Caramel Frosted Banana Cake

I love banana cake. I love caramel. Put them both together (and a few fabulous ingredients) and you have a delicious, very more-ish cake to share with friends.






INGREDIENTS:

125g Butter
175g Light Brown Sugar
2 eggs
250g Ripe Mashed Banana
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 TBSP warm milk
150g Plain Flour
100g Self Raising Flour

FROSTING:

175g Dark Brown Sugar
100g Butter
1/4 tsp of sea salt
60ml Milk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
160g Icing Sugar

METHOD
Heat oven to 180C or 160C (fan oven). Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the mashed banana (use really ripe bananas). Combine the milk and bicarb soda in a cup, then add to the mixture. Sift the flour and then stir until everything is combined.

Spread the mix evenly over the base of the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 50 mins, checking with a cake skewer. When done, remove, allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out and cool on a cake rack.

To make the Caramel Frosting, combine the sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan, melting over a low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and increase the heat, bringing the sauce to the boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, sift the icing sugar into the pan and whisk to make the frosting icing. Spoon or use an icing palette knife to ice the cake (top and sides).

Caramel Cake Recipe

There are not enough recipes for Caramel Cake, most are from the States and I didn't find the ingredients or method satisfactory. I researched, experimented and came up with this. A take on a classic sponge with brown sugar to help create the caramel sponge and then to top it all off, made caramel and stirred in icing sugar for the buttercream icing. Delicious with a cup of tea and worked perfectly as a birthday cake.

Ingredients

·        225g/8oz butter (really soft)

·        225g/8oz light brown sugar

·        4 medium eggs

·        2 tsp vanilla extract

·        225g/8oz self raising flour

·        milk, to loosen

Method

1.     Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2.     Grease and line 2 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper.

3.     Cream the butter and the sugar together with an electric beater until light and fluffy.

4.     Slowly beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.

5.     Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

6.     Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently smooth out with a spatula.

7.     Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

8.     Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

9.     Sandwich the cakes together with the Caramel Buttercream.

Caramel Buttercream Icing

• 45g unsalted butter
• 70ml semi-skimmed milk
• 165g light, soft brown sugar
• 180g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp good-quality vanilla extract

1. Combine the butter, milk and brown sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and put on the hob over a high heat. Stirring continuously, bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in half of the icing sugar.
2. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add the rest of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and stir until it thickens to the desired consistency. It will have a slightly runny consistency, which works well with this cake. If you leave it and it starts to set, place it for a few seconds in the microwave before beating again and, if necessary, add a little double cream.
3. I dusted this with gold edible glitter for a surprise birthday cake. Mmm.