Cocoa Banana Crunch Cake

Martha (aka my KitchenAid Mixer) has missed me over the past couple of weeks.  We had a good run there for a while with all the Christmas cookies I was making.  As much as I love Martha, she was not helping out the waistline so I had to bid adieu for a short while.  We have now reacquainted ourselves thanks to a new cookbook I received for Christmas entitled Breast Wishes for Christmas by the Breast Friends.

If this sounds familiar to you, it's likely because you saw the episode of the Dragon's Den where the Breast Friends were featured in December.  They struck a deal with the Dragons to help print their book on a larger scale so they could continue to donate their proceeds to even more Cancer-related agencies.

The one I received is the fourth book they've published and, thus far, their profits have raised over a million dollars.  All profits have gone towards both cancer awareness and research.  You can learn more about them on their website at www.breastfriends.ca.  You can also purchase your own recipe books online or find a list of merchants near you that carry their books.  As I said, all proceeds go to supporting agencies that promote Cancer awareness and research.

If you missed their appearance on the Dragon's Den, here it is.

I am a huge fan of Dragon's Den and it was fun to see some local ladies melt the hearts of all the Dragons for once.  Even Kevin gave up his dreams of making millions for a moment in time.   I believe this was the first time all five "Dragons" went in on the same "deal".

As I mentioned, I received the Christmas edition entitled Breast Wishes for Christmas.  I have to tell you, it's not exactly a heart healthy recipe book but it IS a fantastic prairie home cooking type of recipe book that promises to make some delicious food.   It has recipes such as Gingerbread Muffins, German Sour Lazy Cabbage Rolls, Peroshki, and Freezer Caramel Drizzle Pie.  I had a hard time deciding what to make but I think I went for one of the healthier options although it doesn't taste very healthy (but that's always a good thing!).  I made the Cocoa Banana Crunch Cake and it is delicious.  It was the perfect afternoon snack and I am practising great restraint to not eat any more before supper!

Here's the recipe! (Thanks to the Breast Friends for giving me permission to share a recipe!)

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COCOA BANANA CRUNCH CAKE

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs whites, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Topping:
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat butter and sugar, blend in bananas, egg whites, and vanilla.  Add combined flour, oats, cocoa, salt and baking soda.  Mix well.  Spread in 8 inch square, greased pan.  Combine topping ingredients and spread over bottom mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-35 minutes.

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Notes from Trudy: I had to bake it quite a bit longer than the recipe calls for but that is likely because I used a round 8" pan instead of a square pan (which we apparently don't have).  I baked it for about 45 minutes until it was cooked throughout.

Fresh out of the Oven!