Chocolate Banana Cake From Canadian Living Recipes

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE FROM CANADIAN LIVING

Steps:

• Cake: In bowl, cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Beat in sour cream. Combine flour, baking soda and chocolate; add in 3 additions to creamed mixture alternately with 2 additions of bananas, mixing just until flour is incorporated. Spoon into 2 greased 8-1/2-inch (2.25 L) springform pans, smoothing tops. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Let cool on rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pans; let cool completely.
• White Chocolate Icing: In saucepan, bring half of the cream to boil; pour over chocolate in bowl, whisking until melted. Add vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour, whisking often. On medium speed, beat chocolate mixture just until ridges hold shape. Beat remaining cream just until soft peaks form; gently fold into chocolate mixture. With serrated knife, slice cakes in half horizontally. Place a top layer, cut side up, on plate.
• Assembly: Spread top with 3/4 cup (175 mL) icing; cover with single layer of bananas, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border. Cover with 1 bottom cake layer, cut side down; repeat with icing and bananas. Repeat with remaining top layer, cut side up, and some of the icing and bananas. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Using palette knife, cover cake smoothly with remaining icing. Refrigerate until firm, about 1-1/2 hours.
• Dark Chocolate Ganache: Meanwhile, bring cream to boil; pour over chocolate in small bowl, whisking until melted. Let cool for 20 minutes or until room temperature and still pourable. Pour over centre of cake, spreading to edge with clean palette knife, if necessary, and letting some flow down sides. If ganache becomes too firm, gently re-warm over hot, not boiling, water until pourable. Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, or for up to 1 day. To serve, drizzle melted chocolate with fork over remaining bananas; let set. Arrange on cake. Slice with serrated knife.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F Grease two 8" round cake pans and line with waxed paper.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs on high speed until light and fluffy.
• Add banana and vanilla. Add dry ingredients on low speed, alternating with buttermilk, mixing lightly after each addition.
• Stir in grated chocolate. Spread batter evenly in greased pans.
• Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
• Frosting:.
• Beat all ingredients together at high speed until smooth and light. Use just enough to make a spreading consistency.
• Frost cake layers. Decorate with chocolate curls.

MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• CAKE: Sift dry ingredients into a bowl (if using thick flour such as soy, it can work better if you sift twice) In another bowl mash banana and mix with liquid ingredients.
• Combine and stir both together till well blended.
• Pour into a lightly oiled microwave cake dish (I use a ring dish).
• Cook high heat (use turntable) 6 to 8 minutes or until cake tests done.
• SAUCE: In a bowl, mix a small amount of milk with cornstarch to create a paste.
• In a saucepan, combine cocoa, sugar/syrup and salt.
• Gradually add milk and cornstarch mix until smooth.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.
• Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until desired consistency.
• Stir in vanilla etc.
• If mixture needs to thicken, take some out of saucepan and mix with cornstarch.
• For Vegan do not use milk [dairy].

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream margarine with sugar and eggs.
• Mix in banana and vanilla.
• Mix flour with remaining dry ingredients.
• Add flour mixture to margarine mixture in 3 parts, alternately with sour milk.
• Begin and end with flour.
• Spread in 2 greased 8" cake pans.
• Bake in oven about 40 minutes.
• When cool, frost generously with chocolate butter frosting.