Chocolate-Banana Cake
Pastel de Chocolate y PlátanoGuests of all ages and generations go for this sumptuous cake. It's a modern take on dessert with New World ingredients—chocolate, vanilla, and pecans—and certainly an appropriate finish for a Mexican meal. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Ingredients
Makes 1 (8-× 11-inch) cake; about 12 to 16 servings
- 2 cups sifted cake flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 small ripe bananas
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ⁄3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup dark corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Grease an 8- × 11-inch glass baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.
- Add the milk, sugar, corn syrup, oil, and vanilla.
- Mix very well.
- Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Do not overmix.
- Turn the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the top.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a rack about 30 minutes.
Notes & Wine Advice
Cut into squares and serve.