Banana Caramel Cake

To quote Paul Hollywood, “The banana’s not strong enough!”

Not enough desserts out there really have that strong banana flavor that I sometimes crave so I decided to just make one myself. Fluffier in texture and complemented with caramel, this is a spin on your everyday banana bread. This cake is also chock-full of macadamia nuts and walnuts to balance the sweetness and to add that extra bit of crunch.

Preheat the oven to 330° F.

Prepare an 8 x 8 inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. The parchment paper should come up higher than the sides of the baking pan to help guide the cake as it is rising.

• 4 Ripe Bananas (Generally, the longer you wait the better. Don’t be afraid of the skin turning very brown.)

  • Mash the bananas in a sauce pan on medium heat for 15 minutes in order to concentrate the flavor.

  • Transfer to a mixing bowl.

• 1 Cup Sugar (Turned into Caramel)

  • Mix sugar with 1/2 Cup Water in a sauce pan.

  • Simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved and turns a deep golden brown.

  • Remove the pan from the heat and mix in 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream and 2 Tbsp Butter.

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Equivalent to 8 Tbsp)

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 2 Cup Cake Flour

• 2 tsp Baking Powder

• 6 Eggs

  • Separate the yolks and the egg whites.

  • Whip the egg whites into soft peaks while slowly incorporated 4 Tbsp of Sugar for added stability to make a meringue.

Whisk together the banana mash, caramel, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, salt, cake flour, and baking powder together until thoroughly combined.

Then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time making sure that each is incorporated before adding the next. Then gently fold in the meringue until the batter is fluffy and smooth. Be careful not to knock too much of the air out of the meringue.

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Dust the chopped nuts in a little bit of flour to help with suspension. That way the nuts don’t end up all at the bottom of the cake. Gently fold the nuts into the batter. If desired, reserve some nuts to sprinkle on top of the cake.

Pour the batter into the baking pan, place the baking pan on the center rack of the oven, and bake for 65 - 75 minutes. Afterward, turn off the heat and leave the cake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Then take out the baking pan and place on a wire rack to let it cool completely before removing the cake.