers (top side down) on a platter or cake stand.
2. Using a pastry bag, pipe a ring of icing around top edge of one of the cake layers. Spoon in and/or pipe on the lemon curd inside the icing circle. Layer raspberries.
3. Top with the second layer (top side up).
4. Spread and smooth icing on sides and top of cake. 
5. Pour sprinkles on top of cake, spread carefully with your hand. Gently press sprinkles into sides of cake. Before adding sprinkles to the cake, place the cake stand on top of sheets of aluminum foil to catch sprinkles. 

Notes: Cake can be filled with your favorite filling or icing only. If using icing only, double the icing recipe ingredients. Keep iced cake in the refrigerator, remove 30 minutes before serving. 

 Lighthouses in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Aquinnah, Massachusetts (Martha's Vineyard)

Zucchini Ricotta Fritters

Over the course of the next few weeks, there will be an over abundance of zucchini ready for harvesting in gardens and available for sale at farmer's markets. While there may be no scientific evidence to prove otherwise, there will be more loaves of zucchini bread baked during the months of August and September than there will be enough room in every freezer to store them. We will collectively be on zucchini bread overload, weary of anyone we know having a bumper crop of zucchini growing in their gardens and convinced their bread recipe would win the blue ribbon at every county fair within two hundred miles. Secretly we hope after receiving a third loaf of zucchini bread, the next gift of zucchini is simply in its' freshly harvested form. Not just so we can out do the zucchini bread bakers by making an infinite number of jars of zucchini pickles, but so we can use them to make a cold refreshing zucchini crudi or fry up a batch of zucchini ricotta fritters. 

If you have been a big fan of potato pancakes or latkes (and really, who isn't?), it is quite possible you will switch your allegiance to zucchini ricotta fritters, temporarily during the late summer months, if not permanently. Not only because the fritters are much easier to make (along with no worries about discoloration), they are layered with flavor. From the scallions, to the garlic, to the lemon zest, to the fresh ricotta, and of course, to the zucchini, you will be indulging your taste buds to the point of spoiling them rotten. 

Before the zucchini from your garden or sold at the farmer's markets become baseball bat size, harvest or buy them while they are still growing, while they are their most flavorful and while they have the best skin to flesh ratios. 

If possible, use a combination of the dark green, light green and/or yellow zucchini. While they all taste exactly the same, their grated skins make for a more colorful fritter.

As allowing the grated zucchini to drain when making zucchini bread is important, it is almost critical in the making of these fritters. By reducing some of the moisture in the zucchini, the fritter will be crispier when fried. And no one wants to eat a soggy fritter. 

If you can find fresh sheep's milk ricotta, buy it. But if you can't, any high quality fresh ricotta (the one you find in the deli counter) will do. And if by chance you are so inclined to make your own fresh ricotta (on the day of making these fritters I wasn't so inclined), go for it. 

After all of the ingredients are mixed together, extra-virgin olive oil is heated in the skillet until it is shimmering. At that point, it is a perfect temperature for sautéing and frying. You know your oil is at the shimmering point when it is nice and hot, but not yet smoking. When the oil forms 'tines' like those on a wine glass. It may even have an iridescent color to it. When it reaches this point, your reduce the likelihood of your food sticking to the bottom of the pan or worse, soaking up all of the oil. 

The sautéing and/or frying time on the fritters will range slightly depending on how large you make them. For fritters made with approximately two tablespoons of the batter, the total cooking time will range between 3 to 4 minutes. Both sides of the fritter should be cooked until they are a beautiful golden brown. The cooked fritters are transferred to a baking sheet or platter lined with a paper towel to allow some of the moisture from the oil to be absorbed.

Once all of the fritters have been made, they are transferred to a platter for serving. The fritters can be cooked at least two hours ahead of serving, left out at room temperature, and reheated on a baking sheet in a 325 degree preheated oven. During the reheating process the fritters will re-crisp.

These fritters can simply be serve with lemon wedges, but for added flavor serve with labna, sour cream, or a yogurt/lemon juice mixture. Labna is a Middle Eastern soft and tangy cows milk yogurt cheese, one creamier, tangier and thicker than yogurt. It is incredibly delicious all on its' own, without the addition of any olive oil, lemon juice, or fresh herbs. Honestly, I think I liked it more than sour cream.

Pick or pick up some zucchini this weekend. Invite over family or friends and make a platter of these zucchini ricotta fritters. They are bound to turn the most non-effusive of your friends into people you barely recognize. Those that claim they are not big fans of any food sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil, well they will be eating their words after taking a bite of these fritters. And oh, the self-professed 'sorry but I don't like zucchini' people, they will have a religious conversion experience. 

Recipe
Zucchini Ricotta Fritters (inspired by Mario Batali's Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters recipe shared in Food and Wine, August 2011)

Ingredients
2-3 zucchini (about 14-16 ounces), coarsely grated (if possible, choose a combination of dark green, light green and/or yellow skinned zucchini)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3-4 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese, homemade or store bought
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt for finishing
Lemon wedges
Labna, yogurt/lemon juice mixture and/or sour cream

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Spread coarsely grated zucchini. Allow zucchini to drain for approximately 30 minutes. Roll up paper towel, squeezing out any additional liquid. 
2. In a large bowl, combine garlic, scallions, lemon zest, eggs, ricotta, salt, pepper, and grated/drained zucchini.
3. Mix in flour and baking soda, stirring until flour is fully incorporated.
4. Line a large platter or baking sheet with paper towels. Set aside.
5. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil until shimmering.
6. Working in batches, add 2 Tablespoon mounds of the zucchini batter into the hot oil. Fry over medium-high heat, turning once until browned and crisp on both sides. Approximately 3-4 minutes of cooking time. Placed cooked fritters on prepared baking sheet to allow fritters to drain. 
7. Transfer fritters to a platter, sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, labna (Middle Easter yoghurt), yogurt/lemon juice mixture (1 cup plain yogurt and 1 Tablespoons lemon juice mixed together) and/or sour cream.
Note: The fritters can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. In a preheated 325 degree (F) oven, recrisp the fritters before serving.

An August sunset in Wheaton, Illinois.

Rustic Strawberry Tart

'The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer day. The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and took them clean away!" (Alice's Adventure in Wonderland) After having slices of the delicious key lime and chocolate pecan pies at the Bang Bang Pie Shop in Chicago last week, I had my temporary fill or rather self-imposed quota of pie. But it was pie week in the blog world and it occurred to me this was not intended to mean one was supposed to only eat pie. Real pie, not humble pie.

Technically a tart is not a pie, however, I had my heart set on making this Rustic Strawberry Tart, pie week not withstanding. Sometimes you just need to listen to and follow your heart. Mine hasn't failed me yet, except when I choose not to listen to it.

. 

The Rustic Strawberry Tart didn't exactly turn out as I thought it would. The mascarpone cream was the main culprit (more on that later). I am not sure if I can say it turned out better than I had hoped or expected. And it certainly, most definitely wasn't worse. It was just different. And in my world different is a good thing.

Practice can indeed make things perfect. The first time I attempted rye puff pastry was in the making of the Blueberry and Rye Slab Pie. I fell deeply, hopelessly in love with the taste of the pastry crust (and the pie). However, I was not as enamored with the process of making the dough. In spite of reading the the dough can be a little fussy, I had hoped I would be given an exemption. Wishful thinking. Fast forward to this past weekend when the rye pastry dough making stars came into alignment. All of the anxiousness I had been secretly harboring over the making this dough was suddenly replaced with the kind of fearless courage I thought was reserved only for the Flying Wallendas. I won't go so far as to say I have now mastered this dough, but I can at least say I love everything about it.

When you hear the words rye pastry, the next words your brain almost immediately hears is rye bread. Other than having at least one common ingredient (rye flour), there are no other other similarities between them. Unlike the hearty, slightly sour taste of a (caraway) rye bread, the rye pastry dough has both sweet and nutty flavor tones, making it the perfect choice for use in both pies and tarts. Especially ones made with fruit. I would strongly encourage you to wait until your family and friends taste anything made with this pastry dough before revealing rye flour, actually dark rye flour was one of the ingredients. I am all for advocating for the adoption of the 'don't tell before you taste' mantra when serving something 'new'.

The number of turns made in rolling out the dough significantly affects the flakiness of the layers. More turns translates into more layers. At a minimum, the dough is rolled and turned twice. However, for this open-faced, baked until a deep golden brown tart crust, it was turned four times. In most contexts, flaky doesn't necessarily have a good connotation. But in the case of this dough, the highest compliment one could give to the baked tart crust is flaky.

The rolled out dough is brushed with an egg wash and pricked with a fork before going into a preheated 400 degree (F) oven. Sprinkling the edge of the tart with sanding sugar is optional, but makes for a nice as well as delicious finishing touch. If making a more rustic looking, rectangular or oval in shape tart, you won't need the sanding sugar.

Mascarpone cheese generally has a consistency similar to a softened cream cheese. For some unknown reason, the one I bought from Whole Foods had a much creamier consistency. Only because it had such a delicious taste I decided to use it. Little did I know how much more challenging the tart assembly was going to be. I needed to keep reminding myself I was supposed to be going for a rustic, not refined rustic look to the strawberry tart. In the end it all worked, however, the next time I make this open-faced tart, I will definitely use BelGioioso's mascarpone as it has a 'thicker, more spreadable' consistency. Staying with the brand I had used before versus going with one I was unfamiliar would have been the wiser option. Lesson learned.

If you create a more free form tart using almost all or all of the rye puff pastry, you will most likely need more than a pound of freshly sliced strawberries. For this tart, the strawberries were cut into 1/4 inch slices, then layered in a circular pattern (starting at the edge of the tart and working toward the center) on top of the mascarpone cream layer. Another tart finishing option would be to cut the strawberries in half, arranging in either a circular pattern or in rows. This is one of those 'no hard and fast' rules, anything goes kind of tarts. And almost any kind of berry or mixture of berries would pair perfectly with both the crust and lightly sweetened mascarpone cream. After you make and taste the rye puff pastry, you will find a reason to make this tart often. 

Baked to a deep golden color, the buttery, crisp creates more of a hand-held versus fork eating kind of tart. Use your sharpest knife or even a pizza cutter to cut the tart into wedges, slices, squares, or any free form shape.

The Rustic Strawberry Tart is best served immediately after completely assembled as the dough will lose some of its' crispness if allowed to absorb the mascarpone cheese layer for more than a couple of hours. With the exception of cutting up and arranging the strawberries, the rye pastry dough could be rolled out and baked early in the day and the mascarpone cream mixture kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Making the strawberry tart round created a more refined rustic than rustic look. However, the arrangement of strawberries definitely made it look more rustic than refined. It tasted absolutely delicious. I would go so far as to say it was one of those 'steal' worthy tarts. 

Note: This rye puff pastry is so flavorful it would be a punishable kind of sin to throw any of the dough away. After cutting a 10 inch circle out of the dough, I had enough left to make a half-dozen 'pie crust' cookies. Brushed with the egg wash and sprinkled with a coarse sanding sugar, the cookies baked to a deep golden color in 12-15 minutes. 

Recipe
Rustic Strawberry Tart (Rye Pastry adapted from Kim Boyce's recipe in her Good to the Grain cookbook, Super Simple Strawberry Tart recipe adapted from Yossy Arefi)

Ingredients
Dough
4.25 ounces dark rye flour (recommend Bob's Red Mill)
4.25 ounces all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ounce (3 teaspoons) granulated sugar
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
4 ounces ice cold water

Tart
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (recommend BelGioioso Mascarpone cheese)
3 Tablespoons caster sugar, divided (can use superfine or granulated sugar)
1 large egg, for egg wash
Sanding sugar, optional
Note: Could use a mixture of berries (blackberries, raspberries and/or strawberries)

Directions
Dough
1. In a large bow, mix together the flours, salt and sugar. Add in the cold butter and using either a pastry cutter or your fingers, rub it into the flour mixture until it breaks up into small pieces. Note: If the day is exceptionally hot, the pastry cutter might be the better option. 
2. Combine the cold water and cider vinegar in a measuring cup.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture, and slowly pour the water into the dough all while you are mixing gently. Continue mixing until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when you squeeze it. Note: It may look a little dry. Do not worry as long as it holds together when you form it into a square. If it does not hold together, add a bit more cold water.
4. Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour (or overnight). Note: I removed the dough after 90 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9" x 11" (or thereabouts) rectangle. With the long side of the dough facing you, gently fold the dough into thirds. Then turn the dough so the seam is at the top or parallel to your body. Roll out the dough into another rectangle. Repeat the folding and rolling process for a total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Note: I removed it after 3 hours.

Tart and Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle, oval, circle or random shape to 1/8" or 1/4" thickness. Trim edges, if necessary, and transfer to baking sheet.
3. Using a fork, prick the crust to prevent the dough from puffing up too much. Brush with a beaten egg. Note: At this point, if using a coarse sanding sugar to create a finished edge, sprinkle on before placing in the oven.
4. Bake dough until it is a deep, deep golden brown (approximately 25-30 minutes of baking time). Remove baked dough from oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Combine the mascarpone cheese with two tablespoons of caster sugar (or superfine or granulated sugar). Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. 
6. Arrange strawberries in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of caster sugar.
7. Serve immediately. Notes: Cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter when serving. Tart is best served the day it is fully assembled. 

 Currents, gooseberries and strawberries at the farmer's market.

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt

"Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds." (Regina Brett) With an extended heat wave continuing here in the midwest, I have given myself permission to have moments of laziness. Rather than take on the making of an ambitious recipe or turning on the oven to bake a pie (because it's pie week in the foodblog world) or a cake (because it's birthday week in my world), I am instead taking the time to actually read and not skim through some of the cookbooks bought in recent months. Which not so unpredictably has caused my heart to race and brain go into overload. With a pretty high degree of confidence, I don't think this is what laziness is supposed to feel like. Trying to refrain from turning on the oven feels more like a punishment than a welcome, if only a short-lived, reprieve. Because after all, what would a birthday be without a homemade cake?

Earlier last week I dipped some slices of banana in dark chocolate, sprinkled them with flaky sea salt and then put them in the freezer. Many have claimed a frozen banana very closely resembles ice cream. Epicurious ranked them first on their list of the eleven foods that taste amazing frozen. While we can't believe everything we read on the internet or in the opinions of foodbloggers, this would be one of those times when fact and opinion were in complete sync with one another. Taking somewhat of a slight departure here, my dissertation advisor and friend recently posted the article "No It's Not Your Opinion, You're Just Wrong". Regardless of the arena you work in, but especially if you work in higher education, you might enjoy this quick read. You might even make it required reading.

Okay, back to the chocolate covered bananas. As much as I loved these 'little' bites, warm hands, hot weather, and chocolate don't play nice with each other. So I wanted to try putting the bananas on a popsicle stick. Of course, I didn't want to use the 'normal', long, slender popsicle sticks, I wanted those shorter, shapely, 'bowtie' ones. Nor did I want to cut the bananas in half widthwise and insert the stick in the cut end of the banana, because I wanted them to be a little more like a three-bite healthy, slightly indulgent snack versus one bordering on the 'healthier than ice cream' meal size. In the spirit of full disclosure, I probably made it a little harder on myself, but I absolutely loved how they turned out. 

These can be either a three ingredient or a four ingredient Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt treat. Having recently read somewhere (and now I cannot find the resource to give credit where credit should be given), adding a small amount of white chocolate to dark and/or semi-sweet chocolate creates a creamier, glossier finish to the set chocolate. However, if you have had great success tempering dark and/or semi-sweet chocolate without the use of white chocolate, then making these bananas becomes a three ingredient endeavor.

Your choice of bananas matters significantly. Like Goldilocks search for the perfect bed to sleep in, don't choose a banana that is too hard (or underripe) and don't choose one that is too soft (or overripe, banana bread making perfect). Choose bananas that are 'just right', somewhere between too hard and too soft. I understand this may not be precise enough for those of you who have never made chocolate covered frozen bananas before. So my best guidance on 'just right' is simply 'almost ripe but still firm' and with the peels being mostly yellow but still having a tinge of green. I know this still may not be precise enough. If anyone out there has a better description of 'just right' bananas for dipping and freezing, please enlighten all of us and share!

Cutting bananas on the diagonal, in approximately 2 1/2-3" lengths and with a thickness of approximately 3/4", made it possible to successfully insert the bowtie popsicle sticks through the center or side of the banana. In choosing to insert the popsicle stick in two different places, the finished bananas looked more whimsical than uniform. In my world, whimsy is a good thing. Once the sticks are inserted into the bananas, place on a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet and put in the freezer. The tray of bananas should be uncovered and remain in the freezer for at least two hours.

Within five minutes, the frozen bananas will begin to thaw when removed from the freezer. So when dipping them into the chocolate work in batches. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. 

After dipping all of the bananas, drizzle some of the remaining chocolate over the dipped bananas and immediately sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt. Return the bananas to the freezer until they are fully set (approximately 20 minutes). Remove from the baking sheet and place in a tightly sealed freezer safe container or in freezer plastic storage bags. You can also wrap them in cellophane and tie off with a ribbon or string.

If you like your frozen chocolate covered bananas firm when you bite into them, serve them right out of the freezer. If you like them to be a little on creamy side, allow them to sit out for 5 minutes before serving. Either way you serve them, they are incredibly delicious. Perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth craving for 'ice cream' on a hot summer day. They definitely fall into the category of a guilt-free pleasure.

If the summer heat is just too much and you can't bring yourself to turn on the oven to make a homemade birthday cake, at least make something chocolate, something that tastes like ice cream. Because a birthday without cake is one thing, but a birthday without both cake and ice cream is a whole different story. These homemade Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt for the ice cream part of the birthday celebration should be more than enough to salvage the day. 

Recipe
Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

Ingredients
4-5 large bananas, almost ripened but still firm, cut on the diagonal in 3/4" widths (if inserting popsicle sticks) or cut into 1/2" widths (if dipping only)
1 pound dark or semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup white chocolate, chopped
Flaky Sea Salt for finishing
Alternate and probably easier way to cut bananas: Using 6-7 medium bananas, cut the bananas in half, widthwise, and insert the popsicle stick through the cut end of each half. 

Directions
1. Line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or foil. 
2. Place cut bananas (either with or without a popsicle stick inserted in) on one of the prepared baking sheets. Place in freezer, uncovered, for at least two hours.
3. Melt dark or semi-sweet chocolate in either the microwave or over a double boiler. Note: Add chopped white chocolate to melted dark or semi-sweet chocolate to temper the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
4. Working in batches, dip bananas one at a time into the melted chocolate and place on the second prepared baking sheet.
5. Drizzle remaining chocolate over dipped bananas and sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
6. Return dipped bananas to the freezer. When completely set (approximately 20 minutes) place frozen bananas in a sealed container or in freezer ziplock bags.
7. Enjoy directly out of the freezer or set out for at least five minutes before serving.

Farmer's Market Cinnamon Cake Donuts and Pretzels.