In honor of mother's day I thought I would post about the cake I made for the gentleman caller's mom's birthday two weeks ago.
I love making birthday cakes. They are my favorite thing to bake, hands down. I pride myself on researching and experimenting to find the right cake for each person. In fact, I thought about and planned TGC's last birthday cake for about 6 months! I have a process when it comes to birthday cakes, I ask for the person of honor's favorite flavors and least favorite flavors. Then I spend a few days, weeks or months mulling over the cake until I have come up with perfect combination. Here are just a few of the birthday cakes I have made this year...
TGC's mom had no requests, except to avoid chocolate, which is easy for me as I previously stated I am not a lover of chocolate baked goods. I wanted a lighter tasting cake, with some fruit flavors... I was originally set on adapting my favorite base cake to do a white cake with a sweetened cream frosting filled with raspberries and raspberry jam... but well I'd done that before and I needed something new... So I opened up one of my baking bibles...
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| The cover screams deliciousness! |
And found the recipe for Banana Layer Cake with Caramel Cream and Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans. I will be honest, I made the cake as the recipe states... with no regrets. It is a perfect spring recipe. The layer cake is a basic yellow cake with great banana flavor, the banana caramel cream is a light frosting that adds complexity when combined with the lime juice and rum that is drizzled over the layers. The combination is quite tropical and will transport you to a warm day on the beach or a beautiful spring day on the patio at home.
Enough talking about cake, let's make the cake already!
(Full recipe & directions follow the step-by-step photos)
First things first, prep the pans - take a deep breath it's the weekend!
Measuring ingredients makes me happy, after a hectic week measuring ingredients so simple...
Like chopping and dicing. I went to one of those in home cookware parties a while ago where the saleswoman demonstrated a chopping device. When it came time to purchase she was trying to pitch the device to me and I said, "No thanks, I'm working on my knife skills." She looked at me like I was crazy, is it really that bizarre to want to improve your knife skills? I think that's a pretty nice dice, if I don't say so myself!
Notice our fantastic "beer bottle back-splash" below, TGC's influence in the kitchen.
Notice our fantastic "beer bottle back-splash" below, TGC's influence in the kitchen.
Mise en place, a fantastic thing...
Sifting, another soothing part of baking... I love how the white dry ingredients look in the red bowl.
Enough prep, let's make a cake!
Time to break out the KitchenAid stand sixer,
my favorite kitchen appliance.
In goes the butter.
And the sugar,
I know you know what is coming...
Beautifully creamed butter and sugar, fluffy and light yellow.
With two eggs... the mixture looks a bit curdled, but with patience it will come together.
Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, ending with the last of the dry ingredients.
What to do with the last of the eggs and sugar? Beat them until thick and pale yellow in color.
It takes a few minutes but when they are done they will have doubled in size.
Fold in the egg mixture into the batter prepared in the stand mixer, when that mixture is homogeneous add the beautifully diced bananas and fold some more.
Then pour the light batter into your prepared pans, bake then cool.
Step 1 Complete, now on the the Banana Caramel Cream!
Mise en place, once again.
I am a bit distractable, so having all the ingredients pre-measured saves me almost every time I bake.
Here comes my second favorite kitchen appliance, Cuisinart food processor... (Thank you TGC!)
Combine the brown sugar, butter, and bananas and blend until smooth.
Add 1½ cups of the heavy cream and blend until combined.
Then transfer your caramel mixture into a medium saucepan.
Heat the caramel over medium heat, whisking your caramel until it boils.
Once it hits the target temp transfer to a heat-proof bowl to cool.
I did a bit of stirring to help quicken the cooling process...
Refrigerate your banana caramel cream until it is firm enough to spread, about 3 hours.
Step 2 Complete, just one more thing to make and we can assembly this beauty!
Sea salt-roasted pecans you're up!
I totally went through the entire bag of pecans to find the best pecan halves, since they were going to the be the garnish for the cake. You do not have to be so particular :)
Transfer to a baking sheet and roast in the oven until deep brown and fragrant.
They will make your house smell great!
And as an added bonus there will be extras to toss into your salad with dinner.
Stirring occasionally... It will take about 15 minutes.
Now that the components are finished... we must assemble the cake!
Slice both of your cooled cakes in half, so you have four layers....
You'll also need some fresh squeezed lime juice and some dark rum.
Drizzle the cut side with 1½ teaspoons of lime juice and dark rum.
Top with a heaping cup of the Banana Caramel.
Top with the sea salt-roasted pecans and place next beautiful spring flowers.
Then take a picture to commemorate your beautiful cake & dig in!
Mise en place, once again.
I am a bit distractable, so having all the ingredients pre-measured saves me almost every time I bake.
Combine the brown sugar, butter, and bananas and blend until smooth.
Add 1½ cups of the heavy cream and blend until combined.
Then transfer your caramel mixture into a medium saucepan.
Heat the caramel over medium heat, whisking your caramel until it boils.
Now the hardest part, boil the caramel with out stirring or swirling until it reaches 218°F.
You'll want to stir it, I did. When standing at the stove cooking I have a strong compulsion to whisk.
I have a this handy thermometer that beeps when it reaches the target temp.
I have a this handy thermometer that beeps when it reaches the target temp.
I had to walk away!
Once it hits the target temp transfer to a heat-proof bowl to cool.
I did a bit of stirring to help quicken the cooling process...
Once your caramel has cooled add the remaining cream into your stand mixer and whisk away.
Gradually add your cooled (room temp) caramel to the cream and fold gently... The caramel has a slight banana flavor that is delicious. I am tempted to make it again just to keep around for ice cream sundaes. I dare you not to eat the leftover streaks of caramel in your bowl!
Refrigerate your banana caramel cream until it is firm enough to spread, about 3 hours.
Step 2 Complete, just one more thing to make and we can assembly this beauty!
Sea salt-roasted pecans you're up!
I totally went through the entire bag of pecans to find the best pecan halves, since they were going to the be the garnish for the cake. You do not have to be so particular :)
Pour the butter over the nuts, and toss to coat.
They will make your house smell great!
And as an added bonus there will be extras to toss into your salad with dinner.
Stirring occasionally... It will take about 15 minutes.
Now that the components are finished... we must assemble the cake!
Slice both of your cooled cakes in half, so you have four layers....
You'll also need some fresh squeezed lime juice and some dark rum.
Place one layer on your cake stand, cut side up...
Drizzle the cut side with 1½ teaspoons of lime juice and dark rum.
Top with a heaping cup of the Banana Caramel.
Repeat with each of the layers....
Top with the sea salt-roasted pecans and place next beautiful spring flowers.
Then take a picture to commemorate your beautiful cake & dig in!
Banana Layer Cake with Caramel Cream
and Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans
Recipe from Bon Appétit Desserts, by Barbara Fairchild
Recommendations: If you want to enjoy this cake the day it is made, you may want to start by making the banana-caramel cream, as it takes 3 hours to set. I also roasted my pecans at 350° for approximately 20 minutes while the cake was baking, stirring once after 10 minutes. The cake is delicious the day it is made, I did find that the leftover cake did tend to slide, instead of staying layered. I broke off some bamboo skewers and used them to keep the leftovers in place. Also do not under-estimate the importance of sea salt in this recipe. The tang of the sea-salt adds interest and complexity in this recipe. Additionally, don't skimp on the lime and rum, they really bring the cake together, I used at least 2 teaspoons of each per layer instead of the 1½ suggested.
Recommendations: If you want to enjoy this cake the day it is made, you may want to start by making the banana-caramel cream, as it takes 3 hours to set. I also roasted my pecans at 350° for approximately 20 minutes while the cake was baking, stirring once after 10 minutes. The cake is delicious the day it is made, I did find that the leftover cake did tend to slide, instead of staying layered. I broke off some bamboo skewers and used them to keep the leftovers in place. Also do not under-estimate the importance of sea salt in this recipe. The tang of the sea-salt adds interest and complexity in this recipe. Additionally, don't skimp on the lime and rum, they really bring the cake together, I used at least 2 teaspoons of each per layer instead of the 1½ suggested.
For the Cake For the Banana-Caramel Cream
2½ C unbleached all purpose flour 1½ C (packed) brown sugar
1 T baking powder 1 small ripe banana, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ t (generous) fine sea salt 3 T unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ C sugar, divided 3¾ C chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
¾ C unsalted butter, room temperature 4½ t fresh lime juice, divided
6 large eggs 4½ t dark rum, divided
1 C plus 2 T buttermilk
2 small ripe bananas, peeled cut into For the Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans
¼-inch cubes (about 1½ C) 2 C pecan halves
3 T unsalted butter, melted
1¼ t fine sea salt
Banana Layer Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and sea salt into a medium bowl. Beat 1 cup sugar and butter using a stand mixer until well blended. Add 2 eggs; beat until blended. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture in 4 additions, alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions. Set this mixture aside. Beat remaining 4 eggs and remaining 1½ cups sugar in a medium bowl until mixture is thick and pale in color, about 4 minutes. Fold egg mixture into batter prepared in the stand mixer using a rubber spatula. Fold in bananas. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes on racks for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.
Banana-Caramel Cream
Combine sugar, banana, and butter in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Add 1½ cups cream; process until blended. Transfer mixture to a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook without stirring or swirling the pan until the thermometer reaches 218°F, about 10 minutes. Pour caramel into a medium bowl. Cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
After the banana-caramel has cooled to room temperature whisk remaining 2¼ cups cream in your stand mixer using the whisk attachment. Starting the mixer on low until the mixture becomes frothy, then increasing the speed up to medium, then medium-high until the mixture reaches stiff peaks (the recipe calls for soft mounds here, I wanted my cream a bit stiffer). Remove bowl from stand mixer and gradually fold in cooled caramel mixture. Chill until caramel cream is firm enough to spread, about 3 hours.
Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss pecans and melted butter in a medium bowl to coat. Add sea salt and toss. Spread pecans in single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake pecans until fragrant and slightly darkened color, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool pecans on sheet.
1 T baking powder 1 small ripe banana, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ t (generous) fine sea salt 3 T unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ C sugar, divided 3¾ C chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
¾ C unsalted butter, room temperature 4½ t fresh lime juice, divided
6 large eggs 4½ t dark rum, divided
1 C plus 2 T buttermilk
2 small ripe bananas, peeled cut into For the Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans
¼-inch cubes (about 1½ C) 2 C pecan halves
3 T unsalted butter, melted
1¼ t fine sea salt
Banana Layer Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and sea salt into a medium bowl. Beat 1 cup sugar and butter using a stand mixer until well blended. Add 2 eggs; beat until blended. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture in 4 additions, alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions. Set this mixture aside. Beat remaining 4 eggs and remaining 1½ cups sugar in a medium bowl until mixture is thick and pale in color, about 4 minutes. Fold egg mixture into batter prepared in the stand mixer using a rubber spatula. Fold in bananas. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes on racks for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.
Banana-Caramel Cream
Combine sugar, banana, and butter in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Add 1½ cups cream; process until blended. Transfer mixture to a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook without stirring or swirling the pan until the thermometer reaches 218°F, about 10 minutes. Pour caramel into a medium bowl. Cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
After the banana-caramel has cooled to room temperature whisk remaining 2¼ cups cream in your stand mixer using the whisk attachment. Starting the mixer on low until the mixture becomes frothy, then increasing the speed up to medium, then medium-high until the mixture reaches stiff peaks (the recipe calls for soft mounds here, I wanted my cream a bit stiffer). Remove bowl from stand mixer and gradually fold in cooled caramel mixture. Chill until caramel cream is firm enough to spread, about 3 hours.
Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss pecans and melted butter in a medium bowl to coat. Add sea salt and toss. Spread pecans in single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake pecans until fragrant and slightly darkened color, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool pecans on sheet.
Cake Assembly
Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up on platter or cake stand. Drizzle 1½ teaspoons of both lime juice and rum onto the cake. Spread 1¼ cups caramel cream over the top, so that the cream is about ¼ to ⅛ of inch away from the edge. Top with second layer. Drizzle 1½ teaspoons of both lime juice and rum onto the cake. Spread 1½ cups caramel cream over the layer. Repeat with third cake layer, lime juice, rum and caramel cream. Top with the fourth layer, cut side down; spread with remaining caramel cream. Scatter sea salt-roasted pecans over the top of the cake.
Share this deliciousness with others and Enjoy!
Share this deliciousness with others and Enjoy!
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