Choc Banana Bundt Cake

 So, what do you do when you have 3 bananas that have gone all black and a packet chocolate cake that you did not use at Xmas in the cupboard?  You make Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake.

I'm not the biggest fan of banana cake, although I do like my Perfect banana cake but mostly I find them too dense and rich.  Last Xmas I was going to make a chocolate cake to take to a friends house but eventually decided on something else, so I had a packet in the cupboard, and I had a function coming up and wanted to make a big cake.  I had not used my bundt pan for a while, so I also wanted to use that, and it will feed 12 easily.  Now one choc cakemix will not fill a bundt pan, but two cake mixes will, so I made this Chocolate Banana Bundt cake and it was a real hit.  I think because the chocolate cake just adds a nice lightness when added to the banana cake.  

Try to use a good quality chocolate cake mix, one that uses oil not butter as the crumb will be better.  This banana cake was a slight adaptation from Jamie Olivers banana cake, adding almond meal to  both cakes it ties the two together.  If you like spice, you can add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and mixed spice to the banana cake, walnuts chopped would also work as an extra in the banana cake.

About icing/ topping the cake - you can make up your own favourite chocolate icing and drizzle over the cake, or simply top with some melted butter and chopped nuts.  This is also very nice served warm with a caramel sauce.  I leave it plain.

CHOC BANANA BUNDT CAKE (serves 12)

Easy.

Ingredients

Banana Cake

• 1 cup of flour - remove 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of almond meal
• 3 ripe (very) bananas
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar

Chocolate Cake

• 1 packet mix chocolate cake
• 1-1/2 tablespoons almond meal

- plus ingredients listed for the cake mix (egg, oil etc)

Plus

• 1 large bundt pan
• oil spray
• 2 tablespoons (aprox) flour

Method

• pre-heat oven 150C fan forced (or 160C non FF) & check there is enough room on a middle rack for the cake pan.
• spray bundt pan lightly with oil, make sure you spray the cone in the middle, then sprinkle flour around pan to ensure it is covered.  Tap out any excess flour.
• Make up chocolate cake according to packet, don't forget to add the almond meal & mix in a stand mixer if you have one.  I find mixing it for the full amount of time it says on the packet is essential. (hard to overmix this one)
• Set aside.
• Make up banana cake - I find a hand mixer perfect for this
• Mash bananas, add sugar and mix
• Add vanilla, eggs and yoghurt.  Mix until nicely combined  
• In a seperate bowl mix the dry ingredients.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined (a bit like a muffin mix but not lumpy)
• To put the mixes into the pan use a large mixing spoon and alternate choc and banana mixes until full.  Be careful not to mix the two into each other as you want them to be seperate when the cake is cut.  It looks lovely.
• Place in the middle of the overn and bake for aprox 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Check with a small skewer to ensure the cake is fully cooked through and is coming away from the sides slightly.
• Take out of the oven and leave on a board for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool.