Thursday, August 18, 2011

Banana Nutella Cake with Coffee Glaze


At work the other day, a vision came into my head. Not one of those religious visions I was taught about in Catholic school! Rather, it was a vision of food ... specifically of cake.

A banana cake.

A cake made with Nutella.

A cake with a coffee glaze.

I wasn't quite sure how these pieces would fit together, but it was clear that this vision had to be realized. And so, over the weekend I baked.

I took a basic cake recipe which is very adaptable. I took a perfectly ripe banana, and I bought a jar of Nutella because ... ahem ... the last jar I had seems to have disappeared. I didn't bake with it, I didn't use it as a frosting. I'd be ashamed to admit that I simply finished it off ages ago with a spoon, but I know I'm not the only one who indulges that way!

But I digress ....

I didn't need to do a lot of research through various recipes, trying to configure how my cake would be created. Instinctively, I just knew that the basic batter need to be mixed with the key ingredients, swirled, topped with a crunchy streusel, and then given the final crowning glory of a glaze.

So, that's what I did.

And the end result was so moist, so seductively delicious! Each flavor shone, and yet each also complemented the others.

Sometimes inspiration strikes, and things are just meant to be ....

Banana Nutella Cake with Coffee Glaze

Cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unbleached flour
2 generous tablespoons Nutella
1 medium banana, mashed

Streusel:
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup oatmeal
1/8 cup ground almonds
1/8 cup butter, softened

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons prepared coffee, cooled to room temperature

Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8"x8" glass baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sour cream, egg, sugar, baking powder and baking soda; stir in the flour.

Remove 1 cup of the batter and place it into a medium mixing bowl; stir the Nutella into the remaining batter in the large bowl. Stir the mashed banana into the batter in the medium bowl.

Spread the Nutella batter into the prepared baking pan.


Carefully spread the banana batter over this, then use a knife to swirl the batters together.



Streusel: Combine the flour, sugar, oatmeal and almonds in a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the cake.


Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.

Glaze: Combine the coffee and the confectioners' sugar, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over the cake, then let the glaze set. Cut and serve.

Makes 8-12 servings.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Girl.. I wish you had visions like that, but when you visioned it you were making this at my house and sharing with me :) YUM!!!

Vanillabeanseed said...

this looks great! Im going to have to try this.. is there anything that I can use to replace the sour cream tho? THis isnt something I usually have in the fridge!

Nicole said...

Holy Moly - that sounds divine!

Jocelyn said...

haha! I think my last jar of nutella disappeared the same way:-) This cake sounds absolutely amazing!!! Love the combo of flavors you used to create it!

Mellisa said...

This looks amazing! Thanks for posting the recipe.

Mellisa

Dillypoo said...

Oh. Em. Gee.

You are evil. Truly evil! Now I have to bake a cake. Just as soon as the summer heatwave ends and I can turn my oven pilot light on.

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Ripe banana, check. Jar of nutella, check. Coffee glaze, check!! Looks like I know whats for dessert tonight! This is cake perfection IMHO Mary. Perfection!!!!! Your vision is amazing and I want to make one really badly now :)

Candace said...

What is it with Nutella disappearing so mysteriously like that? That very thing happens at my house too....jar after jar after jar. This looks like a fantastic way to use the very ripe bananas on my shelf. Yum! Love the coffee glaze!

Leanne said...

Absolutely sinful, I tell ya!!!!!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

What could be better than the combination of banana and Nutella .. oh that fabulous streusel topping. Yum.. What a visionary you are!

Christina | Christina's Cucina said...

Just wanted to let you know that I used your recipe (changed it a bit) to make a bundt cake and posted it on my blog (I linked back to your blog as the original recipe.) Thank you for your vision, it was a great idea!

Mink said...

Thanks for the idea of 2 mixes! I don't have sour cream so I mixed cream cheese + yogurt.


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