Chocolate Banana Cake From Canadian Living Food

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.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix instant coffee with water set aside for later. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together taking care that all the components are well combined and evenly distributed. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter and shortening with paddle attachment on 2nd speed until combined. Add sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, coffee mixture, and salt starting on 1st seed and gradually moving to 2nd speed until light and fluffy (approximately 8 minutes). At 1 1/2 speed add the whole eggs, in small amounts, until smooth and fully incorporated. Add dry ingredients and banana puree in staggering steps to the mixer and blend until well combined.
• Pour into greased sheet pans or 4 (4 by 13-inch round cake pans and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

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.