RECIPE
This is no ordinary banana cake…it’s a truly indulgent celebration cake of scrumptious gooey caramel, silky cream cheese, fresh figs and earthy hazelnuts.
If figs aren’t in season, dried will work well too. Hazelnuts were all I had in the cupboard to be honest so use what you like, I found these were a delicious addition of flavour and texture though.
Cake
185g butter, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups caster sugar
3 large overripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml buttermilk
2 ¼ cups self-raising flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Banoffee cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
2 x 250g tubs cream cheese at room temperature
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup icing sugar
Preheat oven to 180°C.Line the base and side of two x 20cm cake tins with baking paper.
Place the butter, sugar, banana, eggs and vanilla in a food processor, and process for two minutes or until well combined. Add the buttermilk and process until combined.
Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda, and process until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly, before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the banoffee cream cheese, start by making the caramel.
In a saucepan over a medium heat bring cream and brown sugar to the boil stirring to dissolve. Lower the heat and boil for 6-8 minutes. Allow to totally cool before adding to cream cheese.
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until well combined, add the icing sugar and beat another 2-3 minutes. Add the cooled caramel (leaving a tablespoon or so behind) and beat until smooth.
Cut the cake into four layers. Quarter the cream cheese mix and spread between each layer – be a bit more generous with the top though! Garnish with fresh figs, hazelnuts and a drizzle of heated caramel sauce just before serving.
No Comments