Recently, I was catching up on The Great British Baking Show (LOVE this show!). One of the bakers had made a peanut butter banana cake that was criticized because of an imbalance in the flavors. My response: Challenge accepted! And conquered! This cake has a perfect balance between the banana and peanut butter, with neither flavor dominating. But I still had to decide on the frosting. I had initially intended to make this a two-layer cake, but no matter what frosting I used (peanut butter, chocolate), the frosting flavor dominated and threw off the balance between the peanut butter and the banana. Vanilla frosting was boring and added nothing but sugar. I finally decided to go with a simple chocolate ganache- who doesn’t love chocolate covered bananas or peanut butter and chocolate? And I am so glad I did! The light layer of chocolate ganache added the perfect finishing touch. I hope you enjoy it as much as everyone else who has had some.
THE INSIDE SCOOP
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of flour is 120 grams. By volume, this measure will typically be less than 1 cup. When baking, it is always best to use a food scale to measure dry ingredients, especially flour. However, if you don’t have a food scale, sift the flour three times, then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and use the flat edge of a knife to level it off. This should result in a cup of flour that weighs about 120 grams.
I’m Going Bananas!
If possible, use a food scale to measure the bananas. Too much banana will cause the cake to be heavy and dense; too little banana will cause the peanut butter flavor to dominate. After measuring the correct amount of banana, place the bananas on a plate and mash slightly, leaving chunks of visible banana. The majority of a banana’s flavor is in the “wet” part of the banana. If you have ever tried adding banana flour (I found some at Walmart) to a cake, you know that completely dried out banana has no banana flavor. Having small chunks of banana in a cake or bread adds a huge boost to the banana flavor.
I’M EGGCITED ABOUT EGGS!
When baking, eggs usually need to be room temperature. Cold eggs can result in a lumpy batter and heavy texture. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of very warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.
Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs.
BUTTER ME UP: Use the 1/2 teaspoon of butter to butter the pan so that the cake doesn’t stick.
Be sure to level the cake (I gently shake the pan) before baking.
If possible, use a metal cake tester (I use a metal kebab skewer) to test for doneness. Metal cake testers are more accurate than toothpicks. In the picture below, you can see where I inserted my metal skewer to test if the cake was done. You can also see this cake has a beautiful rise!
When it is time for the ganache, pour the heavy whipping cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat the cream in a microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure that the cream is heating evenly. Remove the bowl from the microwave, pour the chocolate chips into the cream, and then leave it alone so that the chips melt evenly. Once all the chips are soft/melted, stir the cream and chocolate together.
Let the ganache set for about a minute so that the ganache cools just enough to stay on top of the cake. The goal is to create a shiny finish to the cake.
After a minute, pour on top of the cake and gently spread it, if necessary, to evenly cover the top of the cake.
Let the cake finish cooling, let the ganache set, and then ENJOY!!!!!
Can you see the chunks of banana in the cake?
A delicious cake with a perfect balance between the banana and the peanut butter, and topped with chocolate ganache. Who doesn't love chocolate covered bananas or peanut butter and chocolate? Use the ½ t. of butter to lightly butter an 8” x 8” pan; set aside. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel bananas and cut them into large chunks. On a plate, fork mash slightly, leaving visible chunks of banana; set aside. In a small/medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and banana extract, if using; set aside. In a medium-size bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add the granulated sugar; cream together. Add the egg; cream together. At slow speed of the stand mixer or by hand, add the flour and buttermilk mixtures and mix until combined. Add the coarsely mashed bananas; on slow speed, mix until the bananas are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 64-65 minutes until a metal cake tester, when inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack; cool. To Make the Ganache: Pour the heavy whipping cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave. Pour the chocolate chips into the hot, heavy whipping cream; let the chips melt. With a mixer on very slow speed or by hand, mix until smooth. Let cool for 1-2 minutes, then pour over the top of the cake. Let the ganache cool until set. ENJOY!!!!!Peanut Butter Banana Cake Topped with Chocolate Ganache
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