Sticky banana and chocolate pan-cake

Name: Sticky banana and chocolate pan-cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 90 g unsalted butter; 150 g milk couverture chocolate; 80 g bittersweet couverture chocolate; 100 g light brown sugar; 40 g flour; 50 g ground almonds; 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder; 0.75 tsp baking powder; 4 eggs; 0.5 tsp salt; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 bananas (ripe); 30 g unsalted butter (diced); 3 tbsp maple syrup; 0.5 tsp vanilla bean paste; 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt; 150 g double cream; 0.5 tsp vanilla bean paste; salt; flaky sea salt (for serving); maple syrup (for serving)

Based on 4 ratings

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Ixta Belfrage

Contributor

www.instagram.com/ixta.belfrage/

"This is a pan-cake (a cake made in a frying pan), not a pancake, which is a semantic difference but quite a big one. Here, a one-bowl chocolate cake batter is spooned over caramelised bananas and finished in the oven. The result is a fondant-like cake with a soft, oozing chocolate centre, topped with sticky bananas. Serve this cake hot from the oven, with cold cream. I like extra-thick double cream here but you might prefer pouring cream. Make sure you use ripe, sweet bananas with plenty of brown spots, or they won’t caramelise properly. Notes: Please don’t worry if the banana slices get stuck to the pan once flipped – this is a rustic dessert and you can easily peel the banana slices off the pan and return them to their rightful place on the cake. If you don’t have a non-stick, ovenproof frying pan, fry the bananas in whatever pan you have, then carefully transfer them, browned side down, to a lined and greased 23cm cake tin along with the caramel. Spoon the batter on top then bake as normal. This recipe is from Ixta Belfrage's new cookbook MEZCLA."

Difficulty

Easy 👌

Preparation

30 min

Baking

10 min

Resting

5 min

Ingredients

2Servings

30 g

unsalted butter

50 g

milk couverture chocolate

26⅔ g

bittersweet couverture chocolate

33⅓ g

light brown sugar

13⅓ g

flour

16⅔ g

ground almonds

13⅓ g

unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp

baking powder

1⅓

eggs

⅛ tsp

salt

⅔ tbsp

vegetable oil

1⅓

bananas (ripe)

10 g

unsalted butter (diced)

1 tbsp

maple syrup

⅛ tsp

vanilla bean paste

⅛ tsp

flaky sea salt

50 g

double cream

⅛ tsp

vanilla bean paste

salt

flaky sea salt (for serving)

maple syrup (for serving)

Nutrition per serving

Cal753

Fat50 g

Protein11 g

Carb79 g

Step 1/7
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.
Step 2/7
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 50 g milk couverture chocolate
- 26⅔ g bittersweet couverture chocolate
- 33⅓ g light brown sugar
- 13⅓ g flour
- 16⅔ g ground almonds
- 13⅓ g unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1⅓ eggs
- ⅛ tsp salt
Start the chocolate cake. Place the butter and half each of the chopped milk and dark chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Cook, stirring, until most of the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl from the heat. Add all the remaining ingredients for the cake (soft light brown sugar, plain flour, ground almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder, eggs (whisked), fine salt), including the remaining chocolate, but don’t mix yet. Set aside.
Step 3/7
- 1⅓ bananas (ripe)
- ⅔ tbsp vegetable oil
For the bananas (small peeled bananas and sliced 1 cm thick), put the oil (mild olive oil or sunflower oil) into a 28cm medium, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan and place on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, arrange the banana slices to cover the bottom of the pan and fry for 3 minutes without stirring or flipping.
Step 4/7
- 10 g unsalted butter (diced)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp vanilla bean paste
- ⅛ tsp flaky sea salt
Increase the heat to medium-high, then distribute the butter, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste and flaked salt evenly over the banana slices. Cook for 6 minutes, swirling the butter and maple syrup around the pan as they form a caramel together. The bananas will soften and caramelise on the bottom, but if you feel they’re burning, lower the heat a little. After 6 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
Step 5/7
Mix the cake batter until fully incorporated, then spoon evenly over the bananas. Bake in the top half of the oven for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until just set on top but still quite soft and gooey beneath. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Step 6/7
- 50 g double cream
- ⅛ tsp vanilla bean paste
- salt
Mix the cream with the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Step 7/7
- flaky sea salt (for serving)
- maple syrup (for serving)
Use a spatula to gently ease the cake away from the sides of the pan. Place a large plate on top of the pan and flip the cake on to it. There’s a good chance some of the banana slices will remain stuck to the pan, but you can just peel them off and replace them, browned side up. Sprinkle the cake with flaked salt, then top with the cold vanilla cream. Drizzle over some more maple syrup and serve.
Enjoy your meal!