Making Caramelized Banana & Coconut Shortcake

I’ll admit that this post was more of a concession to my perpetual need to cook than something that was carefully planned. I just had to cook something. Anything. And so came about this twist to the classic strawberry shortcake. I originally wanted to make mango shortcakes but someone or other seems to have eaten the mango for iftar yesterday, so I’m using caramelized bananas instead. Meh, c’est la vie. Feel free to substitute other fruits for the bananas.

Coconut Shortcake (basic shortcake recipe from Joy of Baking)

[ 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup sugar + 2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/3 cup cold, unsalted butter + 1 large egg + 1/2 cup coconut milk ]

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and place rack in middle of oven.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk the coconut milk with the egg and pour into flour mixture. Mix until just combined, do not overmix.

The dough will look a little scraggly but don’t be tempted to add more flour.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently.

Pat the dough into an 18-cm round and cut circles using a 3 inch (7 cm) round cookie cutter.

Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little coconut milk and sprinkle some sugar on top.

Bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Caramelized Bananas (recipe from Food.com) :

[ 2 Bananas, each sliced at an angle to 6 pieces + 4 tablespoons of sugar ]

Pour sugar onto a plate. Roll bananas in sugar, until completely coated.

Spray a medium size nonstick pan, and heat over medium high heat. Add bananas and sugar.

Cook bananas until light to golden brown underneath, about 4-5 minutes.

Gently flip bananas over to brown other side, turning heat down to medium. The second side will brown in about one minute.Transfer to a plate that has been coated with cooking spray and set aside.

Coconut whipped cream:

[ 2 cups whipped cream, whipped until stiff + 4 tablespoon coconut cream ]