Monday 19 September 2016

Chocolate Banana Toffee Cake

Chocolate Banana Toffee Cake

I quickly post any recipe I find that worked marvellously first time I tried it. This particular one came from the recent Waitrose Magazine for September 2016. The combination of chocolate (milk or dark) with the banana and toffee glaze is so moreish. My only complaint is that it is hard to make the glaze settle on top since the suggested cake tin is a bundt cake pan. Next time I will bake this in a square or rectangular pan so that the delicious glaze will stay on top and nothing will go to waste.

For the Daim chocolate bars, the equivalent of these are Hershey's Skor or Heath bars or any chocolate covered hard toffee bars.



Chocolate Banana Toffee Cake

200 g  unsalted butter - softened
75 g  caster sugar (suprefine sugar)
100 g  light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
4 very ripe medium bananas - mashed (about heaping 1-1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
50 g  cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting)
225 g  plain flour
50 g  cornflour (cornstarch)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
75 g  chopped Daim bars or dark/milk chocolate chips (plus some chopped for topping)

Glaze:
200 g  light muscovado sugar
75 g  unsalted butter
100 g  double cream
25 g  dark chocolate - chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F. Butter 10-inch bundt pan and then dust with cocoa powder. Tap out the excess cocoa powder.
  2. In a bowl, mix thoroughly the plain flour, cocoa powder, cornflour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
  3. In another bowl, add sour cream to mashed banana and vanilla.
  4. Cream the softened butter and the caster and muscovado sugars in a big bowl for about 5 minutes or until light and creamy.
  5. Keep beating while adding eggs one at a time.
  6. Add the banana mixture. Beat until well combined.
  7. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the flour mixture.
  8. Fold the chopped Daim chocolate bars or chocolate chips (whichever you're using).
  9. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
  10. Take out of the oven, cool for 5-10 minutes and then invert into a rack and cool completely.

*For the glaze:
  1. Gently heat butter, cream and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 seconds.
  3. Remove from heat and add dark chocolate, vanilla and pinch of salt. Stir until smooth.
  4. Cool for 10 minutes or until a bit thickened while stirring from time to time.
  5. Drizzle over the cake. Let set for a few minutes.
  6. [Optional] Scatter chopped Daim over the top.