The Art.
One of the best things about summer vacation is enjoying a huge banana split in the sunshine. In the name of summertime, I wanted to capture the essence of the banana split in a cake. So, I created this pretty treat! It has everything: three layers of cake representing the vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate scoops of ice cream, caramelized bananas, chocolate ganache, even cherries and rainbow sprinkles. The great thing about this recipe is it makes cupcakes as well, so you can feed quite a crowd from just one banana split.
The Science.
The tricky part for this cake was to incorporate the strawberry and banana flavors without compromising the texture of the cake itself. I spent a lot of time a few years back developing the perfect white cake recipe, and I knew that if I added fruit to it I would have to go through all kinds of testing again to compensate for the added moisture. I avoided this problem by instead putting the strawberry flavor in the icing and only dying one of the cake layers pink. Then, I caramelized the bananas to prevent them from becoming a gross, brown mess (as sliced bananas are wont to do) and used them as the filling between the cake layers. This way, I still had all the required flavors in the cake, without investing too much in the old R&D. One suggestion I do have is dividing your baking up over a couple days. I made the chocolate cake and cupcakes the first day, then finished everything else on the second day. Another good idea is to ensure the maraschino cherries are thoroughly rinsed and drained on paper towels so they don't drip pink goo all over your icing.
The Recipe.
Chocolate cake:
2 cups sugar2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
1 cup dutch cocoa
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 6x3-inch round baking pan with baking spray, and line with parchment paper. Also prepare a standard cupcake tin with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, dissolve cocoa in boiling water to allow it to "bloom." In a large bowl, beat together egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in bloomed cocoa. Fill cake pan and cupcake tin 2/3 of the way, and bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, peel off the parchment paper.
White cake:
6 egg whites, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup salted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 6x3-inch round pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Prepare a standard cupcake tin with liners. In a medium bowl, beat three egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Set aside. Sift together flour and baking powder in another bowl. In a large bowl, beat together remaining cup sugar, butter, remaining egg whites, and vanilla. Alternately add one third of the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating between each addition just until combined. Fold in beaten egg whites with a spatula. Divide batter in half, and tint one batch pink (I used Wilton Icing Colors Pink). Pour each batter into a pan until 2/3 full and smooth the tops with a spatula. Fill the cupcake tins until 2/3 full as well. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely and remove parchment paper.
2 cups (1lb) salted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam (e.g. Hero Strawberry Fruit spread)
5-7 cups powdered sugar
In large bowl, beat together butter and jam on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add sugar until icing makes stiff, jagged peaks. If icing tastes too sugary or grainy, add a couple tablespoons of milk.
Caramelized Bananas:
2 ripe bananas, diced
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Melt butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Add bananas and cook until light brown on both sides. Add brown sugar and stir bananas to coat, continuing to cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes.
Dark chocolate ganache:
4oz 60% cacao bar chocolate (e.g. Ghiradelli baking bar)
1/4 cup 40% heavy whipping cream
Break up chocolate into bits and place in a small microwave safe bowl. Add cream and microwave in two 30-second intervals, stirring between. Be careful not to overheat, or the chocolate will seize up and become hardened. Continue to stir until the chocolate completely melts and becomes glossy. Cool slightly before dripping onto the cake.
Assembly:
2 jars maraschino cherries with stems, rinsed and drained on paper towels
rainbow sprinkles
1M piping tip and piping bag
Place the chocolate cake layer on a cardboard cake circle or rotating cake stand and cover with a thin layer of icing and half of the bananas. Place the pink cake on top, covering with icing and the remaining bananas, then top it off with the white cake layer. Spread a thin coat of "dirty" icing all over the cake before placing it in the freezer to cool (we'll make it look pretty later). Meanwhile, pipe icing on the cupcakes with a 1M star tip (technique here). Top with cherries and sprinkles.
Pull the cake out of the freezer and cover with icing using an offset spatula. For a very smooth finish, use an icing smoother and rotating cake stand. Be sure to get the top of the cake very level. Spoon the slightly warm ganache on top, using the technique described in my Candyland Drip Cake recipe. For the finishing touches, pipe 6 small 1M swirls on top of the cake, top with cherries, and (judiciously) add some rainbow sprinkles.
Display this show-stopping cake and cupcakes as your centerpiece at your party or barbeque, with a sliver cut out so everyone can appreciate the layers. Adding some confetti to the table also adds some festivity and ties in the rainbow sprinkle theme. Leftover cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.
