Cindy Loughridge Photography

I normally don’t post recipes on my blog, but someone on Instagram asked me to post the recipe I used for my banana cake. The recipe, is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. I used less sugar for the cake, because I don’t like my cake very sweet,especially since there is frosting. A cream cheese frosting ( my fave) that calls for 1/2 pound of confectioners sugar. That’s a lot of sweetness. I also added semi-sweet Guittard chocolate chips, which is not in the original recipe, but works well with this batter.

 The cake is fairly easy to make, as is the frosting.  I think next time, I will make cupcakes with this recipe instead of a round cake. We tend to not eat much cake at our house, so this size was a little overwhelming for us. Cupcake size is perfect, especially if I only want to make half a dozen at a time and then save the rest of the batter for another day. 

Old-Fashioned Banana Cake 

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Walnut halves, for decorating (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (½ pound)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 × 2-inch round cake pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.

Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves, if using.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don’t whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Contax 645 | Kodak Portra 400

This past fall, Four Barrel coffee opened another San Francisco location. This time, way south of the city, in the neighborhood of Portola, an area that doesn’t get much foot traffic by tourists. The feel is very much for the neighborhood, or for locals that want to enjoy a cup without having to wait in line or jockey for a seat.  We throughly enjoyed our visit and plan on going again, maybe even exploring Portola a bit next time.

Hasselblad 500cm (square photos) | Fuji 160NS

Contax Aria (diptych photos) | Fuji Pro 400H

I had the pleasure of photographing Kate Davison’s home for SF Girl By Bay. Kate has great style and a good eye for vintage wares and then putting it all together in an effortless way. You can see more photos and read what Kate has to say here.

Nikon DF

Last weekend, I got a couple of rolls of Fuji Pro 160NS, it’s their new-ish (or maybe just new to me) film. I’ve read it’s a combination of the 160c and 160s. No matter, I had to shoot a roll and I absolutely love the film.  It seems warmer than the 400H, which I still use and love. The 160NS has a little bit more contrast, but that could just be from scanning or my exposure.  I’m definitely stocking up.  Below, are some images from the first roll in the Contax 645. I want to try shooting the next roll in bright daylight, since that is optimal for that particular speed of film.

Contax 645 | Fuji Pro 160NS

Breaking up all the color on the blow with a little b&w.

My current favorite b&w film is Ilford Delta 3200 and I tend to shoot it over exposed by 1, just for the fun of it. As for the other b&w films, I shoot box speed.

Contax 645 | Ilford Delta 3200

Contax 645 | Kodak Tri-X 400

Contax 645 | Fuji Acro 100