Banana, coffee and cardamom bundt cake with coffee caramel

Name: Banana, coffee and cardamom bundt cake with coffee caramel
Yield: 1 cake
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 130g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing; 150g golden castor sugar; 2 eggs, at room temperature; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 220g self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting); ¼ tsp salt; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 2-3 overripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 250g); 100g sour cream; ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 30ml strong black coffee, cold

Helen Goh

April 13, 2018

I love a banoffee pie, but often find it cloying after the first few mouthfuls. Here I have taken the banana, coffee and caramel (toffee) of the traditional pie, added cardamom to complement them, and turned it into a cake.

Ingredients

For the bundt cake

130g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
150g golden castor sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
220g self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
2-3 overripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 250g)
100g sour cream
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
30ml strong black coffee, cold

For the coffee caramel

120g castor sugar
85ml double cream
30ml strong black coffee

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Brush the inside of a bundt tin all over with some softened butter, then dust with flour and tap away excess. Place in the freezer while you get on with the rest of the cake.
2. Combine butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until light but not too fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla extract and mix until combined. The batter may look a little curdled at this point – don't worry, it will come together with the remaining ingredients.
3. Sift flour, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. Place mashed bananas in another medium bowl, add sour cream, bicarb soda and coffee. Alternately add the banana mix and flour mix to the butter and sugar, beating on low speed. When combined, spoon the mixture into the prepared mould. It should come three-quarters of the way up the sides.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
6. Make the coffee caramel while the cake is in the oven. Place sugar and 100ml of cold water in a medium pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-high heat without stirring. Instead, swirl the pan gently from time to time, and when the caramel turns a deep amber colour (8 to 10 minutes), reduce heat and carefully add the cream and coffee. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken slightly before drizzling over the cake. Serve with whipped cream.