3rd time bananas!



Chocolate Banana Chiffon Cake

3rd consecutive banana post. Are you convinced that I love bananas, by now? =)

It's my 31st birthday yesterday.. Thank you to all my frens who sent their lovely greetings (FB is indeed the social norm!). Thank you to my family. Thank you to my dear husband who took a 5.5 hours coach ride to KL for a dinner and breakfast with me before another 5.5 hrs back to SG! Thank you to my lovely colleagues (and frens) who brought me out for birthday tea yesterday and a birthday lunch today! Thank you to my another dear fren who thought of me and got me a yummy bday cake. It's lovely to feel such love as I am outstationed on my own in a neighbouring country.

OMG. I'm 31! with not much to my name, not a career in food biz and nowhere near my dream of a bakery cafe... Time to reflect on myself.

Ok..That was out of point. So... I had the evening free yesterday and 2 bananas with many many freckles. I decided to bake myself a birthday cake! A dark chocolate chiffon (which I under-baked slightly, not intentionally of cos), with fat slices of sweet sweet banana, and coated with a med-sweet chocolate ganache.

Dark Chiffon Cake:

Adapted from here

(A)

150g chopped 70% cocoa chocolate (trusty Cadbury Old Gold or Carrefour housebrand)

90ml water
100ml corn oil

25g cocoa powder

65g cake flour
1/2 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

6 egg yolks

30g sugar

(B)

7 egg whites
70g sugar

Pinch of salt

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 175C.

1. Melt chocolate - bain marie way, remove from heat. Add in cornoil and water slowly, stirring all the time till smooth.

2. Beat egg yolks with 30g sugar until thick and pale (ribbon stage)

3. Whisk flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together. Mix into the chocolate mixture. Fold the beaten yolks slowly into the mixture, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

4. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites till frothy, add sugar gradually, then pinch of salt and beat till stiff peaks. (Test - Egg white will stay in mixing bowl when overturned)

5. Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture over 3 parts. Do not deflate the mixture.

6. Pour into cake pan and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. If top turns too brown, cover lightly with a layer of foil.

7. Invert cake and cool completely. Prepare the ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:

150ml thickened cream

150g finely chopped chocolate

(the % of cocoa depends on the level of sweetness desired. Since the chiffon base is 70% cocoa, I would use around 50% cocoa for the ganache to balance against the slight bitterness of the cake base)

Heat the cream in a thick pot until it just boiled. Do not let it curdle nor boil for long.

Remove from heat, pour over chopped chocolate and stir to mix thoroughly.

Let it cool to room temperature before using.

Assembly:

Unmould the cake, slice into 2 horizontal layers.
Cover the bottom layer with the banana slices.
Generously slab chocolate ganache over the banana slices.
Cover with top layer of cake.
Coat with cooled chocolate ganache.

Chill in fridge until the ganache has set. Before serving, leave the cake out to cool to room temperature for the cake to soften a little, before serving.

Enjoy!