Double Chocolate Banana Cake

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     DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA                                  CAKE





An exotic combination of banana and chocolate in this double chocolate banana cake recipe. The sweet mellow banana flavour and rich cocoa powder are match made heaven. Add a little crunch from the hazelnuts and topped with melted chocolate chips an absolute must try indulgence. 





Tips to make Double Chocolate Banana Cake. 

- Chocolate is one of the main ingredients here, so make sure you use quality cocoa powder and chocolate as this is basically how the cake will taste. 

- This recipe requires ripe bananas. Ripe bananas will bring the real taste in the cake. Banana must be brown, very ripe and easy to mush.

- Most of the recipes call for oil as opposed to butter but I find the flavour was lacked in interest and dept so for this recipe I added butter, it's adds richness and helps the cake feel moist and luscious in your mouth. Use real butter not substitute.

- I like to use brown sugar in this recipe. It combines well with flavours from the banana and the cake stays soft and moist with fudge - like consistancy. 

- Coffee intensifies the rich chocolate flavour. If you prefer your banana cake without coffee, simply omit the coffee.

- Be sure not to over mix the better after adding the dry ingredient. Over mixing the better will make your cake dense and chewy.

- Chopped hazelnuts in this recipe are optinal. I like the added crunch. You could also use chopped walnuts or pecans as well. However, this recipe is very versatile, feel free to customize with your favorite stir-ins such as white chips, dried fruits, or chopped Oreos. If you prefer a smooth texture to banana cake, free to omit them from the recipe entirely. 





- As per recipe, scatter a little extra chocolate chips on top before baking in the oven makes the presentation much nicer.

- Avoid overbaking the cake. The cake is perfectly baked when moist crumbs are attached to a toothpick. It will have a nice cracked top and be super tender inside. Watch the cake closely after 30 minutes of baking, to make sure not to over bake it. I like to check on it at the 30 minutes mark and if it still need more baking, check on it every 5 to 7 minutes until done. In chocolate banana cake it will be hard to tell if the cake is overbaking. To be safe, simply tent the loaf ( lay on top lightly, no need to crimp the edges)  with a sheet of foil 3/4 of the way through the baking time. This will allow the inside to continue to bake through without creating unpleasantly hard outside.






Let's get baking!


INGREDIENTS

- 125g all purpose flour

- 60g unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 100g brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 113g salted butter ( if using unsalted butter add 1/2tsp salt)

- 4 to 5 ripe bananas (300g mash banana)

- 2 oz hazelnuts ( toasted and chopped)

- 2 tsp instant coffee powder - dissolve in 2 tsp hot water

- 4 oz dark/semi-sweet/ bitter-sweet chocolate chips or chunks 

- 1 tsp vanilla essence

- 1/4 cup milk 


Garnishing

-  Chocolate chips 


METHOD





- Pre heat oven to 170c fan. Grease and line loaf pan with parchment paper.

- In a bowl mash the ripe bananas with folk.

- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Set aside

- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer cream butter and sugar until creamy.

- Add eggs, one at a time incorporating each egg before adding the next then beat in the vanilla essence, mash bananas and coffee mixture until combine.

- Using a wooden spoon, finally add combined flour, milk, chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips in two batches. Do not over mix the batter.

- Pour the better into prepared loaf pan and spread it even. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top, if desired.

- Bake on preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in comes out clean. ( Depending on your oven the loaf might take more or less time to bake, so keep an eye on yours).

- Let's the loaf cake cool for 10minutes in the pan then carefully invert the loaf tin and transfer the cake to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!





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