Inspiration for recipes come from all kinds of places. This one came as I was strolling through Coles and stumbled across Chocolate Banana Tim Tams. I was sold! I was thinking of all sorts of chocolate and banana cupcake ideas until Mum asked me to whip up a cake for my Aunty's 60th birthday. My Aunty had come over from France to visit so it had to be a memorable cake. My Aunty is all about coffee so I decided to incorporate it into the cake and encase the cake in coffee buttercream. I love how this cake turned. Moist on the inside and the perfect balance between the chocolate, banana and coffee flavours. The crushed Tim Tams added a crunch creating more texture combinations with every bite. So if you want to know how to make this cake, keep reading!
How To: Chocolate Banoffee Cake
Makes a 3 tier 20cm round cake or 12 standard servings Takes approx. 4-5 hours including cooling time
What you'll need:
Sponge Component:
- 700g riped bananas (roughly mashed) - about 6 small sized bananas
- 80g or 1/2 cup cocoa
- 130g or 1/2 heaped cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 100g softened butter (room temperature)
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 200g self raising flour
- 160g all purpose flour
- 50mL milk
- 4 roughly crushed Chocolate and Banana Tim Tams biscuits
Coffee Buttercream:
- 1kg of softened butter (room temperature)
- 450g icing sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 5 tsp. instant coffee mixed with 1 Tbs. water
Chocolate Ganache:
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate buttons
- 1/4 full thickened cream
Decorations: *Optional
- 5 Chocolate and Banana Tim Tam Biscuits roughly chopped into different sizes
How To:
Sponge Component:
1. Pre-heat oven to fan forced 160 degrees Celcius or 320 degrees Farenheit
2. Line 3 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper or lightly spray to prevent cake sponge from sticking to edges
3. Evenly sprinkle crushed Tim Tams into 2 cake tins leaving one tin bare (that will be out top layer of the cake)
4. Beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes)
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined
6. Combine self-raising flour, baking powder, cocoa and all purpose flour together then add half the contents to bowl
7. Combine mashed bananas, milk and vanilla extract together then add half of the contents to mixing bowl and beat until well combined
8. Add the reaming halves of the dry and wet ingredients and beat for a further 3-4 minutes until well incorporated
8. Pop cake tins into the oven for approximately 30 - 35 minutes. Swap the cake half way through to ensure all layers are cooked evenly. Once time is out, check with a skewer ensuring it comes out clean then pop aside until completely cool
Note: If you wanted to save time, pop cakes into the freezer for an hour before doing anything further. It will help to level the cake later on as well!
Coffee Buttercream:
1. Beat softened butter until it turns into an off-white colour from the bright yellow tinge (Takes at least 5 minutes on high)
2. Add vanilla extract then beat until well combined
3. Add icing sugar and beat until well combined (at least 3 minutes on high)
4. Add coffee mixture to mixture and beat on high until well combined (at least 3 minutes on high) then set aside until needed
Note: If you like a thicker buttercream, simply add a Tbs. of icing sugar each time until desired texture.
For a thinner buttercream, add a Tbs. of milk to the buttercream
Chocolate Ganache:
About 15 minutes before assembling your cake, make the chocolate ganache either over a double boiler or in a microwave.
I used the microwave method and here's how I did it
1. Place chocolate buttons (or crushed dark chocolate) with cream in a microwave safe bowl
2. Microwave chocolate/ cream mixture for 45 seconds
3. Take mixture out and stir as much as you can. If the mixture is still not smooth and silky, place in microwave for 20 second intervals until ganache is silky smooth with no lumps.
4. Set aside until needed - Ganache will thicken as it cools to room temperatureIt's time to assemble!
1. Take cake sponges and level off each layer until all are as close to one another as possible. Pop the leftover cake to nibble on with your coffee - don't chuck it out OR make some cake pops
2. Spread an even layer of buttercream onto base layer of cake then place second layer directly on top then repeat process until you get to the top layer
3. Apply a thin crumb coat layer around the whole cake then place cake in freezer or fridge for 10 minutes
Note: to avoid dirtying your cake board/ plate, place strips of baking paper around the bottom edges of the cake to prevent from spills
4. Generously apply another layer of buttercream around the whole cake until smooth
Note: Don't be afraid to pop the cake back into the freezer for 10 minutes at any time. It'll help you smooth out any imperfections you want to fix
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| Crumb Coat |
6. Decorate the outside of your cake as desired - I chose to place a ring of crushed Tim Tams on the baking paper ring around the bottom of the cake and used the baking paper to firmly press the crumbs to line the cake. Remove baking paper ring once done
I also sprinkled some across the top of the cake with larger chopped pieces
I also added dried banana chips and meringue (things I had lying around in my pantry) to the top to add some colour and dimension
Voila! Cake is ready to go!
My Aunty and family enjoyed this cake throughly. I received really positive reviews in terms of visual and taste aspects which I'm extremely pleased about. Even Richard who is not a fan of sweets said I did a decent job! It can be quite a rich cake so play around with sugar levels and decorative pieces to counter that. If you do give this cake a go or even make a cupcake version do make sure to leave a comment down below. Until then,
Nibble Away,
Jo
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