I always have bananas on hand because they are one of those fruits that make a great snack and are so good for you. I’m ashamed to say that in the the summer time, most of them don’t get eaten because there are so many other wonderful fruits to choose from. So in these cases, I wait until the bananas get very ripe then I peel and mash them with a fork and place them in a plastic baggie or small container and throw them in the freezer. If I have a little extra time, I portion out what I need according to my banana cake recipes because when I want to bake, I pull out exactly what I need from the freezer.
I had never made a chocolate version of a banana cake, so I set out to try and create one. When I create recipes, it is very rare that I start developing a recipe from scratch. I like to start with something that I’ve already tried, and then tweak the recipe from there to get what I want.
A while ago, I had shared a delicious chocolate fudge cake recipe that I use all the time. It is so easy to make and does not require any fancy ingredients to get a great result. What I also like about this recipe is that it uses oil for the cake batter instead of butter – at this point you may want to nix the recipe for this reason alone, but don’t! I have made thousands of chocolate cakes in my day, and I’m here to tell you that when it comes to making a great chocolate cake, using oil in the batter is the way to go — the reason is simple – you will be rewarded with an incredibly delicious, moist and fudgy cake that is beyond imagination.
To create this new recipe, I adjusted the moisture to incorporate the banana puree, and bumped up the sugar just a bit. A great banana cake needs to have the right level of sweetness, otherwise it tastes like a raw banana…not very appetizing… so it’s important not to skimp on the sweetness here. With just a few tweaks, both the texture and sweetness are right on.
So, if you’ve got a few overripe bananas that you have to use up, skip the traditional version and go a little crazy with some chocolate. This magical combination of banana and chocolate creates a delicious and versatile snack cake – it’s perfect for a summer picnic and can be baked and frosted right in the baking pan, you can use it as a unique flavor combination in a layered cake with a complimentary filling, or bake thin layers of this and slice it up for mini pastries for a dessert buffet.
Once you have tried it, I am sure you will agree that this one belongs in the ‘keeper’ file…
Chocolate Banana Cake
2 cups mashed bananas (16 oz) (puree if possible)
1 cup buttermilk (8 oz)
2 ½ cups granulated sugar (19 oz)
2 large eggs (3.6 oz)
½ cup vegetable oil (3.5 oz)
½ cup water (3.5 oz)
2 tablespoons banana extract
¾ cup cocoa powder (3 oz), sifted
2 cups flour (10.5 oz)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
Add the pureed banana, eggs, oil, water, buttermilk and sugar into a medium sized bowl and whisk together. For a dark chocolate cake, it is important to puree the banana well so it incorporates into the batter. Large chunks of banana do not look very appealing in a chocolate cake base, so make sure it is pureed before you add it. Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients and then whisk them into the wet ingredients until they are all combined.
Spray your desired cake pans well with a pan release and pour in the cake batter. Bake at 350°f for about 30 minutes until cake springs back in the center and test clean. Remove the cake and allow it to cool completely before frosting and slicing. If you plan to slice each layer into thinner layers, it is best to bake this cake the day before and allow the crumb to settle before handling.
Makes perfect mini pastries…first add the frosting to the top of the cake, and refrigerate…the edges will look messy, but don’t worry about these yet…
Once the cake has chilled, use a warm knife and slice clean edges all around…
Cut into mini pastry sizes….
Decorate and place on your platter…
Burnt Sugar Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
½ cup cream
3 tablespoon rum (or to taste)
Place the sugar, water and corn syrup together in a bowl and cook until the sugar has gone beyond the light amber stage to a dark amber stage…but not black. Be careful as this happens very quickly, and make sure not to leave this unattended at this time. Using a wooden spoon, add in ¼ cup of the cream and stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble up, so be careful. Take it off the heat at this point and continue stirring, add in the other ¼ cup of cream and put back on the heat until it bubbles up again then remove. Add in the 3 tablespoons of rum and stir in well, then set it aside to cool.
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