Banana Split Cake

The mouth-watering banana split sundae inspires this cake. It's the best birthday cake you can bake for a loved one. The flavours of the sundae are distributed in all the layers of the cake to give a wholesome experience. The banana base is topped with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache, covered in cream cheese frosting. What could be more tempting?

Ingredients

Cake Base

2½ cup Plain flour

1¼ cup Granulated sugar

2½ tsp Baking powder

½ tsp Baking soda

Pinch of Salt

200g Unsalted Butter*

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

¼ cup Heavy cream

¼ cup water

2 mashed Bananas

½ cup Dark Chocochips

Strawberry Filling

250g Strawberries sliced

½ cup Granulated sugar

½ Lemon

1 tbsp Cornflour

3 tbsp Cold water

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup Dark Chocochips

1 cup Heavy cream

Cream Cheese Frosting

225 g Cream cheese*

150g unsalted Butter*

3 cup Icing sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla extract

2 drops of Yellow food colour (optional)

*At room temperature

Method

Step 1 - Cake Base

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix well. In another large bowl add your butter and cream it for 2-3 minutes on medium with a hand beater or till it comes fluffy and light.

Step 2

Then add your granulated sugar ½ cup at a time. Beat on medium for 3-4 minutes till all the sugar is fully combined with the butter. Now add one egg at a time, beating at medium speed. Then add vanilla extract and beat until just combined.

Step 3

Then add mashed banana and beat on low speed till they fully combine. Remember not to overmix the batter. Now in a bowl add heavy cream and water and mix well. Then add dry ingredients ⅓ at a time alternating with heavy cream. Until all the ingredients are just combined.

Step 4

Then add chocochips, and with a rubber spatula, mix them in the batter. Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line 2 8 inch cake tins with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.

Step 5

Now add your batter evenly in both the tins. Beat the tin against the slab a few times to get the air bubbles to escape. Place in the oven and bake for 27-30 minutes. Or when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Step 6

Take the tins out, let the cake cool for 5 minutes, and then take them out of the tins and let them rest on a cooling rack till they come to room temperature.

Step 7

Once the cakes cool down, cut the top to make an even layer then cut them from the middle giving you 4 layers. Then cling wrap the layers and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Step 8 - Strawberry filling

In a blender add strawberries, blend into fine paste. Add water accordingly. Then strain the puree.

Step 9

In a pan add sugar, lemon juice and strawberry. Place on medium. Then in a bowl add cornflour to cold water and mix well.

Step 10

Then add the slurry to the strawberry puree, stirring constantly. Let the puree simmer for 4-5 minutes or till it's thick. Then take off heat and let it cool down.

Step 11- Chocolate ganache

Boil heavy cream in a pan. In a bowl add choco-chips, and then pour the heavy cream on the chocochips. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Step 12

Whisk every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. Then let the chocolate ganache sit for another 20 minutes till it becomes thick and creamy.

Step 13 - Cream cheese frosting

InAddutter, and cream for 2-3 minutes on medium with a hand beater. In a bowl, then add cream cheese and beat until just combined.

Step 14

Then add icing sugar ½ cup at a time, till all the icing sugar is combined. The frosting should be fluffy and smooth. Then add vanilla extract and yellow food colouring, and mix until combined.

Step 15 - Assembly

On a cake board add a little frosting in the middle, then place your first layer. Add your frosting in a piping bag and make a dam on the edges with the frosting then add ½ cup chocolate ganache.

Step 16

Place another layer, make a dam with the frosting then add ¾ of your strawberry filling. Then place another layer of cake. Make a dam with frosting, add ¼ of chocolate ganache and rest of your strawberry filling in the middle.

Step 17

Place the final layer of the cake. Then add ½ of your frosting on top, smooth it out. Then add the rest of the frosting on the side and smooth it out.

Step 18

Add some fresh berries on top and let the cake sit overnight and serve.

Tips

1. Beate the butter and sugar until they are fluffy, and place important to ensure a fluffy base.

2. Make sure to cut the cake once it's at room temperature to prevent breaking the base.

3. Always freeze your cakes before applying frosting. Don't skip this step.

4. Make sure to add cornflour slurry instead of cornflour powder to prevent any lumps.

5. Whisking the ganache is very important for a silky, airy structure.

6. Make sure not to overmix your frosting otherwise it won't be stable for decorating.

7. All the ingredients should be at room temperature except for your cake base.