Chocolate and Banana Cake
Now those of you out there that are a bit switched on, may have already noticed that I have posted a chocolate and banana mini loaf cake recipe previously, but I just couldn't resist getting this one to you as it differs quite a bit. I found it on the BBC Good Food recipe site and loved the idea of using sunflower oil as well as the addition of the beaten egg whites. A moist, light chocolate cake containing bananas is very appealing, especially when you have a fruit bowl full of bananas, so I was keen to forge ahead. In truth, I'm not a big chocolate cake fan unless there is also fruit involved. The milk chocolate and sour cream icing is a nice touch, giving it a slightly tart edge to balance the creamy, chocolateyness.
Chocolate and Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 100ml sunflower oil, plus extra to grease
- 175g caster sugar
- 175g self-raising flour
- Half tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100g chocolate chips or chunks
- 175g very ripe bananas
- 3 medium eggs, 2 separated
- 50ml milk
- 100g milk chocolate
- 100ml sour cream
- handful dried banana chips, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
- Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a large loaf tin (2lb/800g) with baking parchment. Allow the parchment to come 2cm above the top of the tin.
- Mix the sugar, flour, bicarb, cocoa and chocolate in a large bowl.
- Mash the bananas in a separate bowl and stir in the whole egg plus 2 yolks, followed by the oil and milk. Quickly stir the wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff and stir a quarter of the egg whites into the mixture to loosen, following with the remaining egg whites, folding gently.
- Gently scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 70-85 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- In the meantime make the icing by melting the chocolate and sour cream together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Chill in the fridge until spreadable.
- Cool the cake in the tin on a wire rack, then remove from the tin and roughly swirl icing over the cake. Scatter with banana chips if you fancy it.
Bilby Boost
- I had no sunflower oil and only discovered this at the last minute - I used mild olive oil instead and it was absolutely fine.
- I don't go much for dried banana chips so I left these off - I couldn't bear the thought of another lot of leftover dried fruit sitting in my cupboard for 2 years.
- Apologies for the single photo, but we got carried away and eat a good deal of it before I realised!
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hr 15 mins