Banana Split Coffeecake...

It's time to take a break from those nasty taxes to do a little cake dance! For this round of the Weekly Wednesday Treat Day, Jeff thought it would be nice to bring in a fun and different cake. After describing some cakes I had in mind, we ended up choosing this Banana Split Coffeecake to make.

While this two-toned cake has a few steps in it making the preparation a bit fussy, the end result was very much worth it. When the light golden cake batter had been prepared, a portion of the mixture is combined with slick melted bittersweet chocolate. This will form a striking contrast to the remaining batter that will be combined with a mashed banana. One tip - because there is such a small amount of banana, be sure to use the ripest one you can so you get the most bang-for-your-buck in flavor.

Once this high-rising marbled cake had cooled completely, it has a couple finishing touches to really set it off. The first is a decadent chocolate glaze made by heating together bittersweet chocolate, butter, half-and-half and a touch of light corn syrup. When it was warm enough to make the mixture completely smooth, it is set aside to cool down and thicken up. Now, you don't have to add that little bit of corn syrup, but it helps ensure that the glaze will easily pour and not harden up too much. I was a little thrown off by the term "glaze" - I was expecting something that was a little more fluid. While this did flow down the cake a little, I thought it was a bit too viscous to get an even finish. To round out the "banana split" part of this coffeecake, toasted slivered almonds garnish the top of the cake while the glaze is still wet.

The combo of chocolate and banana in this cake was quite exciting - however, I would maybe think about adding a couple drops of banana extract to the blonde batter. Even though my banana was quite ripe, I just think the flavor could use the boost to stand up to the rich chocolate. Thanks to the buttermilk, the cake was very tender and moist with a delicious mild tang. You probably won't end up with all of the glaze on the cake as some will inevitably (though it may take awhile!) run down. So be sure to do this part while the cake is still on the cooling rack and just place a plate underneath to catch any drippings. The leftovers can be scooped up and stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks to use as a fantastic chocolate-y topping for ice cream when heated back up!

Recipes
Banana Split Coffeecake