Roasted Banana Cream Cake

5 from 1 vote

This Roasted Banana Cream Cake takes classic banana cake to the next level. The cake has a caramelized flavor from the roasted bananas and the signature look of banana bread. The German buttercream frosting is a custard base frosting and providing the cream part of this cake.

Prep Time35

Cook Time35

Total Time1 10

Servings: slices

Author: Miranda Couse

Ingredients

Banana Cake

4 medium bananas roasted
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

German Buttercream

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean pod
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4 cups butter room temperature
15 sweetened banana chips

Ganache

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

German Buttercream

In a medium saucepan, add the2 cups whole milk and bring up to a simmer over medium heat. Once the milk begins to steam and simmer, reduce the heat to low.
In a medium bowl, add the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 2 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks. Whisk together until combined.
Add ½ cup of hot milk to the sugar/egg mixture and whisk until combined. This is tempering the eggs so they won’t cook when added to the remaining milk. It will be thick at first but will loosen up as the milk gets incorporated.
Pour the tempered sugar/egg mixture into the saucepan of simmering milk. Working quickly, whisk the mixture constantly.
Turn the heat up to medium and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Continue whisking while the mixture bubbles for 1 minute.
When the minute is up, pour the custard into a large mixing bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cool. This can be stored in the fridge up to 3 to 4 days before you make the German buttercream frosting.
Once the custard has cooled completely, beat with a hand mixer or preferably a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until creamy.
Add the 4 cups butter, one tablespoon at a time, while mixing. Once the butter is all combined, continue to beat for an additional minute.
Use immediately or refrigerate until needed. When ready to use, whip until creamy before proceeding.

Banana Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Add a round piece of parchment paper in the middle of the pan and grease the paper. Wrap each pan in bake even strips to help keep the cakes level.
Place the 4 medium bananas with peels still on them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. The bananas will release about ¼ cup of juice while roasting, we’ll use that in the recipe as well.
After the bananas have cooled enough to take them out of their peels, place them in your mixer bowl with the ¼ cup banana juice from the roasting them.
Add the 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup granulated sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.
Add the 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until the eggs are incorporated and scrape down the sides. Give it a quick mix if any remnants remain.
Add the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until the flour is mostly incorporated. Once most of the flour is incorporated, turn the hand mixer on medium speed and beat until the flour is just incorporated.
Divide the cake batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is done. Place a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, it’s done.
Let cool 10 minutes in the cake pan before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once the cakes are completely cooled, place the first layer on a cake plate.
Add a layer of buttercream frosting to the top of the cake and spread out evenly with an angled spatula.
Place the second layer of cake on top of the frosting, giving it a gentle push down.
Add several scoops of frosting on the top of the cake and begin spreading it evenly on the top and down the sides of the cake. Add more frosting if needed to get an even coat of frosting.
Add some of the remaining frosting into a disposable piping bag fitted with the Wilton 1M tip and pipe tall swirls on top of the cake. I piped about 15 swirls and added a banana chip to each swirl.

Ganache

In a small microwave-safe bowl, add in the 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Microwave in 30-second intervals and stir after each interval until smooth. Let the ganache cool slightly so it isn’t too hot to handle.
Pour the ganache into a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one of the corner of the bags.
Drizzle the ganache down the edges of the cake and up to the outside of the swirls.
Place the cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

Notes

If using a whole vanilla bean, add the milk and bring up to a simmer along with the vanilla bean. Once simmering, turn off the heat and set aside to steep for at least one hour or longer if time allows. After steeping, remove the vanilla bean pod and use a rubber spatula to scrape the beans from inside and stir into the sugar mixture like you would vanilla bean paste. If you’re short on time, the custard may be cooled quickly by mixing it continuously in a stand mixer on medium low speed for about 20 minutes instead of refrigerating it.

The buttercream yields about 10 cups.

If you’d like to flavor the buttercream with any extracts, melted chocolate or other flavorings, do it once the butter is added to the frosting.

To make the German cream cheese buttercream, use only 2 cups of butter and then add 16 ounces of room temperature cream cheese. Refrigerate for 30 to 1 hour before rewhipping the frosting and frosting the cake.

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