Banana and Chocolate Cake Recipe with Maple Cream

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Banana and chocolate cake with maple cream and crispy bacon

Name: Banana and chocolate cake with maple cream and crispy bacon
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: serves 10
Ingredients: smoked streaky bacon 200g; unsalted butter 125g, softened, plus extra for the tin; caster sugar 300g; eggs 2 medium; buttermilk 330ml; vegetable oil 2 tbsp; bananas 300g ripe, chopped; plain flour 350g; baking powder 1 tbsp; bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp; dark chocolate chips 150g; caster sugar 100g; bananas 200g ripe, chopped into small pieces; double cream 300ml; whole milk 100ml; cornflour 10g; dark rum a splash; maple syrup 2 tbsp

1 hour 30 minutes + cooling + chilling
serves 10
A little effort

Chef Chris Gillard of London restaurant EartH Kitchen has created an impressive banana cake that with the addition of maple cream transforms it into a delicious dessert

May 11, 2019 at 5:30 pm

Check out our restaurant review of EarH kitchen here.

Ingredients

smoked streaky bacon 200g

BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

unsalted butter 125g, softened, plus extra for the tin
caster sugar 300g
eggs 2 medium
buttermilk 330ml
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
bananas 300g ripe, chopped
plain flour 350g
baking powder 1 tbsp
bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
dark chocolate chips 150g

MAPLE CREAM

caster sugar 100g
bananas 200g ripe, chopped into small pieces
double cream 300ml
whole milk 100ml
cornflour 10g
dark rum a splash
maple syrup 2 tbsp

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and butter and line a deep 23cm springform cake tin. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Slowly whisk in the buttermilk and oil until doubled in volume. Fold through the bananas, followed by the remaining cake ingredients. Pour into the tin and bake for 55 minutes-1 hour or until well risen and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
Step 2

Put the bacon rashers on a baking-paper- lined tray and top with another piece of baking paper, followed by another tray. Cook the bacon in the same oven for 15-20 minutes or until really golden and crisp.
Step 3

To make the maple cream, put the sugar and 4 tbsp water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Boil until the sugar melts and turns into a light-coloured caramel. Carefully add the bananas (this will also stop the caramel from overcooking). Bubble for a minute as the bananas melt, then add 100ml of the cream, stir and bring to a simmer.
Step 4

In a small pan, bring the milk to a simmer then pour into a bowl and whisk with the cornflour. Pour back into the pan and cook gently, stirring, for 5 minutes until beginning to thicken, then add to the banana mixture and continue to cook until it thickens to a custard-like texture that is thickly coating the back of a spoon. Cool, then chill.
Step 5

Whip the remaining double cream to soft peaks with the rum and maple syrup, then fold into the banana mixture.
Step 6

Serve wedges of the cake with large spoonfuls of the cream and a bacon rasher or two on top.