Blog themes certainly don’t get developed on an empty stomach. Here is one of the sweet concoctions that kept me company while I struggled with margins and paddings.

Chocolate cake with a banana layer in the center. As if a cup of cocoa isn’t enough, it has chopped chocolate in the batter as well. Just yummy.

Chocolate and Caramelized Banana Cake Recipe

adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1+1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 8 tbsp butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 1+1/4 cup sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 12 x 4 inch loaf pan.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 cup of the sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Let stand until edge of sugar starts to melt and turn golden. Carefully swirl pan and continue cooking until sugar is a golden-brown caramel, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bananas, carefully roll in sugar, and cook, turning bananas occasionally until just soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer bananas into a bowl and mash them.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until softened (2 minutes). Add 3/4 cup of the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the flour mixture in three equal additions and stir with a spatula until combined.
7. Add the buttermilk and stir until combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
8. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Pour the caramelized mashed bananas on top of the batter (make sure to leave half an inch gap all around) and top with the remaining batter.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the pan from the oven, unmold the came and place it on a wire rack. Let cool completely and serve.