when banana marries chocolate

Hi people, I finally have time to share this recipe with you. I am currently in Aspen playing some violin, but I still try to take as many photos as i can. The weather here is very nice nd the place i stay has really nice kitchen, so i actually have been cooking a lot. Anyway, this cake was made the day before I left New York, it was actually a surprise early birthday celebration hehe

I always wanted to try making a chocolate dripped cake, so I picked this banana and chocolate combination. you can never go wrong with this two right? plus my friend loves banana. I wouldn't say it's a very hard cake to make, but you need patient! It took me almost a day to finish, but it was worth it! You guys should totally give it a try!

Sorry that i added lots of fade to my cake photos, because by the time I finished my cake, it was already dark out and I dont have enough lighting... so I am not really happy with the color, that's why i just faded everything, oops...

yeah, so clues are below, enjoy;)

Ingredients for banana cake:

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

How:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare two 6 inch round pans – with sides at least 2 inches tall, set aside. Mash ripe bananas in a mixing bowl with a potato masher or fork and set aside. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the sugar, and mix until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add in the vanilla and eggs – one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl when needed. With the mixer on low, add in half of the dry ingredients. Mix in the yogurt or sour cream.

Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until golden – about 25-27 minutes for the recommended size. Or until the cake tester come out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Invert the cakes out of the pans once they are cool enough to handle. Cool completely before slicing each cake in half horizontally to create four layers of cake.

Ingredients for Nutella Buttercream:

2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Nutella

How:

Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Whisk until combined.

Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place over medium heat. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan to cream a double-boiler. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the egg mixture is hot to the touch – about 140 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once hot, remove from heat and place bowl on mixer.

Whisk on high until the bowl of the mixer becomes room temperature. Swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle. With the mixer on medium-low, add in the vanilla, butter, and Nutella.
Once added, mix on medium-high until smooth.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze:

2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
pinch salt

How:

Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and set aside. Gently heat the cream and corn syrup until the cream begins to steam and barely come to a simmer.

Pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in pinch salt, if desired.

Place chocolate glaze in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes before dripping over the finished cake.

Assembly:

Let the cakes completely cool before trimming off the tops to make them level.
Add a layer of buttercream on top of the cake. Place the second layer of cake on top of the buttercream, ice the whole cake with the remaining buttercream.
Shave some dark chocolate on top, if desired.

slightly adapted from the cake blog