banana caramel cake...

guest blog - my mom-in-law - louann...

there is nothing i love more then baking with people. and my mother in law is visiting this week. so we have been cooking and baking up a storm. this is a recipe she picked out of the martha stewart baking book. all of martha's recipes are pretty intense with alot of steps. it is really long and i had to type it out by hand - i hope you appreciate it...

so louann did the whole project - every ridiculously long martha step. except for the caramel sauce - which i burnt twice. *sigh* so much for my candy making skillz.

we had this delicious cake without the sauce. but it was still really good. especially the frosting. drool. the cake had really good flavor and the bananas in the middle were so tasty. we decide if we were to make this again we would throw a layer of frosting in the middle too...



banana caramel cake...

1 1/2 sticks, plus 3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed, plus 3 ripe bananas sliced lengthwise for filling
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups plus 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

mascarpone frosting (recipe follows)
caramel sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9 inch round baking pans, then dust with flour. Set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Set aside.



In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 1 2/3 cups sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, app. 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 parts, beating until combined after each, about 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the banana mixture, being careful not to overmix.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack (in pans still) for about 20 minutes, or until the pans are cool to the touch. Invert pans onto racks and let cake cool completely outside of the pans.



Meanwhile, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of sugar into a large skillet. Cook over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until sugar is caramelized. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 3 tbsp butter until melted. Return pan to heat. Add the sliced bananas, cooking until they start to brown. Gently turn bananas so that both sides are browned.

Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Arrange caramelized banana slices on top. Place remaining layer on top. Using a large spatula, spread Mascarpone Frosting over entire cake, swirling to completely cover. Drizzle Caramel Sauce over the top of the cake. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered for up to 3 days.




mascarpone frosting...

1 lb mascarpone cheese
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment - beat the mascarpone cheese, cream and confectioner's sugar until medium soft peaks form - 1 to 2 minutes. use immediately.



caramel sauce...

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

prepare an ice water bath. cook sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat - until it starts to melt around the edges. shake pan to melt remaining sugar. continue to cook about 3 more minutes until sugar turns to an amber color. (this is where i burnt the caramel - twice - aim for two minutes if you are using an electric stove) remove from heat. stirring constantly - add cream in a slow steady stream. place caramel in a bowl in the ice bath and let stand until cool - stirring frequently.



so on top of doing all the baking louann also took all of the pretty photos. everything turned out lovely even though my house still smells like burnt caramel...