Chocolate Banana Layer Cake

One of my most favourite flavour combinations is chocolate and banana. I haven’t had made a cake for a while (my freezer is full of frozen cakes – there is no room for new ones), but I was expecting some guests and was hoping that at least half of it will be eaten. I flicked through a couple of recipe books for inspiration and commenced running around the kitchen. The result was this beautiful chocolate banana layer cake for which I have to thank my sister! One of her Christmas gifts was a gorgeous set of Easy Layers Cake Tins and I couldn’t wait to try it out. The chocolate cake layers turned out perfect! The problem was that I didn’t have a cake ring (what a shame, but this has now been fixed) and I had to improvise – I placed the cake layers (20 cm) into a cake baking tin (23 cm). It’s still ok but a large part of the filling went out of the cake, and between the cake and the tin. That is why, if you want to try this Chocolate Banana Layer Cake recipe, make sure you have a cake ring to tighten around the cake. But even if there is no ring, there is a way!

If you have a regular cake baking tin, pour the whole mixture into it. The baking time will increase by 10-15 minutes – check if it is done, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Set aside the cake until it is completely cool. After you make sure it’s cool, cut it into 3 layers (not 4 as they will be too thin and there is a possibility that they might break). To assemble the chocolate banana layer cake, you can use the same cake tin that you used to bake the layers in, just wash and dry it beforehand. This way, all the filling will stay between the layers and won’t come out. If you still want to have some of the cream on the side, divide the filling into two parts and leave one of them aside. Put the chocolate banana cake into the fridge for 2 hours, take it out of the tin, spread the cream over the side, and put it back in the fridge to chill.

Ingredients for chocolate layers (cake tin 20 cm):

• 150 g flour
• 135 g sugar
• 100 g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)
• 85 g butter, softened
• 5 eggs
• ¼ tsp salt

Ingredients for the cream filling:

• 600 g single cream
• 250 g mascarpone
• 200 g white chocolate
• 25 g sugar
• 2 packs whipped cream stabiliser

Ingredients for decoration:

• 50 g dark chocolate
• 40 ml single cream
• 20 g cashew nuts, grounded
• 20 g white chocolate
• 2 bananas

You’ll need:

• 4 Easy Layers Cake Tins, kitchen towels, scissors, butter for greasing the tines, cake ring

Chocolate Banana Layer Cake Preparation:

1. Melt the dark chocolate over double boiler.
2. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
3. Place the butter in a bowl. Beat in the sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Stir in the egg yolks. Add in the the chocolate and flour, and stir again until combined.
5. Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form.
6. Add the egg whites in two portions to the chocolate mixture while stirring with a spatula.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°С.
8. Grease the Easy Layers cake tins with butter. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
9. Divide the mixture equally into the four cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Take them out of the oven and leave them to cool down completely before taking out of the tins.

Chocolate Banana Layer Cake Filling:

1. Melt the white chocolate over double boiler.
2. In a medium bowl, whip the cream with the stabiliser until soft peaks form.
3. Put the mascarpone into another bowl. Mix in the melted white chocolate and sugar until well combined.
4. Add in the cream and stir with a spatula until incorporated. Separate a few spoons of the mixture into another bowl for decoration.
5. Pour 3 tablespoons warm water and 2 tablespoons honey into a cup, and stir until the honey has melted.
6. Peel and cut the bananas into thin slices.
7. Place the first chocolate layer onto a plate or a cake stand. Pour over 1/3 of the honeyed water. Arrange 1/3 of the banana slices.
8. Place the cake ring around the layer, tighten up and leave 2-3 mm room between the cake and the ring.
9. Pour 1/4 of the white cream filling over the layer and spread it evenly so it fills the empty space. Repeat with the remaining 3 cake layers and leave the top one dry (do not pour honeyed water over). Do not arrange banana slices onto the top layer, spread only the filling.
10. Decorate the chocolate banana cake using the remaining cream as you see fit – draw a large circle or pipe roses.
11. Put the cake in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
12. Pour 40 ml single cream into a bowl over double boiler. Break 50 g dark chocolate into pieces and add them in. Stir until they melt and a homogenous mixture is obtained. Leave aside to cool down for 5 minutes.
13. Take the cake out of the fridge and pour the chocolate ganache over the cake.
14. Crush the cashew nuts and grate the white chocolate. Sprinkle both over the cake and put in the fridge for one more hour.

Bon appetit!