Banana - Cake by Courtney

Triple Chocolate Banana Cake

Courtney Rich — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 22:09:00 +0000

Triple Chocolate Banana Cake – chocolate, chocolate chip banana cake layers with banana cream filling and chocolate buttercream.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Monday and happy belated Mother’s Day, my friends! I hope you all had an amazing day celebrating moms in some way. We had a quiet day around here, but I loved it. I was able to bake and cook without cleaning up, and I basically ate a full half batch of the orange rolls I made. Doesn’t get much better than that, if you ask me!

Triple Chocolate Banana Cake

Today I’m sharing my new Triple Chocolate Banana Cake recipe. I came up with this one last week during one of my early morning planning sessions. Honestly, my best work and my best thinking is done between 5am to 7am. This is proof!

After doing several fruit-filled cakes and then a coconut cake, I was craving chocolate. As I was thinking about this craving the other day, and how to satisfy it, I instantly thought about chocolate banana bread. My friend, Maria, from Two Peas and Their Pod, makes an incredible chocolate banana bread. I made it a few months ago with the kids and it’s divine. As I drooled over Maria’s bread, I decided it was time to put those flavor in a cake together.

Chocolate Banana Cake Layers

These cake layers are full of flavor and moisture. My goal was to create a cake that tastes like chocolate but isn’t too chocolatey that you don’t taste the bananas. Balance is everything!

In this cake, you’ll be using a half cup of dark cocoa powder (I like this one) and one and a half cups of mashed bananas. I also added a half cup of mini chocolate chips for a little texture.

NOTE: when adding chocolate chips to cake batter, make sure to toss them in a little bit of flour. This helps prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake while the layers bake.

Banana Cream Filling

To balance the chocolate banana cake and chocolate buttercream, I’ve added one of my favorite fillings: my copycat Magnolia Bakery banana cream filling that I use in my Banana Cream Cake. This creamy filling is to-die-for. In fact, I love it so much that I created the recipe to actually give you a little more than you need in the cake. Totally intentional! Save a little for yourself and throw some Nilla Wafers and freshly sliced bananas in it for a yummy treat!

NOTE: If you’re making this cake ahead of time and plan to freeze it, DO NOT add the fresh bananas. They will brown. You can either leave them out completely or add a few sliced bananas with each slice of cake.

Chocolate Buttercream

This chocolate buttercream is a classic in my book. I honestly think you can pretty much pair it with pretty much any cake flavor.

NOTE: if the buttercream is overly soft after you add the ingredients (which includes the melted chocolate), just cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Remember to re-beat it before using.

Video Tutorial

Triple Chocolate Banana Cake

Chocolate, chocolate chip banana cake layers with banana cream filling and chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, Banana Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Banana Cake, chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Intermediate, Triple Chocolate Banana Cake

Servings people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (64 g) light brown sugar packed
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (364 g) mashed bananas about 4 medium-sized
1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (310 g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (75 g) dark cocoa powder
1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
2 tsp (8 g) baking soda
1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
3/4 cup (193 g) buttermilk at room tempetaure
3/4 cup (176 g) sour cream at room temperature
1/2 cup (93 g) mini chocolate chips before adding chocolate chips to cake batter, make sure to toss them in a little bit of flour. This helps prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake while the layers bake.

FOR THE BANANA CREAM FILLING

1.5 oz (42 g) instant banana pudding must be instant, don't use sugar free
7 oz (197 g) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (110 g) milk
1 1/2 cups (322 g) heavy whipping cream
banana slices optional

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
10 oz (283 g) dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup (77 g) heavy whipping cream
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl with each addition, Mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed after all the eggs are added.
Add the mashed bananas and vanilla. Stir until combined.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and sour cream. Whisk to combine.
With the stand mixer on low speed, alternately add the the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Divide the batter between the three 8-inch pans (about 20 ounces in each), and bake for about 30 to 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Cake layers can be made ahead of time and wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer. Allow the cake layers to thaw for about 30 minutes before you stack and decorate the cake.
I do NOT recommend using bake even strips on my cakes.

FOR THE BANANA CREAM FILLING

This is best made the day before you want to assemble your cake.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and milk. Whisk until pudding dissolves. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the mixture sets.
Meanwhile, whip your whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Once your pudding mixture has set, fold in the whipped cream to the pudding.
Do not add fresh bananas yet. Cover the banana cream filling and refrigerate overnight.
NOTE: do no use fresh bananas in this cake unless you plan on serving the cake the same day as you assemble. The fresh bananas will not hold up in the freezer or fridge overnight. They will brown.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

Heat the cream in the microwave for about 45 to 60 seconds. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips to melt. Stir until smooth and silky. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
Slowly add the chocolate mixture, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Mix on medium speed for about a minute after all the chocolate is added.
Mix in the vanilla and pinch of salt.
With the mixer on slow speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, mix the buttercream for another few minutes on medium-high speed. You'll notice the color lighten – don't worry, it darkens as it sits out after you decorate your cake.
Buttercream can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the buttercream to reach room temperature before using and make sure to rebeat it for a bit.
If you buttercream seems soft, refrigerate for a bit.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake. This will act as a barrier to the banana cream filling.
Evenly spread about 1 cup of banana cream filling over the cake layer. If you're serving the cake same day, add sliced bananas as shown in the video above, otherwise, leave the bananas out.
Repeat these steps for the second cake layer.
Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the banana cream filling. Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. This is your crumb coat. Freeze the crumb-coated cake for 15 minutes.
Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost your cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Triple Chocolate Banana Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake

Courtney Rich — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:54:07 +0000

My new Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake is made with incredibly moist and tender banana cake layers baked on Nilla Wafer cookie crusts, with peanut butter banana cream filling, diced bananas and a silky-smooth peanut butter buttercream.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake

Hope you’re ready for some serious peanut butter and banana decadence! My new Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake is inspired by the peanut butter banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery – which I happened to just create. You can get that recipe HERE.

What is Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding?

New York’s Magnolia Bakery is known for many sweet treats, but at the top of the list is their banana pudding. It’s so popular that the bakery now offers different flavors, including a peanut butter banana pudding. I’ve tried as many of the special flavors as available when I travel to the Big Apple and peanut butter is my favorite.

I recreated the pudding flavor and used it to also inspire this cake.

What is in the Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake?

My Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake has several different components to it. We start with a Nilla Wafer cookie crust, then bake the banana cake batter right on top. This gives us a yummy crunch with every bite. Between the layers, you’ll get the peanut butter banana cream filling with fresh banana slices. To cover this beauty, we’re using my silky-smooth peanut butter buttercream.

It’s so dreamy! In fact, when my 15-year-old son took his first bite of this cake, he said one word: “winner!” He then told me that its the cake he wants for his birthday… in December! (It’s currently July!)

FAQs

Can this cake be made ahead of time? Yes, BUT don’t add the banana slices if you make it ahead of time. If you plan to assemble the cake the same day you’ll be serving it, you can add the banana slices between the layers. If not, I recommend leaving the banana slices out.

How do I store this cake if I make it ahead of time? If you plan to make this cake ahead of time, you’ll want to freeze the decorated cake for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes wrap the cake in plastic wrap and continue to freeze it. The night before you want to serve the cake, move it to the refrigerator (plastic wrap still on). About 5 to 6 hours before you want to serve the cake, remove the cake from the fridge and place it on the cake stand.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake

Moist and tender banana cake layers baked on a Nilla Wafer cookie crust, with peanut butter banana cream filling, and peanut butter buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana, cake, Peanut Butter

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

70 Nilla wafer cookies, (265 g) pulverized into a fine crumb
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon 4.2 g salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas, mashed (about 340 g)

FOR THE FILLING

2 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup (83.3 g) smooth peanut butter, I use Skippy
4.6 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (120 g) whole milk
1.67 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup (120 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
1 cup (250 g) smooth peanut butter
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1/4 cup 57.75 g heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

GARNISH

Bananas

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix to coat the crumbs so you're left with a "wet sand" consistency.
Divide the crumbs between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each). Pat firmly into place.
Bake the crusts for 7 minutes.

FOR THE CAKE

Turn your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
Continue to mix for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
Stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, pouring right on top of the Nilla Wafer Crust that has been baked, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Let pans cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, you can wrap each layer in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for at least an hour before assembly.
The cake layers can be made up to a week or two in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE FILLING

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
Stir in the milk and the pudding mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy whipping cream. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, crust side down, on a cake board or cake stand. I like to spread a little bit of buttercream on the board to “glue” the cake layer in place.
Pipe a rim of peanut butter buttercream around the top edge of the cake. The rim of buttercream should be kind of high. Tip: as you’re piping it on, keep your hand lifted so the buttercream falls onto the cake. Don’t push the piping bag against the cake as you pipe. This will smash the wall we’re trying to create.
Fill the center with about half of the peanut butter banana filling. Top with sliced bananas (if serving same day, otherwise, leave the bananas out if you’re making it ahead of time and freezing).
Place the second cake layer on top of the filling and repeat these steps.
The final layer will also go crust side down on the second layer of filling.
Apply a thin layer of peanut butter buttercream around the entire cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 15 minutes to set the crumble coat.
After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with remaining buttercream.

The post Peanut Butter Banana Cream Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Copycat Magnolia Peanut Butter Banana Pudding

Courtney Rich — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 19:32:21 +0000

Bring one of New York’s most popular bakeries to your own kitchen with my new Copycat Magnolia Peanut Butter Banana Pudding. This delicious no-bake dessert has layers of Nilla Wafers, peanut butter banana cream filling, fresh bananas and homemade whipped cream.

What is Magnolia Bakery?

Magnolia Bakery, nestled in the heart of New York City, is an iconic dessert haven known for its classic American baked goods and charming vintage atmosphere. Established in 1996 in the West Village, this quaint bakery gained fame for its delectable cupcakes, particularly the legendary vanilla and chocolate buttercream-topped varieties. Beyond cupcakes, Magnolia offers an array of treats, including the growing favorite – the banana pudding. In fact, the banana pudding is my favorite dessert at Magnolia and something I get every time in the city.

I love it so much, I created a copycat recipe of the original Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding. I also created a cake based off the no-bake dessert too. Have you tried it? It’s my Banana Cream Cake.

Copycat Magnolia Bakery Peanut Butter Banana Pudding

My love of the banana pudding runs deep, but not quite as deep as my love of peanut butter… so it was time to put them together! I’m using my banana pudding recipe and adding peanut butter to the base. Simple as that!

How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Pudding

This no-bake recipe is quite simple and will be an easy one to whip up. You’ll start by beating cream cheese, peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. Once the mixture is smooth, you’ll stir in whole milk and vanilla pudding mix.

No, not banana pudding mix. The banana is only added by slicing bananas and adding them between the layers of everything else (just like Magnolia does it).

As the pudding mixture sets in the fridge, you’ll beat heavy whipping cream that you’ll fold into the pudding mixture. Once it’s time to assemble, whip some more heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and grab some Nilla Wafers.

Have Fun With It!

This recipe is really versatile. If you don’t have Nilla Wafter, you can use graham crackers, shortbread cookies, Nutter Butters, Oreos or any other crunchy cookie of your choice. You could also play around with the flavors. Biscoff cookie spread could be a delicious sub for the peanut butter.

Copycat Magnolia Bakery Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pudding

Course Dessert

Cuisine No Bake Dessert

Keyword banana cream pudding, No Bake Dessert, Peanut butter banana pudding

Ingredients

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA FILLING

6 ounces cream cheese
1 cup (250 g) smooth peanut butter
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups (360 g) 2% or whole milk
1 box (5 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups (360 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

3 cups (690 g) heavy whipping cream
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted

GARNISH

1 box Nilla Wafers
Bananas

Instructions

FOR THE BANANA CREAM FILLING

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
Stir in the milk and the pudding mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the trifle.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

ASSEMBLY

I recommend doing the assembly just a few hours before you want to serve the trifle. If you make the trifle too far in advance, the cookies will get soggy. Soft is ok, but we don’t want them soggy.
Cover the bottom of your trifle bowl (or mason jars, paper cups, etc.) with a layer of Nilla wafer cookies.
If doing a trifle, cover with ⅓ of the peanut butter banana filling, sliced bananas, then ⅓ of the whipped cream.
If you're using mason jars or another container for individual servings, you'll want to break up a couple cookies, add a scoop of the peanut butter banana pudding, some sliced bananas, and a scoop of whipped cream.
Repeat these steps two more times.
Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Notes

Feel free to swap out Nilla wafers for shortbread cookies, Nutter Butters, Oreos or even graham crackers.
If you’re not doing a trifle, you could also split this recipe in half for smaller individual servings.

The post Copycat Magnolia Peanut Butter Banana Pudding first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Easy Two Layer Banana Cake with Silky Smooth Nutella Buttercream

Courtney Rich — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 01:43:55 +0000

My new Banana Nutella Cake is a delicious combination of tender and moist banana cake layers and silky smooth Nutella buttercream.

Banana Nutella Cake

For me, banana and Nutella go together like peanut butter and jelly. They’re a match made in heaven and truly make some of the most delicious desserts and snacks. For this cake, I wanted to keep it simple. We’re making just two layers of cake and decorating it with a rustic, slathered-on look.

Ingredients for Banana Cake

For the banana cake layers, make sure you grab these ingredients:

All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil (you can also use canola, avocado, or coconut oil)
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Eggs
Buttermilk
Vanilla
Over-ripe bananas

How to Make Banana Cake

To make my banana cake recipe, you’ll start by combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine and then set that aside.

In your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and oil together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. During this phase of mixing, we want to create some volume in the mixture and emulsify the ingredients. This is what’s going to help your cakes rise nicely.

REMEMBER: using room temperature ingredients is KEY for this process to work.

After the butter mixture is creamed, you’ll add the eggs and vanilla. Make sure to mix again on medium-high until the mixture is smooth.

At this point, you’ll then turn the mixer to low as you alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

OVERMIXING the cake batter at this point will create a dense cake because you’re over-working the gluten in the flour. Low speed is your best friend.

Mix in the bananas and get ready to bake.

What Pans Should I Use for Banana Cake

For this cake, I used my 8-inch by 3-inch Fat Daddio cake pans. We’re splitting one full recipe into two pans, so it’s going to rise and we don’t want it to spill over the edges. If you only have 8-inch by 2-inch pans, use three of them and bake for about 10 minutes less.

Nutella Buttercream

This Nutella buttercream is so dreamy! You’ll be using Nutella, as well as some hazelnut extract. You are going to love how it amps up the flavor just a bit.

More Cakes You’ll Love

Banana Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Moist and flavorful banana cake layers with a silky, smooth Nutella buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, Nutella Buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas, mashed

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
1 cup (240 g) Nutella
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon (1.1 g) hazelnut extract
2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8" x 3" or three 8" x 2" pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
NOTE: if you only have 8"x2" pans, I would make this into a three layer cake. If you split this recipe just between two 2-inch high pans, it might overflow.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don't have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy.
Carefully level the cake batter with a spatula or the back of your sppon, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes for two 8-inch pans and 30 to 35 minutes for three 8-inch pans.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

Combine the butter and Nutella and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, a little at a time until incorporated. Beat for another 2-3 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and beat for another two minutes, until light and fluffy. Best used right away.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake stand.
Evenly spread 1 cup of buttercream over the cake layer.
Place second cake layer, top side down, on top of the buttercream.
Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Easy Two Layer Banana Cake with Silky Smooth Nutella Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Light and Fluffy Banana Cream Cake with Salted Caramel

Courtney Rich — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:18:19 +0000

Banana Cream Cake – Light and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted graham crackers, whipped cream, and salted caramel.

Inspiration

My Banana Cream Cake is inspired by the popular Magnolia Bakery banana cream pudding and stacked like my favorite Milk Bar cakes. If you’ve had Magnolia Bakery’s banana cream pie, you probably dream about it often like I do! It’s one of my favorite New York City treats.

I first developed this recipe for my nephew’s birthday about five years ago. As I was coming up with the cake, and thinking about all the flavors and textures I wanted to add to it, I knew it needed to be stacked like a Milk Bar cake. (If you’re not familiar with Milk Bar, I highly recommend you check out their website and even buy their cookbook. There are so many amazing, unique recipes.)

There’s a couple reasons I choose to stack a cake Milk Bar style. The first being that it has a lot of elements in it (like my Tonight Show Cake) and the acetate paper will better support the cake. The second being that it has softer fillings that won’t hold up as well with a coat of frosting around them.

Layered in this cake: toasted graham cracker crumbs, salted caramel, and fresh whipped cream. Basically heaven in a cake. You can also add in fresh sliced bananas if you plan to serve the cake that same day.

Oh, and one little note about serving this beauty – serve it cold, or things will get pretty messy when you’re cutting the cake.

Enjoy!

More Banana Cakes to Love

Banana Cream Cake

Light and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, salted caramel, graham cracker crumbs, and whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cream Cake

Ingredients

For the White Cake

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (172.5 g) cake flour
2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature

For the Banana Cream Filling

1.5 ounces instant banana pudding mix
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (120 g) milk
1 1/2 cups (346.5 g) heavy whipping cream

For the Salted Caramel

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (59.15 g) water
1 teaspoon (5 g) light corn syrup
1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Graham Cracker Crumble

1 1/2 cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 12 rectangular crackers*
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1/4 (1.5 g) teaspoon salt

For the Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups (346.5 g) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon (5 g) E-Z Gel

Instructions

Instructions

For the White Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a quarter sheet baking pan with nonstick spray, line it with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 3 minutes.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg whites one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Continue to beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the second half of the buttermilk and then the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Gently fold in the sour cream.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Remove the cake pans from the oven and let the layers cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Banana Cream Pudding

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and milk and mix until well blended.
Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
When the mixture is set, you can prepare the whipping cream.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream until medium-stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.
Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to build the cake.

For the Salted Caramel

Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, heat the cream in a microwave safe bowl for about a minute.
Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it. (Refer to page X to see the steps, color and temperature of caramel)
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup.
Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.

For the Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt. Stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are damped by the melted butter.
Evenly spread the crumbs on the baking sheet, leaving some larger chunks in the mix.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool before using.

For the Whipped Cream

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, powdered sugar and EZ Gel.
Whisk until medium-stiff peaks form.

Assembly

Refer to page X in the Cake Class chapter for a step-by-step picture tutorial for stacking cakes like this. The cakes may be different flavors, but the assembly steps are similar.
Put a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Invert the cake onto the parchment and peel off the parchment from the bottom of the cake.
Use a 6-inch cake ring to cut out 2 circles from the cake and two half circles. The two full circles will be your top 2 cake layers. The two half cake layers and remaining cake scraps will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
For the first layer, clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment. Line the cake ring with one strip of acetate.
Place the two half circles against the edge of the acetate and fill the gap with the extra cake scraps.
Use the back of a spoon to spread one-third of the banana cream pudding in an even layer over the cake.
Spread sliced bananas evenly over the pudding (if using).
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the graham cracker crumbs on top of the bananas, followed by a heavy drizzle of the salted caramel.
Carefully spread about 1/2 cup of the whipping cream on top.
Gently tuck in another strip of the acetate paper between the cake ring and the top quarter inch of the first acetate strip, high enough to support the height of the finished cake.
Set a cake round on top of the whipped cream and repeat steps 6-9.
Set the final cake layer onto the whipped cream and cover the top of the cake with the remaining banana cream pudding, graham cracker crumbs, caramel, and whipped cream.
Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for at least 12 hours. About 4-5 hours before you’re ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and transfer to the refrigerator to finish thawing.
Serve chilled.

The post Light and Fluffy Banana Cream Cake with Salted Caramel first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Most Delicious Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake

Courtney Rich — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:55:58 +0000

Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake – light and fluffy banana cake layers, strawberry cream filling, fresh strawberries and whipped vanilla buttercream.

Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake

I’m so excited to share this Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake with you! With light and fluffy banana cake layers, strawberry cream filling, fresh strawberries and bananas, and a whipped vanilla buttercream, this cake will make you feel like you’re sitting at an old-fashioned soda bar, sipping and strawberry banana milkshake!

Banana Cake

These light and fluffy banana cake layers are based off my Confetti Cake layers. I decided to go with a more subtle banana flavor, compared to a traditional banana cake (i.e. banana bread type flavor). I think you’ll love the lightness of these layers and still appreciate the banana flavor.

Banana Flavoring

To add flavor, I used instant banana pudding. If this isn’t something you can find, you can use a teaspoon of banana emulsion.

Strawberry Cream Filling

For the filling, I used the whipped raspberry filling from my Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll and subbed freeze dried strawberries for the raspberries. You are going to LOVE how easy this filling is to make. Just grab your blender or food processor, add the freeze dried fruit, then the heavy whipping cream (as much fat as you can find) and the granulated sugar. Pulse for a few minutes and you’ll have a thick and creamy filling. Best part – it’s stable enough to hold the cake layers!

Garnish and Filling Add-Ins

In addition to the strawberry cream filling in this Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake, I added fresh strawberries and banana chips. I love that the banana chips hold their crunch after the cake has been frozen or sitting out a bit. I also think fresh bananas would be delicious between the layers with the strawberry slices. Just remember, though – only use fresh bananas if you’re making the cake the same day as when you serve it. Fresh bananas won’t hold up well in the freezer, if you plan to store the cake.

Vanilla Buttercream

To top this cake off, I decided to go with my vanilla buttercream, a.k.a The Best Vanilla Buttercream. This buttercream frosting is light and fluffy and doesn’t overwhelm any of the other flavors. It’s almost like adding the ice cream element to these milkshake flavors.

I then used Americolor food gel Soft Pink and Egg Yellow. Just a tad of each!

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in depth instruction for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s an overview with a quick picture tutorial for making the best vanilla buttercream:

Sift your powdered sugar
Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
Use heavy whipping cream
Beat for 5 minutes
Stir by hand

How to Cake It: How to Make Buttercream Stripes

To create the thin stripes, I used my striped scraper from Shop Cake by Courtney. I’ve written out a tutorial for stripes HERE, so make sure to check it out for all of my trips and tricks for creating this darling design.

Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake

Light and fluffy banana cake layers with strawberry cream filling and vanilla buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, strawberry banana milkshake cake, strawberry filling, Vanilla Buttercream

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 30

Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (345 g) cake flour
1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
1 pkg (3 oz) instant banana pudding mix
1/3 cup (72.6 g) vegetable oil
3 large whole eggs room temperature
3 large egg whites room temperature
1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream room temperature
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract

FOR THE WHIPPED VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter chilled (I take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before I make my frosting)
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons (8.4 g) clear vanilla extract
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING

1/2 cup (15 g) freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 cups (455 g) heavy whipping cream

GARNISH

Banana chips or fresh banana slices
Strawberry slices

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, and another coat of spray. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, sugar and pudding mix on high until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and the egg whites, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated. Add the sour cream and beat on medium speed for a minute or so. It may look curdled, don't stress.
Turn the mixer on low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and blend well, followed by another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the second half of the buttermilk and lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans and bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. If I’m making the cake a day or two before I actually need to frost it, I put it in the freezer to ensure freshness. If I’m frosting same-day, I’ll just put it in the refrigerator to chill until needed.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

FOR THE FILLING

In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried strawberries until they resemble a powder.
Add the sugar and the cream and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate the freeze dried fruit.
Pulse the mixer for about 1 to 2 minutes. The texture should resemble Greek yogurt.
Keep chilled until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, top side up. Spread 1 cup of the strawberry filling over the cake layer as evenly as possible. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the frosting is spread evenly over the cake. Place sliced strawberries on top. If using banana slices or banana chips, also evenly lay them on the filling next to the sliced strawberries.
Repeat these step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
Apply a thin coat of buttercream around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.

The post The Most Delicious Strawberry Banana Milkshake Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Best Ever Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Courtney Rich — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 15:26:58 +0000

Get ready to dig into your new favorite Banana Cake recipe with this incredibly moist and flavorful banana cake, covered in pillowy soft and silky smooth cream cheese frosting!

Banana Cake

What is it about a simple banana cake with cream cheese frosting that ALWAYS sounds good! Is it just me? I could eat it any day, any time of day! In fact, I had a slice with breakfast this morning!

The moist and flavorful cake, paired with a simple cream cheese frosting is comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients You Need for This Banana Cake Recipe from Scratch

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Eggs
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
Over-ripe bananas, about 3 medium

Tips for Making Moist Cake From Scratch

Start with room temperature ingredients – the eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be room temperature before you start making the cake batter. These ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise well and stay moist.
When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, beat the mixture on medium-high to high speed until light and fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Once you start adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, turn the mixer to low and mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense and sink.
Watch the cooking time. Remember, all our ovens are different. My time is a guide, so check your cake toward the end of the bake time I’ve given. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I can’t think of anything more traditional and delicious on a banana cake than cream cheese frosting. While it’s not my favorite type of frosting to use on layered cakes (it’s a lot softer than traditional buttercream), it’s absolutely perfect for a sheet cake recipe like this. Just slather it on once the cake has cooled completely and you’re set to go.

Ingredients You Need for This Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Unsalted butter
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Heavy whipping cream
Salt

I’m so excited for you to dig in to this simple and easy banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting. I think you’ll agree, it’s truly the best ever banana cake!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist and flavorful banana cake with cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, cream cheese frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g )salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (66 g) light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup (300 g) mashed over-ripe bananas, 3 medium-sized

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
3 tablespoons (45 g) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
Stir in the bananas.
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla and pinch of salt.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

The post Best Ever Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream

Courtney Rich — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 16:53:43 +0000

My new Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream is packed with spices and paired with a flavorful walnut buttercream.

Banana Chai Cake

A simple banana cake with cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite classic cakes. It’s moist, flavorful, and comforting. It’s the type of cake you can always count on and one that always sounds good, no matter the day or the season. In fact, as I looked at my over-ripe bananas the other day, it was the first thing I thought of. As I started on my banana cake, I decided to give it a winter flair and pair it with the spices from my Chai White Chocolate Raspberry Cake.

Toasted Walnut Buttercream

This toasted walnut buttercream adds the most delicious nutty flavor to the cake and pairs so well with the flavors of banana and chai.

Be sure to toast the walnuts to bring out the flavor. You’ll also want to make sure the walnuts are completely cooled before making the nut butter and adding the nut butter to the buttercream.

FAQs

What spices do I need to make chai spice?

To make this cake, make sure to have these spices on hand: cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Can I make the cake layers ahead of time?

Yes! Once the cake layers are baked and cooled completely, wrap each layer with plastic wrap and freeze. When you’re ready to stack and decorate your cake, remove the layers from the freezer 30 to 60 minutes before.

How can I make this cake a sheet cake, cupcakes or bundt cake?

You’ll follow the recipe exactly as written, but baking times will change. A sheet cake (9″ x 13″) generally takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer than the written time. Cupcakes will take about 15 to 20 minutes to bake and a bundt cake will take closer to 50 to 60 minutes. Keep the baking temperature at 325 F.

Can I use a different nut for the buttercream?

Absolutely! If you don’t want to use walnuts, choose another nut you love and follow the instructions as written. Pecans would be a great substitute for walnuts.

What buttercream flavor would pair well with this cake if I can’t have nuts?

I think you’ll love these cake layers with cream cheese buttercream, white chocolate buttercream, or caramel buttercream

More Cakes to Love

Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream

Moist and flavorful banana chai cake with toasted walnut buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, banana chai cake, walnut buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g )salt
1 1/2 teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger
1 teaspoon (2.64 g) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) cardamom
1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) ground gloves
1/2 teaspoon (2.8) g allspice
1/8 teaspoon (.6 g) black pepper
1/8 teaspoon (.6 g) nutmeg
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (66 g) light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup (300 g) mashed over-ripe bananas, 3 medium-sized

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (300 g) chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon (13.6 g) olive oil
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1 teaspoon. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
This makes 6 cups of buttercream, which is enough to fill and frost the entire cake. If you want a naked cake look (as pictured), use a half recipe of the buttercream.

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
Stir in the bananas.
Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 38 to 43 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Cool the cakes in the pans for about 15 minutes and then inverted onto a cooling rack until cooled completely.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In a saute pan, toast the walnuts over medium heat. Once toasted, let cool completely.
Once the walnuts are toasted and cooled, combine the walnuts and oil in a food processor and pulse until you've created a nut butter consistency.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the walnut butter and mix until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla and pinch of salt.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

The post Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Banoffee Cake with Hazelnut Cream Filling

Courtney Rich — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 15:14:52 +0000

Inspired by the most delicious Greek loukoumade, my new Banoffee Cake is made with banana cake layers, hazelnut cream filling, toasted hazelnuts, salted caramel and Nutella buttercream.

The Best Banoffee Cake with Hazelnut Cream Filling

Happy Friday, friends! Excited to kick off the weekend with another new cake inspired by our trip to Greece and the delicious loukoumades we ate.

What are loukoumades? Loukoumades are bite-sized donuts, which are deep fried and typically covered in a hot honey syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon and garnished with nuts. Loukoumades are sometimes filled with cream or Nutella fillings and topped with caramel, frostings, and garnishes like cookies and nuts.

Earlier this week, I shared a recipe for Honey Pistachio Cake, inspired by traditional Greek loukoumades. Today’s cake is inspired by a banoffee loukoumade, filled with hazelnut cream filling, and topped with Nutella and hazelnuts. It was my favorite filled loukoumade and one I’m still dreaming about.

What is Banoffee?

Banoffee Pie is a British dessert made from bananas, cream, and a thick caramel sauce and is often paired with a biscuit or shortbread base and sometimes chocolate and/or coffee.

Banoffee Cake

For my cake version of the banoffee loukoumade, I decided to use a banana cake as the base. This banana cake recipe is so incredibly delicious, moist, and easy-to-make. You’ll see I’ve used it in a ton of recipes, and love to pair it with Nutella and/or chocolate.

Take some time to explore these incredible cake flavor combinations:

Banana and Nutella Cakes

Now that I hopefully have you drooling over banana and Nutella cakes, let’s talk about the filling for this banoffee cake.

Hazelnut Cream Filling

For the filling, I wanted to focus on the hazelnut flavor. I love Nutella, but I didn’t want chocolate to completely overpower the cake. Instead, I used hazelnut spread (without chocolate) and love how the hazelnut flavor really stood out in this cream filling.

What if I can’t find hazelnut spread or hazelnut paste? You can make your own hazelnut paste by using a food processor to puree hazelnuts into a nut butter. You can also use Nutella in the filling. Just remember, if you use Nutella in the filling, the color of the filling will be different than what you see in my pictures and videos.

Nutella Buttercream

For the Nutella buttercream, I like to use a combination of Nutella and hazelnut extract. While Nutella has hazelnut as one of its ingredients, I like to add a tiny bit more hazelnut extract to make the flavor stand out. However, it’s not necessary and you can leave it out if you want.

Homemade Salted Caramel

Homemade salted caramel is one of my favorite treats to make. If you haven’t made it before, it may sound intimidating, but let me assure you, it’s so easy to make. The most important part of making salted caramel is ensuring you cook it long enough. Take a look at the blog post linked below to see a step-by-step picture tutorial for making homemade caramel.

How to make homemade salted caramel

How to Stack a Cake

To see how I stacked this cake, check out my Instagram tutorial by clicking the button below.

Banoffee cake Video

Banoffee Cake

Banana cake layers with hazelnut cream filling, salted caramel, and Nutella buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana, Banana Cake, Banoffee, Banoffee Cake, Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake, Hazelnut, Nutella Buttercream

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE BANANA CAKE

3 cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 g) salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas, mashed

FOR THE HAZELNUT CREAM FILLING

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar, measured then sifted
1/4 cup hazelnut spread, I used Nutio, but you can use Nutella in place of this

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
1 cup (240 g) Nutella
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon (1.1 g) hazelnut extract
2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (115 g) water
2 teaspoons (10 g) corn syrup
3/4 cup (173 g) heavy whipping cream,
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Garnish and Filling

1 cup hazelnuts, chop and then toast over medium heat on the stove.

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

FOR THE BANANA CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and then spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla. Continue to mix on medium-high speed for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Stir in the bananas.
Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 20 ounces in each.
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE HAZELNUT CREAM FILLING

Combine the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a stainless steel bowl. Whisk on high until the cream form stiff peaks.
Fold in the hazelnut spread. Refrigerate until ready to use.

FOR THE NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM

Combine the butter and Nutella in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the extract, cream and pinch of salt.
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon or spatula and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.

FOR THE CARAMEL

Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup. If you pour it in all at once, your sugar will turn into hard candy. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small amount of Nutella buttercream on the cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the cake board.
Spread about 1/2 cup of the Nutella frosting on the cake layer and then pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake.
Carefully spread half of the hazelnut cream filling on the cake. Sprinkle with a handful of toasted hazelnuts and drizzle with caramel.
Place the next cake layer, top side up, on the filling. Repeat the steps above.
Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling. Apply a thin coat of Nutella frosting over the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Finish frosting the cake with the Nutella buttercream. Use remaining nuts and caramel to decorate. Only use fresh bananas on top if you plan to serve immediately.

The post The Best Banoffee Cake with Hazelnut Cream Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel, Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

Courtney Rich — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 22:42:18 +0000

Get ready to have your socks knocked off with my new Banana Lemon Cream Cake, made with banana cake layers, caramel sauce, banana lemon cream filling, toasted coconut and pecan buttercream.

Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel Sauce, Toasted Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for you to try this Banana Lemon Cream Cake. Who knew that banana paired with a hint of lemon would create something so remarkable? Well, I’ll tell you – the restaurant Handle Salt Lake did!

About a month ago, Ryan and I joined some friends for dinner at HSL. Our friends raved about a dessert that they said was a “must try.”

This dessert was a small banana cake, soaked in caramel sauce, topped with banana cream, toasted coconut, and walnuts. Off to the side of the cake was a scoop of lemon gelato.

Lemon gelato?

With banana cake?

I was so intrigued! So you know I took my fork and grabbed a little bit of everything for my first bite. Wow! What a flavor combo! I couldn’t stop taking bite after bite. I was in love and knew I needed to create a cake based off this dessert.

Inspired by HSL, this Banana Lemon Cream Cake has banana cake layers, slathered in caramel sauce, topped with a whipped banana lemon cream, toasted coconut, and pecan buttercream (I don’t love walnuts).

How to Make Banana Cake

What is it about banana cake that ALWAYS sounds good! Is it just me? I could eat it any day, any time of day! In fact, I had a slice with breakfast this morning!

This banana cake is moist, tender, and full of flavor. I wouldn’t call it light and fluffy, however. With three mashed bananas going into this cake, it’s definitely “heavier” than some of my other cakes. But don’t let heavy scare you or confuse you. This cake isn’t what I’d consider dense. Dense, to me, is a cake that’s similar to a pound cake with a really “tight” crumb. This cake has a looser crumb, but feels or tastes heavier as the texture isn’t light and fluffy like a vanilla cake or yellow cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Banana Cake

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Eggs
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
Over-ripe bananas, about 3 medium

Tips for Making Moist Cake From Scratch

Start with room temperature ingredients – the eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be room temperature before you start making the cake batter. These ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise well and stay moist.
When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, beat the mixture on medium-high to high speed until light and fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Once you start adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, turn the mixer to low and mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense and sink.
Watch the cooking time. Remember, all our ovens are different. My time is a guide, so check your cake toward the end of the bake time I’ve given. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Whipped Banana Lemon Filling

So this is where this cake gets interesting. And by interesting, I mean, exciting!!!

The lemon!

It’s not much so don’t panic. Just a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice is all you need. It packs a powerful punch but doesn’t steal the show. The way the lemon gives a “fresh” feel to this cake is simply magical.

How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel

Making homemade caramel sauce is super easy. Make sure you follow the steps from THIS blog post.

NOTE: we’re using a little more cream in the recipe below so our caramel is a little thinner and spreads/soaks better into the cake. You’ll see in my pictures my caramel is a little thicker. We don’t want that. After I took pictures and we taste tested, I knew I wanted it to be a little thinner in order to soak into the cake layers better.

How to Make Pecan Butter

Homemade nut butter is as simple as it gets to make. Just add your pecans to a food processor with a little olive oil and blend until smooth. That’s it!

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

Sift your powdered sugar
Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
Use heavy whipping cream
Beat for 5 minutes
Stir by hand
You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Convert This Cake

How to Make a Layered Cake a Sheet Cake or Cupcakes

I get asked almost every day if one of my layered cakes can be turned into a sheet cake or cupcakes. The answer? Yes!

For baking temperature and time, the temperature will always remain the same. The time for a 9″x13″ sheet cake will be about 10 minutes longer than listed and the time for cupcakes will be about 5 to 10 minutes shorter.

Sheet Cake

If I were making this cake into a sheet cake, I’d stack it just like I would the layered cake:

Cake
Caramel sauce
Banana Lemon Cream
Toasted Coconut
Buttercream (which, I’d pipe on top of the coconut)

Cupcakes

If I were making this cake into cupcakes, I’d fill and decorate like this:

Scoop a small hole out of the center of the cupcake
Fill with cream filling
Pipe with buttercream
Sprinkle on coconut
Drizzle on caramel (you could also drizzle the caramel over the cupcake after you add the filling)

Other Cakes You’ll Love

Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel Sauce, Toasted Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

Tender and pillowy banana cake layers, soaked with caramel sauce, and topped with banana lemon whipped cream filling, toasted coconut and pecan buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana, Banana Cake, Banana Cream Filling, Banana Lemon Cream Filling, caramel, Caramel sauce, Lemon, pecan, pecan buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2) g salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas mashed

For the Whipped Filling

1 1/2 cup (360 g) heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp banana flavored INSTANT pudding mix
1/3 cup (41.6 g) powdered sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice about the juice of half a large lemon

For the Salted Salted Caramel

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (120 g) water
2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup or honey
1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

FOR THE PECAN BUTTER

3 cups (300 g) chopped pecans
1 tablespoon (13.6 g) olive oil
*Makes about 1 1/2 cups butter

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
Pecan butter, recipe above
3 tablespoon (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Garnish and Filling

About 1 cup toasted coconut, I buy mine pretoasted from Orson Gygi

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary. Using a fork, poke holes all over the cake layers. Drizzle about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of caramel over all three cake layers and allow the caramel to soak in.

FOR THE FILLING

In a medium bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, pudding, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Using whisk attachment, beat until soft to medium stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until read to use.
Best made a day or more before using.

For the Salted Caramel

Heat the cream in the microwave for about a minute. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then stop stirring.
You want the mixture to cook on its own. Stirring creates crystallization. If you notice sugar crystallizing on the sides of the pan, soak a pastry brush in warm water and run the brush along the sides of the pan where the sugar is building up.
Once the mixture turns amber in color, remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream, while stirring the caramel.
Add the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Cool to room temperature before using. The caramel shouldn't be too thick. We want this on the slightly runny side.
Caramel can be refrigerated for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

FOR THE PECAN BUTTER

Combine the pecans and oil in a food processor and blend until you’ve created a nut butter.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the pecan butter and cream.
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

Assembly

Spread a small dollop of buttercream on a cake board or cake plate. Place the first cake layer, top side up.
Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with half of the banana lemon cream filling. Sprinkle a handful of toasted coconut over the cream filling.
Repeat these steps with the second layer.
Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling.
Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel, Coconut and Pecan Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Banana Bread with Mini Chocolate Chips

Courtney Rich — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 13:20:17 +0000

Want an easy and delicious recipe to whip up for breakfast or snacks? My Banana Bread recipe with mini chocolate chips is just the one for you! You are going to love the flavor, as well as the ease, of making this yummy bread.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

I have a super easy, incredibly delicious banana bread recipe to share with you. This easy banana bread recipe is actually made with a hint of cinnamon, some oats, and I like to add mini chocolate chips to one loaf for Avery.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

This classic banana bread is so moist and delicious. I love the hint of cinnamon with every bite, as well as the texture a few rolled oats adds. You can add chocolate chips or leave them out. Or, if you can make this into banana nut bread with a cup of your favorite nuts (I’d suggest walnuts or pecans). Whatever you add or don’t add, I know you’ll love this moist banana bread recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need For Banana Bread

Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Ripe bananas (go for brown to black skins – they’ll give the bread the most flavor)
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Kamut flour or all-purpose flour
Old fashioned rolled oats
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Buttermilk
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

How to Make Banana Bread

I love how easy this banana bread recipe is to make. You’ll first want to grab two 8-inch by 4-inch bread pans (or close to that size). I love the brand Fat Daddio.

As your oven heats to 325 degrees F., you’ll start mixing your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Things like flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon should all be whisked together before you add them to the other ingredients. This ensures your leavening agents are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, you’ll then beat the butter and sugars together for a few minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture. Eggs come next, followed by the mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.

To finish up, you’ll turn your mixer to low and then alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

If you’re using mini chocolate chips, first dust them with a tablespoon of flour. This coats the chocolate chips with the flour, giving them some “grip” so they don’t sink to the bottom of the pan.

When the batter is finished, you’ll divide the batter between the two pans and then bake the pans together for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. My bread took 53 minutes.

Can I split this recipe for one loaf?

Absolutely! For the eggs, which you’ll see is an odd number, round up when you split the recipe. For this banana bread recipe, I use three eggs for two loaves, so I would use two eggs for one loaf.

Kamut Flour

Kamut flour is an ancient grain that hasn’t been hybridized or genetically modified. I like using it in place of all-purpose flour when I’m doing breakfast and snack items I know my kids will eat a lot of. You’ll also see Kamut flour has higher protein, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and other nutritional benefits than all-purpose flour.

However, they aren’t a one-for-one sub. I typically use ¼ cup to ½ cup less Kamut flour if I’m following a recipe that calls for all-purpose flour. I also wouldn’t sub Kamut flour for cake flour, just like you wouldn’t sub all-purpose flour for cake flour.

What if I don’t have Kamut flour?

If you don’t have Kamut flour for this recipe, no sweat! Just use 3 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour.

Where can I buy Kamut flour?

I get my Kamut flour from Food Nanny. If you don’t already follow Lizi on Instagram, you are missing out! She is so much fun!

Other Recipes You May Love

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Tender and moist banana bread with mini chocolate chips.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine bread

Keyword Banana Bread, chocolate chip banana bread, Easy Banana Bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Ingredients

3 cups (345) Kamut flour
3/4 cup (60 g) old fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
2 cups (400 g) mashed overly ripe bananas
1 teaspoons (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch by 4-inch bread pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until pale in color and fluffy in texture, about 3 minutes.
Lower the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the mixture for an additional 2 minutes, until lighter in color. Add the vanilla and mashed bananas and stir to combine.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips that have been dusted with flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Optional, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar on top of each loaf.
Bake both pans together in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.

The post The Best Banana Bread with Mini Chocolate Chips first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Moist and Flavorful Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Courtney Rich — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:21:54 +0000

This Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake is a delicious combination of sweet, bitter and tangy flavors thanks to the tender banana cake layers, mocha buttercream, and mascarpone chocolate chip filling.

Banana Cake

With the weekend upon us, it’s time for a new recipe! I know you probably have a cake already picked out for your weekend baking, but if you’re looking for a melt-in-your-mouth, unforgettable combination, you’ve got to try this Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake.

We’ll be using my banana cake recipe for the layers. If you haven’t tried this cake yet, I’m so excited for you to get started on it. The cake layers are so flavorful and moist.

How to Make Moist Cake Layers

When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
Use room temperature wet ingredients.
Use fresh baking powder.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Use overripe bananas.

Mocha Buttercream

This buttercream is just as silky and smooth as my go-to chocolate buttercream, but it has a hint of coffee flavoring thanks to these Nestle Espresso Morsels. Continue to read below for substitutions and my tips for making the best buttercream frosting.

What if I Can’t Find Espresso Baking Chips?

If you don’t have the Nestle Espresso Morsels, you can easily substitute the chips with chocolate chips and add a teaspoon of coffee extract.

What if I Don’t Like Coffee Flavoring?

No worries! Just make the buttercream with chocolate chips!

Coffee Replacements

Love coffee flavoring but can’t drink it for religious or dietary reasons? No worries, try Pero! This coffee substitute is naturally caffeine-free and blended from all-natural ingredients, including malted barley, barley, chicory, and rye and can be found at most grocery stores.

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this silky smooth buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

Sift your powdered sugar
Use slightly cold butter
Use heavy whipping cream
Beat for 5 minutes
Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

IMPORTANT For buttercream with baking chips specifically, remember to heat the cream and baking chips together first. You’ll then stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth ganache. Once the ganache has cooled slightly, you’ll add the mixture to the butter and continue making the buttercream according to the instructions.

Make Ahead Tips

Cake layers – The cake layers are a great element to make ahead of time. I like to let my layers cool to room temperature and then wrap them well with plastic wrap. Let the layers thaw for about an hour before you decorate the cake.
Filling – you can also make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use.
Buttercream – this buttercream recipe can be made a week ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure to let the buttercream get back to room temperature and beat it again for a few minutes to restore the fluffy texture.

Mascarpone Chocolate Chip Filling

For the mascarpone chocolate chip filling, you’ll find mascarpone in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store. This is usually next to the deli. This cheese gives the filling a slightly tangy flavor, which pairs so well with the sweetness of the cake.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Tender banana cake layers with chocolate chip mascarpone filling and mocha buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Bread, Banana Cake, Chocolate Chip, Mascarpone, Mocha, Mocha Banana Cake

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Inactive Time 30

Total Time 2

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2) g salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas, mashed

For the Mascarpone Filling

8 oz mascarpone
1 cups (125 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup (115.5 g) heavy whipping cream

For the Mocha Buttercream

1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
8 ounces Nestle espresso flavored chips FIND HERE
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
5 cups (625 g) cups confectioners' sugar, measured and then sifted
1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
Pinch of coarse salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you'll have about 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

For the Mascarpone Filling

Combine the mascarpone and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until combined, about one minute.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, followed by the vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Mocha Buttercream

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and the espresso chips on medium-high heat for about a minute. Stir until smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Gradually add the espresso ganache to the butter mixture and beat until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract and salt. Continue to whip on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles.

Assembly

Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board.
Pipe a rim of mocha buttercream around the cake layer. Evenly spread the half of the mascarpone filling across the cake layer.
Repeat these steps with the next cake layer and then place the final cake layer, top side down.
Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Moist and Flavorful Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Unforgettable Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake

Courtney Rich — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 01:00:00 +0000

Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake – banana caramel cake, Biscoff filling and salted caramel frosting.

The Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake You Can’t Live Without

Excited to be sharing this unforgettable Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake with you today! The idea for this cake came after I made my Biscoff Ice Cream and Biscoff Cake. While I’m not one to usually eat ice cream with cake, I wanted a cake to go along with the Biscoff ice cream for a party we were throwing. As I thought about what flavors might pair well with Biscoff, banana and caramel were at the top of my list.

Brainstorming This Cake Creation

As I thought about this cake, I knew I wanted the caramel to be a significant part of the cake. Similar to my Honey Pear Upside Down Cake, I decided to incorporate more bananas and the caramel flavor by baking them on the bottom of my cake layers. I couldn’t be more happy with how this element turned out! The brown sugar caramel sauce baked beautifully over the bananas and into the cake layers themselves, adding the extra caramel flavor I was looking for.

Simple and Versatile Biscoff Filling You’ll Want to Eat with Everything

For the filling, I made my Biscoff filling from my Biscoff Cake. It’s a simple filling, but is a total game changer in this cake, especially with the extra pieces of cookie added in. The hint of cinnamon in the cookies is a perfect combination with the bananas and caramel, and the cookie pieces add a bit of texture to the cake as well.

In addition to the Biscoff filling and cookie pieces, I also swirled salted caramel in between each layer and on top of the cake.

I also added an extra half of the frosting recipe to make enough frosting for the ribbons around the cake. The amount of frosting listed in the recipe is enough to frost the cake completely, but if you want to add any piping decorations, I suggest making an additional half batch.

How to Plan Cake Making So You’re Not Stressed and Rushing the Process

I made the entire cake three days before our party and froze the cake in plastic wrap until the night before. I then moved the cake from the freezer to the refrigerator to start thawing overnight. On the day of our party, I removed the cake from the refrigerator, took off the plastic wrap and let it get to room temperature inside a cake box. The cake tasted perfectly fresh and delicious!

However, if you can, I do recommend making this cake as close to when you plan to serve it as possible. The bananas will brown more the further out you make the cake. If you’re looking to make some of the cake ahead of time, I suggest making the filling, caramel and frosting a few days early and saving the cake layers for the day of or day before.

You can find more information for how to freeze, thaw and transport cakes in this POST.

Whether you’re a huge banana fan or not, I think you’ll love this cake. The flavors of the caramel and Biscoff pair so well with the banana, even my chocoholic husband was licking the remains off his plate!

Enjoy!

Other Cakes You’ll Love!

Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake

This Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake is filled with layers of banana caramel cake, Biscoff filling and salted caramel frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake

Servings 3-layer 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE

1 cup (220 g) brown sugar tightly packed
1/2 (118.3 g) cup water
1/2 teaspoon (1.1 g) cinnamon
4 tablespoons (56.6 g) unsalted butter

FOR THE BANANA CAKE

3 cups (365 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g) salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 large or extra large eggs room temperature
3/4 cup (180 g) milk room temperature
3/4 cup (180 g) plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas mashed
3 medium-sized bananas sliced

FOR THE FILLING

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup (250 g) Biscoff spread
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar sifted
6 Biscoff cookies

FOR THE CARAMEL

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (118.3 g) water
4 teaspoons (28 g) light corn syrup
2/3 cup (154 g) heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons (12 g) salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

1/2 cup (150 g) salted caramel (recipe above)
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before pouring into the cake pans.

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment rounds, then spray the parchment. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Combine the milk and greek yogurt in a small bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk and yogurt mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Before pouring the batter in the pans, divide the sliced bananas into TWO of the pans, leaving one pan empty. After arranging the banana slices on the bottom of the pan, pour a few tablespoons of the caramel sauce over the bananas, leaving one pan without bananas or caramel sauce.
Once the bananas and caramel sauce are in the pans, divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 1.4 lbs of batter in each pan).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 28 to 33 minutes. The cake layer without the bananas and sauce will take less time to cook. I took this layer out of the oven at 28 minutes. The two layers with bananas and sauce took 33 minutes to cook.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the one cake layer that doesn’t have bananas and sauce on it. Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with the remaining caramel sauce.
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance, but I just making this cake as close to serving time as possible to keep the bananas looking fresh. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE FILLING

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light in color, about 2 minutes.
Add the Biscoff spread and mix for another minute, until smooth.
With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat another minute.
Can be stored at room temperature for a few days.

FOR THE CARAMEL

Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring the mixture to boil, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup. If you pour it in all at once, your sugar will turn into hard candy. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar followed by 1/2 cup of the salted caramel.
Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Before spreading, use a wooden spoon to beat for a couple minutes to get air pockets out of frosting.

ASSEMBLY

On a cake plate or cake board, place one of the banana-lined cake layers on top. Spread half of the Biscoff filling on top of the cake layer. Because this cake layer isn’t leveled, you’ll need to get eye level with the cake to make sure you’re spreading the filling as evenly as possible. You want the filling to be level even though the cake layer may be a little domed.
Top the filling with three crushed Biscoff cookies and a couple tablespoons salted caramel.
Place the second banana-lined cake on top of the cookies and caramel sauce. Spread the remaining Biscoff filling evenly over the cake layer, followed by the remaining crushed cookies and some more salted caramel sauce.
Place the final cake layer top side down (the side with the caramel soak). Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of salted caramel frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes.
Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining caramel frosting.

The post Unforgettable Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Fruit Filled Cakes You’ll Love

Courtney Rich — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 18:58:13 +0000

Are fruit filled cakes a favorite at your house? They certainly are at mine! Fruit filled cakes are perfect for all kinds of events from weddings, to birthdays, to just because it’s a Friday

Check out these 10 of my favorite fruit filled cake recipes!

Strawberries and Cream Cake – strawberry cake layers with fresh strawberries in a whipped cream filling and strawberry buttercream.

Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake – creamy coconut cake layers with lemon curd, raspberry cream filling and coconut buttercream.

Blueberry Delight Cake – Nilla wafer crust, lemon ricotta cake layers, ricotta filling, blueberry compote, and blueberry buttercream.

Fluffernutter Cake – tender and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted marshmallow filling, and peanut butter buttercream.

Peaches and Cream Cake – layers of tender peach cake, peaches and cream filling, peach compote and a whipped vanilla buttercream.

Champagne Cake – champagne inspired cake with tender, “champagne” cake layers, a raspberry peach puree filling and a champagne buttercream.

Inspired by my childhood favorite ice cream bar, this Strawberry Crunch Cake is made up of my go-to strawberry and vanilla cake layers, strawberry crunch filling, whipped vanilla buttercream, and is covered in a shortbread cookie strawberry crunch.

Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake – raspberry cake layers, chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake layers and a raspberry cream filling.

Lemon Bar Cake – lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon buttercream.

Inspired by one of my favorite summer desserts, my new Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake is the perfect cake to take you into summer.

Piña Colada Cake – coconut cream cake, pineapple curd and coconut buttercream.

Which Cake is Calling to You?

Do you see your favorite fruit filling? Did I miss one of your favorites? I’d love to create more citrus inspired fruit filled cakes this summer. Do you have a certain one you love? Let me know in the comments!

And be sure to follow along with us on Instagram!

More Tips & Recipes to Enjoy

The post Fruit Filled Cakes You’ll Love first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Tender and Moist Biscoff Banana Bread

Courtney Rich — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 03:09:50 +0000

Biscoff Banana Bread – tender and moist Biscoff banana bread with swirls of Biscoff spread.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

I know the heat is at an all-time high in some areas, but I hope you’re still getting a chance to bake! I’ll put together a list of my favorite no-bake desserts, but in the meantime, I have a super easy, incredibly delicious banana bread recipe to share with you. This easy banana bread recipe is actually made with Biscoff spread in the batter and swirled between the batter.

Biscoff Banana Bread

The Biscoff element not only helps to create an incredibly moist banana bread, it also adds a secondary flavor element with its cinnamon base.

Ingredients You’ll Need For Biscoff Banana Bread

Unsalted butter
Biscoff spread
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Ripe bananas (go for brown to black skins – they’ll give the bread the most flavor)
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Kamut flour or all-purpose flour
Old fashioned rolled oats
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Buttermilk

How to Make Biscoff Banana Bread

I love how easy this banana bread is to make. You’ll first want to grab two 8-inch by 4-inch bread pans. I love the brand Fat Daddio.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, you’ll then beat the butter and sugars together for a few minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture. Biscoff spread and eggs come next, followed by the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.

To finish up, you’ll turn your mixer to low and then alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

When the batter is finished, you’ll pour 17 ounces of batter in each pan, drizzle each loaf with 1/4 – 1/2 cup Biscoff spread (depending on how much Biscoff you want), and then cover the Biscoff with an addition 17 ounces of batter in each pan. Bake the pans together for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. My bread took 53 minutes.

Kamut Flour

Kamut flour is an ancient grain that hasn’t been hybridized or genetically modified. I like using it in place of all-purpose flour when I’m doing breakfast and snack items I know my kids will eat a lot of. You’ll also see Kamut flour has higher protein, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and other nutritional benefits than all-purpose flour.

However, they aren’t a one-for-one sub. I typically use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup less Kamut flour if I’m following a recipe that calls for all-purpose flour. I also wouldn’t sub Kamut flour for cake flour, just like you wouldn’t sub all-purpose flour for cake flour.

If you don’t have Kamut flour for this recipe, no sweat! Just use 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour.

Other Recipes You May Love

Biscoff Banana Bread

Tender and moist Biscoff banana bread with swirls of Biscoff.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine bread

Keyword Banana Bread, Biscoff Banana Bread, Easy Banana Bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Ingredients

3 cups (345) Kamut flour
3/4 cup (60 g) old fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (120 g) Biscoff spread
3 eggs room temperature
2 cups (400 g) mashed overly ripe bananas
1 teaspoons (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
1 cup (240 g) Biscoff spread to drizzle in the batter

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch by 4-inch bread pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until pale in color and fluffy in texture, about 3 minutes. Add the Biscoff spread and mix an addition 1 minute on medium-high.
Lower the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the mixture for an additional 2 minutes, until lighter in color. Add the vanilla and mashed bananas and stir to combine.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
Pour 17 ounces of batter in each pan. Drizzle 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Biscoff spread over the batter. (I heated my Biscoff spread for about 30 seconds in the microwave). Top each pan with remaining batter (about 16-17 more ounces in each pan). Spread the batter with the back of a spoon to make it level.
Bake both pans together in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.

The post Tender and Moist Biscoff Banana Bread first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Filled Fluffernutter Cake

Courtney Rich — Fri, 28 May 2021 19:05:42 +0000

Fluffernutter Cake – tender and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted marshmallow filling, and peanut butter buttercream.

Do You Know What a Fluffernutter Is?

If your family is anything like mine, fluffernutter sandwiches are a go-to favorite for lunches. I grew up on them and now my kids are too! Are you familiar with fluffernutters? It’s a simple peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwich. Growing up, however, my mom also cut up banana slices and layered them between the creamy peanut butter and sweet marshmallow cream. Her way of adding a serving of fruit, I think

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Filled Fluffernutter Cake

However you slice it, a fluffernutter has all the makings of a great cake – probably one of the best cake recipes! These flavors are some of my favorites: vanilla, banana, peanut butter and marshmallow. How can you go wrong?!

Ingredients You’ll Need for the Fluffernutter Cake

Before you get baking, make sure you have the following on hand!

Cake flour
Granulated sugar
Egg whites
Unsalted butter
Banana pudding mix, instant
Vanilla extract
Sweetened condensed milk
Sour cream
Baking powder
Salt
Powdered sugar
Heavy whipping cream
Peanut butter
Marshmallow cream
Marshmallows

Light and Fluffy White Cake Layers from Scratch

For the cake layers, I wanted to go with something that resembled white bread – tender, fluffy and classic. My Classic White Cake has just the layers for this cake. I made one and a half the recipe so my layers would be a little thicker, allowing me to cut them in half to get six layers to hold all the filling we’re about to make.

Note: When doing 1.5x a recipe, or even when doubling or splitting a recipe, I think it’s best to use the grams given in the recipe to get the most accurate measurements.

The Most Delicious Banana Cream Filling

While I know adding bananas to a fluffernutter isn’t the most common thing, it’s seriously the best flavor addition and I’ll just need you to trust me on this one. I’ve added my Banana Cream Filling from my Banana Cream Cake, as well as fresh bananas. However, and this is a big however, if you’re not serving the cake the same day you assemble it, DO NOT use fresh bananas. They just brown too easily, even when you freeze the cake.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

It’s no secret how deep my love for peanut butter runs, so covering this cake in my Peanut Butter Buttercream was a no-brainer. It’s sweet and salty, and oh-so perfect for this Fluffernutter Cake.

Tip: If you want a little crunch in the cake, add chopped salted peanuts between the layers!

Toasted Marshmallow Filling

For the marshmallow element, I’ve included my Toasted Marshmallow Filling from my Ultimate S’mores Cake. It’s just one of my favorite things on the planet. It’s delicious in cake, but to be honest, dipping graham crackers in it might be at the top of my treat list!

How to Assemble the Fluffernutter Cake

After your cake layers cool to room temperature, you’ll want to torte your cake layers. Torte means cut the layers in half, horizontally. To do this, I like to use a cake leveler. You’ll move the textured wire to a height that divides the cake evenly. Then, with the leveler “feet” on the counter, you’ll move the leveler back and forth (like a saw), as you move across the cake. Once the layers are split and the other elements of your cake are complete, you’re ready to assemble the cake.

Follow the step-by-step picture instructions below, and be sure to add some straws or dowels to keep your cake in place. Because the cake is so tall and we have so many fillings, it may get wobbly.

Tips for Getting Cakes to Rise Evenly

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
Use room temperature wet ingredients.
Use fresh baking powder.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Video Tutorial

Other Cakes You May Like

Fluffernutter Cake

Tender and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted marshmallow filling and peanut butter buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cream Filling, Fluffernutter, Fluffernutter Cake, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Buttercream, Toasted Marshmallow Filling

Ingredients

For the White Cake

1 1/2 cup (339 g) unsalted butter at room temperature and cut into cubes
2 5/8 cups (525 g) granulated sugar
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1 Tbsp (13 g) clear vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk at room temperature
4 1/2 cups (517.5 g) cake flour
1 1/2 Tbsp (21 g) baking powder
1 1/2 tsp (9g) salt
3/4 cup (180 grams) sour cream at room temperature

For the Banana Cream Filling

1.5 oz instant banana pudding mix
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (120 g) milk
1 1/2 cups (346.5 g) heavy whipping cream

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
1 cup (250 g) peanut butter smooth
1 Tbsp (13 g) vanilla extract
1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt

For the Toasted Marshmallow Filling

24 marshmallows classic size
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.1 g) vanilla extract
1 jar (200 g) marshmallow cream I use THIS brand

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir egg whites and the vanilla. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and add the egg mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
After the egg white mixture is added, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again and then beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture will become lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and finishing with the flour.
Gently fold in the sour cream until no streaks of white remain.
Using a kitchen scale, divide batter evenly among your pans (about 22 to 24 ounces in each) and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let the cake layers cool on racks for 15 minutes before inverting onto greased wire racks to cool completely.
Once the cakes are cooled completely, divide the layers in half with a cake leveler or serrated knife.

For the Banana Cream Filling

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and milk in a bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
While the pudding sets, beat the whipping cream with the whisk attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light in color and smooth in texture.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla, salt and cream. Stir to combine.
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a couple times during the process. The buttercream will become lighter in color and should take on a “fluffy” texture.

For the Toasted Marshmallow Filling

Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Place on the middle rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until golden brown on top, about 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on them! They will cook fast. Remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the marshmallows over and broil them again until they are golden brown on the other side.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar and beat on low until blended.
Add the vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer on low speed, add the marshmallow cream and (cooled) toasted marshmallows, and mix for about one minute.

For the Assembly

Place the first of the 6 cake layers, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake plate.
Using an offset icing spatula, evenly spread about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the banana cream filling over the cake layer. If serving same day, you can add sliced bananas on top of the filling.
Pipe about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the toasted marshmallow filling on top.
Place the second cake layer on top and cover with 1 cup of peanut butter buttercream.
Repeat these steps with remaining layers. You'll then place the final cake layer, top side down, on top.
Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of peanut butter buttercream. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Once the crum coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Filled Fluffernutter Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake

Courtney Rich — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 16:57:20 +0000

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake – chocolate banana cake layers with peanut butter banana cream filling and chocolate and peanut butter buttercreams.

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you’re feeling happy and healthy today!

I’m so excited to finally share with you my Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake. I was originally going to call this a Chunky Monkey Cake, but after further research, I learned that Chunky Monkey ice cream is made with walnuts, not peanuts! I had no idea. Ha!

Anyway, to avoid confusion, I scratched the Chunky Monkey name and went with something way more boring and super descriptive!

The idea for this cake came shortly after I published my Triple Chocolate Banana Cake. Several readers wrote in and expressed how much they’d love to see peanut butter thrown in the mix with the chocolate and banana flavors. And you know how I feel about peanut butter, so I was more than happy to oblige!

Cake Elements

Cake layers – if you’ve made the Triple Chocolate Banana Cake, you’ll see that I used the exact same recipe for this cake. It’s so incredibly moist and flavorful. I know you’ll love it!
Filling – the peanut butter banana cream filling is based on the banana cream filling in my Banana Cream Cake. I also use it in my Oreo Brownie Banana Trifle. The filling for both is a Magnolia Bakery knock-off of their banana cream pie dessert (one of my favorite desserts on the planet!).
Buttercream – for the buttercream, we’re actually making two! One batch of my chocolate buttercream and a half batch of my peanut butter buttercream.

Ingredients

Make sure you have the following special ingredients on hand. These are ingredients I’m assuming aren’t in your pantry normally. For the full list of ingredients, be sure to read the recipe below.

Banana pudding mix – this should be the INSTANT banana pudding mix, made with real sugar.
Bananas
Sweetened condensed milk
Dark cocoa powder
Buttermilk

Make Ahead Tips

Cake layers – The cake layers are a great element to make ahead of time. I like to let my layers cool to room temperature and then wrap them well with plastic wrap. Let the layers thaw for about an hour before you decorate the cake.
Filling – you can also make the filling ahead of time, but DO NOT add the bananas until you’re ready to fill and serve the cake. Bananas will brown easily, so this isn’t a cake that I’d make completely ahead of time.
Buttercream – both buttercream recipes can be made a week ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the fridge. Make sure to let the buttercreams get back to room temperature and beat them again for a few minutes to restore the fluffy texture.

How to Stack Your Cake

This is another cake with a soft filling, so you’ll want to be sure to pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of each cake before adding the filling.

Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge.

Fill with the banana peanut butter cream filling.

Apply a thin coat of buttercream over the entire cake.

Freeze your crumb coated cake for 10 minutes before apply the rest of the buttercream.

Stripes Tutorial

To create your stripes, you’ll want:

Straight scraper
Striped scraper
Piping bag
Chocolate buttercream (recipe below)
Peanut butter buttercream (recipe below)

TIP: Start with your darker color

Add the rest of the chocolate buttercream.

Use your straight scraper to smooth the sides.

Use your striped scraper to create stripes.

Be sure there’s enough buttercream to touch the grooves of the scraper.

TIP: After you create the initial stripes, make sure to FREEZE your cake for about 20 minutes before you add your second color.

Make sure your cake has been frozen for 20 minutes.

Pipe the peanut butter buttercream in the grooves.

Use your straight scraper to smooth your sides and take away excess buttercream.

Fill the top with buttercream.

TIP: Keep in mind, as you scrape, you’ll be pushing a little harder against the cake than usual. Also, keep in mind, it will look worse before it gets better. It usually takes more than a dozen or so scrapers to clean up the stripes. For a more complete tutorial on applying buttercream stripes, check out my tutorial HERE.

Filling Your Piping Bag with Multiple Colors/Flavors

To get multiple colors in your piping bag, follow the simple tutorial below.

Spread your buttercream on plastic wrap.

Lift one side of the plastic and fold it over.

Place the “log” of buttercream in your piping bag fitted with the Wilton 6B tip.

Piping Tutorial

Before you start piping, make sure you haven’t filled the piping bag more than 2/3rds full, twist the top of the bag and hold it with your thumb clamping the twist and your four fingers applying pressure. Your free hand is just there to be a guide. Don’t try squeezing the piping bag with your free hand too.

Make sure to hold the piping bag straight over the cake.

Pipe your dollops in a circle around the cake, working your way in.

Alright! I think you’re armed and ready with all the tips and knowledge for this cake. I can’t wait for you to try it!

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake

Chocolate banana cake layers with a peanut butter banana cream filling and chocolate and peanut butter buttercreams.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake, Intermediate

Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (64 g) brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (364 g) mashed bananas about 4 medium sized bananas
1 tso (4.2 g) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (310 g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (75 g) dark cocoa powder
1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
2 tsp (8 g) baking soda
1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
3/4 cup (193 g) buttermilk at room temperature (can also use whole milk)
3/4 cup (176 g) sour cream at room temperature
1/2 cup (93 g) mini chocolate chips dusted in flour

FOR THE FILLING

7 oz (197g) sweet and condsensed milk
1.5 oz (42 g) instant banana pudding mix must be instant, don't use sugar free
1/2 cup (125 g) peanut butter
1/2 cup (110 g) whole milk
1 1/2 cups (322 g) heavy whipping cream
banana slices optional

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
10 oz (283 g) dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup (77 g) heavy whipping cream
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
1/2 cup (125 g) peanut butter
2 tsp (8 g) vanilla extract
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
*between the two buttercream recipes, you'll have enough buttercream to decorate and pipe on top, as pictured. No need to double any recipes.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl with each addition, Mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed after all the eggs are added.
Add the mashed bananas and vanilla. Stir until combined.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and sour cream. Whisk to combine.
With the stand mixer on low speed, alternately add the the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Divide the batter between the three 8-inch pans (about 20 ounces in each), and bake for about 30 to 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Cake layers can be made ahead of time and wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer. Allow the cake layers to thaw for about 30 minutes before you stack and decorate the cake.
I do NOT recommend using bake even strips on my cakes.

FOR THE FILLING

This is best made the day before you want to assemble your cake, but do not add the bananas until you're ready to assemble and serve.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and milk. Whisk until pudding dissolves and the mixture is uniform. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the mixture sets.
Meanwhile, whip your whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Once your pudding mixture has set, fold in the whipped cream to the pudding.
Do not add fresh bananas yet. Cover the banana cream filling and refrigerate overnight.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Heat the cream in the microwave for about 45 to 60 seconds. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips to melt. Stir until smooth and silky. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
Slowly add the chocolate mixture, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Mix on medium speed for about a minute after all the chocolate is added.
Mix in the vanilla and pinch of salt.
With the mixer on slow speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, mix the buttercream for another few minutes on medium-high speed. You'll notice the color lighten – don't worry, it darkens as it sits out after you decorate your cake.
Buttercream can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the buttercream to reach room temperature before using and make sure to re-beat it for a bit.
If you buttercream seems soft, refrigerate for a bit.

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt and heavy whipping cream, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to get air bubbles out.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Pipe a rim of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake. This will act as a barrier to the peanut butter banana cream filling.
Evenly spread about 1 cup of peanut butter banana cream filling over the cake layer. If you're serving the cake same day, add sliced bananas, otherwise, leave the bananas out.
Repeat these steps for the second cake layer.
Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Apply a thin layer of chocolate buttercream around the entire cake. This is your crumb coat. Freeze the crumb-coated cake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost your cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream and the peanut butter buttercream.

The post Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Hummingbird Cake

Courtney Rich — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:31:16 +0000

Hummingbird Cake – banana, pineapple spice cake with a pineapple curd, cream cheese buttercream and toasted, candied pecans.

I’ve had a lot of cake in my life. Like, A LOT! But, believe it or not, I’ve never had Hummingbird Cake. Have you? To be totally honest, I didn’t even know about it until a few years ago. Ever since it’s been on my list to make. Last week, I finally got around to working on my own recipe and all I’ve got to say is, how on earth did I not make this cake sooner!

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake is a traditional southern dessert. It’s known for being an coconut oil-based cake, rather than a butter-based cake. This banana cake is also known for having more fruit (tons of bananas and crushed pineapple) in it than flour, which makes it incredibly moist. In a traditional Hummingbird Cake recipe, you’ll also find lots of spices, toasted pecans and cream cheese frosting.

My Version of Hummingbird Cake

For my version of a Hummingbird Cake, I wanted to stay fairly true to the roots of this dessert for those who know and love this moist cake already. You’ll see I use mashed bananas, crushed pineapple and lots of spices, similar to other recipes.

However, by now you know I don’t love nuts in my cake layers. So instead of throwing pecans into my Hummingbird cake batter, I toasted and candied them and added the pecans to the exterior of the cake. I love the sweet and salty crunch this adds to each bite.

The other element I added to the Hummingbird cake is the pineapple curd.

Oh my goodness!

Pineapple curd!

I’m not even sure what I’ve been doing with my life up until now without knowing the incredible goodness of pineapple curd. I took one bite and knew it was exactly what my cake needed, as well as my toast, my pancakes, my crepes, and everything else I put in my mouth. Not to mention it will for sure be added to coconut cake layers this summer for a pina colada cake!

Pineapple Curd

For the pineapple curd, I made my own pineapple juice. Since we’re going into the summer months when pineapple is at its peak, you’ll get the best pineapple flavor from a fresh pineapple. However, using fresh pineapple for this Hummingbird cake is not necessary. You can also use canned pineapple juice. Try to find juice that doesn’t have sugar added to it. We’ll be doing that on our own when we make the curd.

To make your own pineapple juice:

Dice an entire pineapple
Place the pineapple in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium
The pineapple will start to cook and juices will start to release
Cook for about 5 minutes so the pineapple softens.
Puree the pineapple in a blender or food processor
Strain the juice from the meat of the pineapple
Measure one cup of juice for the curd

The pineapple curd is best made a day ahead of time. In fact, I even like this whole Hummingbird cake better on the second day when the flavor has settled a bit. To store the cake, if you make it ahead of time, just make sure you cover it well and store it in the fridge overnight.

Cake Video: Making the Layers

Cake Video: Assembly

Make sure to check that if you poke a toothpick in that the center comes out clean! Love cream cheese frosting, here are a few more delicious cakes calling your name!

Hummingbird Cake

Banana, pineapple spice cakes with pineapple curd, cream cheese buttercream and toasted candied pecans.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Hummingbird Cake

Servings people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (220 g) vegetable oil can also use canola or coconut
1 cup (220 g) packed brown sugar
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 oz) crushed pineapple canned with some juices
2 cups (400 g) mashed bananas about 4 large or 5 medium
4 eggs at room temperature
2 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. (5.3 g) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. (1.2 g) nutmeg
1/4 tsp. (.8 g) ginger
1/4 tsp. (.8 g) cloves
1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
1 tsp. (5.6 g) salt

FOR THE PINEAPPLE CURD

1 cup (230 g) pineapple juice
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tsp. (5 g) corn starch
4 tbsp. (56.5) unsalted butter cut into cubes

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
6 oz. cream cheese slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
3 tbsp (45 g) heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt

FOR THE CANDIED PECANS

2 cup (250 g) chopped pecans
2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil and sugars. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple and vanilla. Stir to combine.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
Evenly divide the cake batter between the three prepared pans (about 20 ounces of batter in each). Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. *Remember, each of our ovens bake differently. Bake time may vary slightly. **Also note that my bake time is for three pans, on one rack, in one oven. If you only have two or one pan in the oven at a time, your bake time will decrease.
Let the cake layers cool in the pans on cooling racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake layers onto the cooling racks to cool completely.
Level cake layers, if needed.
Cake layers can be made ahead of time. To store: let cake layers cool to room temperature and then wrap well with plastic wrap and freeze. Before you decorate your frozen cake layers, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes prior to decorating.

FOR THE CURD

The curd is best made a day ahead of time.
Whisk the sugar, the pineapple juice and corn starch in a medium saucepan.
In a small bowl, whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the pineapple mixture.
Turn the heat to medium. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla and pinch of salt.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

FOR THE TOASTED, CANDIED PECANS

Combine the chopped pecans and sugar in a skillet over medium heat.
Continuously stir as the nuts are cooking and the sugar is melting. We want to coat the pecans with the sugar as it melts, but we don't want the pecans to burn.
This process takes some patience.
Once the pecans are coated with sugar and toasted, pour them onto a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake plate or cake board.
Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Cover the cake with the candied pecans.
The buttercream should have enough for a little piping on the top, like my cake. You can add some curd on the top, as I did, or serve a spoonful of the remaining pineapple curd with each slice of cake.

The post Hummingbird Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

To-Die-For Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake

Courtney Rich — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 06:00:02 +0000

Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake – Tender banana cake layers with banana cream cheese frosting, whipped peanut butter frosting and salted caramel.

Inspiration

A banana-based cake has been on my list for a while now, but I couldn’t decide what I wanted to pair it with. There are just too many options: chocolate, peanut butter, coffee, cream cheese… the list goes on and on.

While it sat on my list of cakes to make, my friend told me about a milkshake she had at the Shake Shack. The shake was made up of custard ice cream, bananas, caramel and peanut butter. After I lifted my jaw off the ground, I wrote it down and decided right then that it would be the inspiration for this cake.

Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake

My banana cake recipe is based on a recipe from Sweetapolita (cake goddess). The recipe, unfortunately, doesn’t work great in high altitude, so I made a few adjustments. The first change I made was to add more flour and reduce some of the sugar. Sugar always seems to be the culprit of sinking cakes, especially in high altitude. I also added a bit more buttermilk to ensure a super moist cake. The last thing I wanted was for this cake to be too dry and crumbly in texture and taste like a muffin!

I’m pleased to say, this cake is no banana muffin. It’s definitely banana CAKE. Flavorful. Moist. Delicious.

Banana Frosting

To add a little more banana flavor throughout the cake, I used Banana Emulsion in the frosting. Not too much, though. Just enough to amp up the flavor.

Peanut Butter Frosting

And what pairs better with banana than peanut butter?! Nothing! (Certainly not in my opinion.) This light peanut butter frosting is the perfect addition to this cake.

To top it all off, I added some salted caramel between each cake layer and on top of the cake. I also sprinkled the cake with THESE salted caramel crisps from Orson Gygi. I think you’ll love how you get a hint of salt with each bite of the sweet banana cake and peanut butter frosting.

And here’s a quick video to show you how to assemble and decorate this cake.

Enjoy!

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake

Tender banana cake layers with banana cream cheese frosting, whipped peanut butter frosting and salted caramel.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Bread, Banana Cake, Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake, Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake, caramel peanut butter cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Inactive Time 30

Total Time 2

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2) g salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 large or extra large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas, mashed

For the Banana Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
2 oz. cream cheese, slightly chilled
3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) banana emulsion (or more if you prefer a stronger banana flavor)
pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy cream
2 cups (250 g) cups confectioners' sugar, measured and then sifted
3/4 cups (169.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
1/2 cup (125 g) creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
Pinch of coarse salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

For the Caramel

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (59.15 g) water
2 teaspoons (10 g) light corn syrup
1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray four 6-inch pans (or three 8-inch pans) with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 15 ounces of batter in each of the four 6-inch pans or 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

For the Banana Cream Cheese Filling

Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until combined, about one minute.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the banana emulsion and salt.
Increase the speed to medium and beat the frosting for 5 minutes, until light in color and texture.
Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, and cream. Continue to whip on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles.

For the Caramel

Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup. If you pour it in all at once, your sugar will turn into hard candy. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.

Assembly

After you’ve leveled each cake layer with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board.
Cover the cake layer with about 1/2 cup banana frosting.
Drizzle with salted caramel and place another cake layer on top.
Repeat these steps until you get to the final cake layer, which you will place top side down.
Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the peanut butter frosting and add the caramel drip.

The post To-Die-For Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Nutella S’mores Cake

Courtney Rich — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 06:17:22 +0000

Meet my Banana Nutella S’mores Cake – layers of banana cake baked on top of graham cracker crust, filled with toasted marshmallow filling and Nutella buttercream.

As if my Ultimate S’mores Cake wasn’t enough, I’m mixing things up and throwing banana and Nutella into this classic summer treat. I think I’m about to change your life 😉

Inspiration

Inspiration for this cake came from my friend, Bre, who recently sent me a picture from her camping trip. In the picture, Bre was holding a s’more filled with bananas and Nutella. Her caption: “this feels like a cake.” I immediately wrote back with, “I couldn’t agree more!”

I got to work on it the very next day.

Banana Nutella S’mores Cake

For this cake, I took inspiration from my Ultimate S’mores Cake. My traditional s’mores cake has layers of graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow filling and chocolate buttercream. The textures and flavors are so reminiscent of an actual s’more. It’s one of my favorite cakes.

I decided to use the same graham cracker crust for this cake that I did on the Ultimate S’mores Cake. It’s one of the best parts of the cake. The additional texture it adds to the cake is always a hit.

After baking the crust a little I then baked banana cake layers right on top. Baking the crust first gives it the crunch. If we baked the banana cake and the crust at the same time, the crust would come out too soft. Having a baked crust does make it a little trickier to cut, but I just suggest using a really sharp knife. It should cut pretty clean if you do.

And can we talk about the banana cake layers! They are so moist and flavorful, you’ll want to eat them all up before finishing the cake.

I’ve filled the cake with a toasted marshmallow filling I love from Sweetapolita and my Nutella buttercream. The whole cake is covered in my favorite chocolate sprinkles from Cacao Barry. (They also make my favorite cocoa powder).

Tell me that slice of cake doesn’t look to-die-for? 😉

Enjoy!

Banana Nutella S'mores Cake

Banana cake layers baked on a graham cracker crust, with toasted marshmallow filling and Nutella buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

3 cups (360 g) graham cracker crumbs about 25-27 rectangular crackers (this is best done in a food processor or blender, but can be done by placing the graham crackers in a zip-lock bag and rolling over the crackers with a rolling pin)
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

FOR THE BANANA CAKE (adapted from Sweetapolita)

3 cups plus 3 tablespoons (382.5 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g) salt
3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
3 large or extra large eggs room temperature
1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas mashed

FOR THE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW FILLING (adapted from Sweetapolita)

24 large white marshmallows
1 1/2 cup (187.5 g) powdered sugar sifted
1 cup 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
1 jar about 200 g marshmallow fluff

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

5 cups (625 g) confectioners' sugar sifted
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
1 cup (240 g) Nutella
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon (1.1 g) hazelnut extract
2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch our four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are damped by the melted butter.
Divide evenly between the three pans and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a spoon.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool while you make the banana cake batter.

FOR THE BANANA CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture--you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don't have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
Divide the batter evenly between the three pans that have the graham cracker crust in them, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you'll have about 1.4 lbs of batter in each pan).
Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 28 to 33 minutes.
Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you're ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW FILLING

Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on the middle rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until golden brown on top, about 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on them!
Remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the marshmallows over and broil them again until they are golden brown on the other side.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar and beat on low until blended. Add the vanilla and mix on medium speed for about three minutes
With the mixer on low speed, add the marshmallow cream and (cooled) toasted marshmallows, and mix for about one minute.

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

Combine the butter and Nutella and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.
Add the sifted confectioners' sugar, a little at a time until incorporated. Beat for another 2-3 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and beat for another two minutes, until light and fluffy. Best used right away.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small amount of frosting on the cake board. Place the first cake layer, graham cracker side down, on the cake board.
Spread about 1/2 cup of the Nutella frosting on the cake layer and then pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake.
Carefully spread about 3/4 to 1 cup of the marshmallow filling on the frosting.
Place the next cake layer on top of the marshmallow filling and repeat steps 2 and 3.
Place the final cake layer, graham cracker side down, on top of the marshmallow filling. Apply a thin coat of Nutella frosting over the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Finish frosting the cake with the chocolate frosting.

The post Banana Nutella S’mores Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.