Banana Maple Towers Recipes

BANANA NUT SCONES WITH MAPLE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat the mashed bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater to grate it; a food processor also works for grating). Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, two forks, a food processor, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
• Drizzle wet ingredients over flour mixture, add the walnuts, and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Try your best to not overwork the dough at any point. Dough will be sticky and a little wet. Drop scones, 1/4 cup of dough each, at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush scones with milk, then top with a little coarse sugar if desired for extra crunch. Tastes great!
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool as you make the icing. The scones taste even better after they cool down!
• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over scones.
• Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days.

BANANA-MAPLE-BACON BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Whisk cake mix and pudding mix together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs to the well. Then add water, vegetable oil, and mashed banana; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on low for 4 minutes. Let batter rest for 5 minutes, then pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, cook bacon in a skillet and over medium-high heat, until evenly browned and just about crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Mix confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, maple syrup, and maple extract for glaze in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. If glaze is too thick, add a bit more milk.
• Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake, then sprinkle with bacon.