Caramel Chocolate Banana Cake

Caramel Walnut Chocolate Banana Cake

Ingredients
Caramelized walnut
340g caster sugar
240g walnuts, toasted & rough chopped
(Or use ready made caramel walnuts)
Or toasted almond nuts

Chocolate Batter
100g dark chocolate, chopped into small cubes
50g butter
Grated zest from 2 oranges

Cake Batter (A) 250g butter, room temperature

270-300g caster sugar

(B)

4 Eggs (L)

(C)

250ml buttermilk
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
(D)

375g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp sea salt

Prepare Filling – Bananas
3-4 bananas peel and cut into slices or roughly mashed
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
100g caramel walnuts, rough chopped (extra)

Caramel Glaze
200g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split or vanilla essence
200g cream
¼ tsp sea salt
140g butter
(note: do this when the cake is baking)

Chocolate Glaze
5g gelatin powder
25ml water
60ml cream
75-90g caster sugar
70ml water
30g cocoa powder
(note: do this when the cake is competely cooled)

Method
Prepare Caramelized Walnut
1. Heat sugar in saucepan over low heat until sugar melts and turns golden brown. Add walnuts and give it a quick stir and pour out the mixture into line pan. Leave to cool. Rough chopped and set aside.

Prepare Chocolate Batter
1. Put chocolate & butter into a saucepan using double boil method. Keep stirring until it melts and smooth texture. Remove from heat and add the orange zest. Keep aside.

Prepare Bananas Filling
1. Mix all together and keep aside.

Prepare Cake Batter & baking the cake
1. Pre heat oven at 180c for 5 minutes. Grease 22-23cm (8 or 9”) cake tray.
2. Put (A) into a mixer bowl at speed 2 till all mix well. Then change to speed 4 and beat till light & fluffy.
3. Stop & scrap. Now use speed 2 to put in the egg one at a time using speed 2 then speed 4 then speed 6 for a quick stir.
4. Now change to speed 2, to put in (C) then (D) alternately spoon by spoon till all finish. Now use speed 4 to 6 for a quick stir.
5. Divide batter into 2 portions.
6. Pour 1st portion cake batter into the prepared cake tin then 2nd layer banana filling then chocolate batter. Follow by banana filling then top layer is the cake batter.
7. Use a chopstick to swirl through the batter in figure of eight patterns.
8. Bake at 180c for 1hr 15-20 minutes or insert the cake tester into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Leave to cool completely.

Prepare caramel glaze
1. Cook sugar over low heat till sugar melts and golden brown. Remove from heat add scrape vanilla seed, cream & salt.
2. Return to heat stir with wooden spoon till mix well. (Do not over cook till boiling)
3. Remove from heat, add butter and keep stirring till butter melts.
4. The texture should be running when using the back of the wooden spoon to test the texture.
5. Cover with cling film and keep aside to cool.


Prepare Chocolate Glaze
1. Soak the gelatin in 25ml water.
2. Mix cocoa powder with 70ml water till well mix and smooth. Boil cream, sugar & cocoa mixture in small saucepan. Whisk and add soaked gelatin, stir until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat, cool and keep aside.

To assemble the cake
1. Cover your kitchen table with line paper. Then place the cake tray on top of the line paper.
2. Now place your cake on top of the cake tray.
3. Slowly pour the caramel glaze over the cake and let it set for 5-10 minutes.
4. After 5-10 minutes, drizzle with chocolate glaze.
5. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts or toasted chopped almond nuts over the cake.




Equipment used: KitchenAid Artisan Mixer: Model KSM150

Recipe: Flavor Magazine