banana loaf – Jellybeans in the City

Home-baked goodies worth the calories… Baked by Rina

Most of my friends already know my mantra when it comes to food: in Tagalog, it goes – “nasasayang lang ang calories pag hindi ka nasarapan.”

The reasoning behind this is that if I have to spend an extra thirty minutes to an hour on the treadmill just to burn off those calories I consumed anyway, the food better be worth it. (Truth be told: I haven’t been on the treadmill as often as I should but the principle still applies.)

During a recent Zoom party with former officemates, I won a box of empanadas from online bakeshop Baked by Rina.

Rina is one of my former bosses. Beneath the fierce, tough love and go-getter exterior she displayed in the workplace, my teammates and I all knew she’s a softie at heart.

That softer side comes to the surface when she brings to the office some items she baked for us to share.

Fast forward a few years and Rina has since moved forward to more creative pursuits: among them are the crafting of preserved flower arrangements for Stories & Blossoms and the creation of goodies baked with love for Baked by Rina.

This venture grew out of the ever-increasing demand for Rina’s baked treats, first within her circle of friends, then on to their friends until she decided to share her creations to a wider network of foodies through her online store. Her offerings include the classic desserts often requested by her family and friends during special occasions or when they have a particular craving.

Last weekend, to the fam’s utter delight, my empanadas arrived accompanied by other treats from Baked by Rina. These were all certified by the Jellybeans family as well worth the calories.

Check out these baked goodies:

Baked Empanadas (Php550/box). Savory chicken and chicken asado filling wrapped in a flaky crust and baked to a beautiful golden brown. A hit with Hubby for his midnight snacking.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Php250/tub). Sweet chewy nibbles of oatmeal cookies studded with fruity raisins.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Php325/tub). Little bites of classic chocolate chip cookies best enjoyed when bitten into after dunking in full cream milk. My son’s favorite since he had his first taste of it a year ago and its appeal to him has not waned!

Banana Loaf with Walnuts and Raisins (Php350). A fragrant and moist banana loaf studded with chopped walnuts and raisins. My daughter loved its taste and texture!

Dutch Apple Pie (Php1,400). This is my absolute favorite kind of apple pie: a sweetly spiced apple filling on top of a flaky crust and topped with a slightly crunchy and buttery streusel. It’s great on its own but it’s best enjoyed hot and topped with vanilla ice cream.

With each bite of bite of these sweet treats Baked by Rina, you know these are worth all the calories.

So give yourself and your fam a treat and order some baked goodies today!

Check out Baked by Rina on Facebook to see the complete list of available goodies. To order, send a message via Facebook Messenger or call +63 917 5014934 at least two days before delivery date. Payments via Metrobank or BPI bank transfers and via GCash are accepted. Baked by Rina delivers from Quezon City to anywhere in the metro and nearby cities via Grab, Lalamove and Mr. Speedy (delivery fee charged to buyer).

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature article.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

#QuarantineCookbook: Banana Loaf Three Ways

It sure looks like the quarantine has turned me into some kind of maven in the kitchen (if I may say so myself; indulge me, please).

With a little bit of extra time that working from home afforded to me, as well as the greater availability of ingredients from online sellers, I found myself getting bitten again by the baking bug.

I decided to try my hand on an old favorite: the Banana Loaf. It’s a simple enough recipe and the ingredients are easily accessible.

It’s also great as a mid-afternoon snack or an after-meal dessert.

Here’s the twist, though: my kiddos and I have varying preferences when it comes to the Banana Loaf. I love it with nuts (for the contrast in texture), while my daughter #ExhibitA prefers it without; my son #ExhibitB, a sweet-tooth just like his mom, would go bonkers for it if it has chocolate.

What’s a budding baker mom to do?

Well, why not have it three ways? I made a plain Banana Loaf, two loaves with nuts, and a loaf with nuts and chocolate. This way, everybody’s happy (especially me, because I get two loaves, hehehe!).

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 ripe mashed bananas
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk substitute (made by combining 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar with enough fresh milk to make 1 1/2 cups of the mixture)
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 135 deg C (275 deg F). Line four 8″x 3″ loaf pans with wax paper and lightly grease the bottom and sides.

In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the lemon juice. In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set both bowls aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, white and brown sugar in a large bowl for three minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla.

Mix in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk substitute until evenly combined. Stir in the mashed banana mixture.

Scoop enough of the batter to the first loaf pan to fill it two-thirds of the way. This will be the plain Banana Loaf.

Fold in the chopped walnuts in to the batter until evenly distributed then scoop enough of the mixture to fill two-thirds of the next two loaf pans. These will be the Banana Loaf with Walnuts.

Fold in the dark chocolate chips into the remaining batter then scoop it into the last loaf pan. This will be the Chocolate Walnut Banana Loaf.

Place the loaf pans into the pre-heated oven and bake for sixty to eighty-five minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick you insert into the middle of the loaves comes out clean.

As soon as fully baked, remove the loaf pans from the oven and place them directly into the freezer for forty-five minutes. Doing this will add to the moist texture of the loaves. (I’m not familiar with the exact science behind this but I can’t argue with the results).

Serve and enjoy!

The loaves turned out to have just the right amount of moistness and are not overly sweet.

As it turns out, even #ExhibitA likes the loaf with the chocolate chips. Hmmm…

PS:

If you want to add some more sweetness to the loaves, you can top them with some cream cheese frosting, similar to the one used for my Carrot Cupcakes.

You may also adjust the amount of walnuts or chocolate chips you add into the banana loaf batter for the second loaf pan and so on, or the sequence of adding the tweak ingredients, depending on your family’s preferences (and whose preference reigns supreme!).

Try this recipe out and let me know how it goes!

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other kitchen adventures:

A bounty of sweetness: Sugarhouse’ 2018 Christmas Catalogue

With the holidays almost upon us, it is definitely the time for sharing the gifts of the season to our loved ones: good cheer, warm wishes and, of course, sweetness.

And since we’re talking about sweetness, if you find yourself at a Sugarhouse store, you’re at the right place.

Sugarhouse has been around since the 80s, opening a small cake store at Anza Street in Makati. Today, Sugarhouse has four full dine-in outlets serving full meals along with cakes and pastries; two semi-dine-in stores serving selected menu items along with baked goodies, and a kiosk dedicated to cakes and pastries.

Sugarhouse recently launched its 2018 Christmas Catalog, giving us a bounty of options to spread sweetness during the holidays.

During a Blogger Event hosted by Sugarhouse Marketing Consultant Jeffrey De Real Rusios at the Sugarhouse outlet in Glorietta, I checked out the goodies included in the catalog together with fellow bloggers and got some ideas for spreading smiles and satisfied tummies this Christmas:

Bring a light and fluffy Taisan (Php180 whole loaf), a hearty Banana Loaf (Php180/midi loaf; Php400/big loaf), or a zesty Orange Raisin Loaf (Php210/midi loaf; Php500/big loaf) to share during family gatherings and celebrations.

Contribute a box of Food for the Gods (Php240/box of 4 bars; Php480/box of 8 bars) to the office potluck and help chase away the office blues of your workmates.

Chillaxin’ at home over the holiday break? Enjoy a cup of of your favorite espresso brew paired with a sweet-salty Quezo de Bola Ensaimada (Php68/pc) with your special someone.

The Noche Buena feast may be alredy quite filling but there should always be room for dessert! Cap it with a decadently creamy Leche Flan (Php130) or a piece of the perennial Christmas favorite: Fruitcake (Php450/loaf).

And when the kiddies knock on your door on Christmas morning, treat them to some Polvoron (Php180/box of 6; Php350/box of 12) or Salted Caramel Chocolate Popcorn (Php90/pack; Php215/jar).

These sweet treats are sure to be a hit among those who are near-and-dear to you this Christmas. Do check them out at your nearest Sugarhouse outlet!

This Sugarhouse branch is located at 3rd Floor, Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City. For inquiries, call +63 2 2457180 or +63 923 2717732. In fact, if you want to customize a holiday gift pack, just ask Store Head Liza Oafericua to help you put together a winning combo of goodies.

Other Sugarhouse branches are located at Santolan Town Plaza and at Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, at Dela Rosa Carpark 1 and at Powerplant Mall in Makati, at SM San Lazaro in Manila and at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a Blogger Event held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.