This one’s perfect for those chocoholics – and we’ve even thrown in one of your five a day plus some liqueur for fun. Combined with the fluffiness and juiciness of the bananas, this chocolate cake has something for everyone. For best results, prepare the sponge cake and the cocoa cream the day before. You can even spice up the jam with orange or cocoa cream. (Modified recipe from the newspaper “Cook step by step”.)
Chocolate Cake with Bananas
Ingredients
For the sponge cake:
- 30g sugar-free dark cocoa powder
- 140g plain flour
- 1 level tbsp of baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 130g of sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
For the soaking mixture:
About 80ml of banana liqueur (you can replace this with sweetened coffee, tea or sweetened water with a few drops of vanilla extract added)
For the banana filling:
- 500g double cream or extra thick double cream
- 40g sugar-free dark cocoa powder
- 60g sugar
- 4 tsp gelatine
- 5 bananas
- 1/2 lemon
For the topping:
- 250g double cream or extra thick double cream
- 150g 70% dark chocolate broken into squares(if you use 60% chocolate, add an extra 50g)
- 50g unsalted butter
For decoration:
- About 100g currant jam (I used raspberry)
- 1 sliced banana or banana chips
- Whipped cream for decoration (approx. 120g)
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
- Create the filling
Pour the double cream (500g) into a saucepan. Add 40g cocoa and 60g sugar, then bring to the boil. Take it off the hob and cover the top with food wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool and then refrigerate overnight.
- Create the sponge cake
Sieve the cocoa powder and flour together, then mix with baking powder.
Beat the eggs together with the sugar until they form a light cream. Add the flour in two batches and mix gently with a spoon. Finally, add the oil and stir with a spoon.
Spread the cake mixture in a 25cm lined cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Take the sponge cake out of the tin and level the top with the knife, cutting off any uneven edges. Place it back in the cake tin and then soak with the liquor. Next, coat the top of the cake with jam.
- Complete the filling by creating the banana paste
Put the gelatine in a saucepan, pour 8-9 tbsp of cold water and leave it to swell for 10 minutes. Then add another tbsp of water and heat it through, stirring until the gelatine dissolves. Remove from the hob and set aside to cool. The gelatine should be lukewarm.
Peel the bananas, then lightly sprinkle them with lemon juice and layer them over the cake in a circle. Take the cocoa cream out of the fridge and whip with a mixer to create a semi-stiff consistency. Add two tbsp of cream to the gelatine and stir. Then add the gelatine to the remaining cocoa cream and mix well with a spoon. Add the cream on top of the banana layers.
- Create the topping
Pour the cream, broken chocolate and butter into a saucepan. Heat up, stirring until the ingredients are well mixed, taking care not to boil. Set aside to cool for about 10 – 15 minutes, then, while the mixture is still warm, pour it on top of the cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until the topping is hard, preferably overnight.
Carefully take the cake out of the pan. Separate it from the edges with a hot knife (you can soak it in hot water first). Decorate the top with whipped cream rosettes and banana slices sprinkled with lemon juice. Add a dusting of cocoa powder if desired.
Enjoy!
