Banana Beer Bundt Cake with Chocolate Stout Ganache

02.27.15

Where did this week go? New York City Beer Week kicked off last Friday and the days that followed were lost to several exciting events, one too many delicious beers, and a rough morning or two. Needless to say, this post didn’t get posted as planned. But it’s here now!

This recipe is perfect for when you find yourself with overripe bananas which, let’s face it, has happened to everyone who has ever purchased bananas. Sure, you could make banana bread, but this is a cake! With chocolate! It has a moist and slightly dense crumb that’s studded with walnuts and chocolate chips then generously dressed with a flowing layer of ganache.

Serves: 12
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours

Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction.

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 1/2 ripe bananas
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup nut brown ale
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup stout

Steps

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Thoroughly butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, mash bananas with lemon juice. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Using an electric mixer on high-speed, cream together butter and sugar until pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in vanilla. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients in 2 additions, and mix until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas and walnuts.

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake on the center rack until golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, approximately 1 hour 10 minutes. When ready, a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center will come out clean.

While still in the pan, place the cake into the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes which will help the cake stay moist. Remove from freezer and invert onto a cooling rack.

To make the ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. Combine cream and stout in a microwave safe bowl and zap for 1 minute or heat on the stovetop until bubbles begin to form on the surface. Pour over the chocolate and allow to rest for 3 minutes then whisk until smooth. Drizzle ganache over banana cake and allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes prior to serving.

Tags: banana • beer • brown ale • bundt cake • buttermilk • chocolate • chocolate chips • cooking with beer • craft beer • ganache • porter • recipe • stout • vanilla

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