sunday sweets: banana cake with cinnamon brown sugar filling and salted chocolate frosting

Oh, daylight savings time, I don’t know how to feel about you.

Will bday cake 10

On one hand, I love the extra sunlight that comes when we “spring forward” for daylight savings, on the other hand, I struggle to know what time it is for about a week.  I don’t trust my clocks and I question the time on all electronic devices.  It is like having jet lag for an entire week.

It also means that we have one less hour today to eat this cake, and that is a real tragedy because this cake is delicious.

Will bday cake 2

I made this cake for Will’s birthday and we have been snacking on it ever since.  As someone who does not like bananas I was a little wary of making a banana cake but this cake has the perfect amount of banana flavor, not too strong but definitely enough to know there were bananas harmed in the making.

Will bday cake 8

The cinnamon brown sugar frosting between each layer of cake complements the banana flavor while also standing out in it’s wonderful sweetness.  If that wasn’t enough, the chocolate with a hint of salt takes the cake to the next level and makes it much richer.  With each bite, the combination of flavors melts in your mouth.

Will bday cake 5 Also, it is a miniature cake!  How cute is that?!  It is the perfect size for the two of us.

Will bday cake 11Fill up a big glass of milk and enjoy every last morsel.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling and Salted Chocolate Frosting

Banana Cake Ingredients
1 1/3 cups flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 ¼ cups)
¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ cup butter, melted
1/3 cup milk

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of milk, if needed

Salted Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
¼ cup plus 1½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup plus 1½ teaspoons warm water
¾ cup butter, softened (1½ sticks)
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz semisweet chocolate (you can switch out some of the semisweet for bittersweet for an even richer frosting)
½ cup powdered sugar

*This recipe makes a mini cake. For a regular cake, you can probably double the recipe and bake the batter in 8-inch round pans.

To make the banana cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add sour cream (or greek yogurt, whichever you are using) and melted butter and mix again. Stir in dry ingredients then add mashed bananas and milk. Mix until the dry ingredients are completely moist and the batter comes together. The batter will be slightly thick.

Pour the batter onto your prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

Once completely cool, wrap the pan in plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is completely touching all exposed surfaces of the cake. Freeze for a few hours, or until firm. Once firm, remove the tray from the freezer and use an empty 28 ounce can or a cereal bowl to cut circles out of the sheet cake. I used a cereal bowl and pressed down in the cake until there was a clear line where the bowl had been. I then used a sharp knife to cut around that outline. Remove the circles and layer with frostings.

To make the cinnamon brown sugar frosting:
Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer and add brown sugar and vanilla. Beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed. If the frosting is too thick, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it is too thin, gradually add additional powdered sugar until it thickens.

To make the salted chocolate frosting:
Whisk together cocoa and warm water in a small bowl until cocoa dissolves and forms a thick paste.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, powdered sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually beat in melted chocolate and then cocoa mixture until all ingredients are well combined. Like in the cinnamon brown sugar frosting, if this is too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar until you reach a spreadable consistency.

To assemble:
Layer the cake circles with cinnamon brown sugar frosting, adding chocolate frosting on some layers as well. Cover the entire cake with chocolate frosting.

 

 

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