Wonderful recipe. Easy to make and very moist and scrummy! I tried a little when it was fresh out of the oven (couldn't wait!)and the moment I sliced through the cake I knew it's a success. The texture is soft but not soggy and crumbs tender. I had to help myself to a second piece! As I did not have sour cream or plain yogurt at hand, I substituted with fat-free strawberry yogurt. The cake turned out to have a hint of berry-ness which is a lovely touch. I used a little less than 1 cup of sugar to compensate for the sugar in the yogurt (plus ripe bananas are loaded with sugar!).I also sprinkled some cinnamon but not too much as you don't want to over-powder the banana flavour. Cake flour is essential to ensure light and tender texture. (This is a banana cake not banana bread, which is denser)I used a wooden spoon to mix in the bananas and flour. It's important not to overmix the batter. Be sure to use very ripe bananas :)

Reviewed On: Aug. 29, 2009

Delicious cookies and so easy to make. It delivers what it promises-- soft, yummy ginger cookies. Perfect for winter! The combination of spices is just right--festive but not too overpowering. The only thing I changed was the amount of sugar. One cup is too sweet for my taste (plus you would want to roll them in sugar later to get that sparkly effect.) Try a little less than 3/4 cup of sugar and use butter. The orange juice is a good idea too. I found the consistency of the dough easy to work with and the cookies turned out wonderful!

Reviewed On: Dec. 21, 2007

The toothpicks and styrofoam are good idea. But I see no point in the shortening. To make the chocolate easy to work with, just add a little milk in the glass bowl and warm it up a little before adding the chocolate chips. Don't use the microwave! I tried it and it was hard control the temperature. I used a glass bowl and a small saucepan for a double boiler. In order to make the chocolate coating glossy without going through the whole complicated tempering procedure,I seperated the chocolate chips into two batches (the second batch was samller). Once the first batch has melted in the milk, I put in the second batch. Stir until smooth and glossy. Simple and yummy!

Reviewed On: Feb. 13, 2007