Banana Cake with Ganache

Banana Cake with Ganache

banana cake

• • 1 box white cake mix

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 4 eggs

  • 2/3 cup sour cream

  • 2/3 cup buttermilk

  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

vanilla buttercream

• • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 4 cups powdered sugar

  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla or vanilla bean paste

  • 2-4 tablespoons cream or milk

dark chocolate ganache

• • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

  • 5 ounces heavy whipping cream

  • toffee bits

Baker's Note: For an even more luxurious cake, fill each layer of cake with custard or pudding (cooked and chilled a day in advance), before frosting the cake with the buttercream.

Banana Custard Recipe

Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Cake.

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease the bottoms of three 8-inch pans with non-stick spray.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, bananas, butter and vanilla, and beat for several minutes until smooth.

Divide the batter between the pans and bake until a toothpick in the centers comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, covered loosely with clean kitchen towels.

Buttercream.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for several minutes until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, mixing until combined. Add the extract, and increase to medium high, whipping for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add a little cream or milk as needed to achieve the best consistency. Frost the cake with the buttercream and chill for about a half hour before making the ganache.

Ganache.

Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. In a small saucepan, gently warm the cream over medium low heat, just until it begins to steam and bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat, pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes; stir with a spatula until smooth and shiny.

Immediately pour the ganache over the chilled cake, letting it run down the sides. If you like, reserve and chill a little of the ganache, to roll into truffles for garnishing the cake. Sprinkle the ganache with the toffee bits.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen