my first cake.

I baked my first real cake today!

I decided to bake chocolate banana cake after watching a video how-to from the Joy of Baking. It seemed easy, and since I was once again fussing over my baking attempts, I gave it a go.

I was thisclose to baking them as cupcakes but I held it off thinking it might just disappoint me. Thankfully, the finished product was a smashing success. Yay! I'll make them into cupcakes next time though. ;)

Moist, aren't they? And they're already a day old, fresh from the fridge!

The recipe was so easy.. Here it is, straight from the Joy of Baking.

2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar (I used white and brown sugar)
1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium sized bananas)
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) corn, safflower or canola oil (or other flavorless oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract plus a few drops of banana extract

Chocolate Ganache Frosting: (I didn't use this cos I still had leftover ganache from the devil's food cupcakes I made last weekend.)
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Set aside. (I baked it at 160C on my turbo broiler).

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined. You will notice that the batter is quite thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  (It took just 20 minutes on my turbo!)

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, frost with the Ganache.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel, or heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat (can also be heated in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. When Ganache has completely cooled, beat until soft and fluffy (I use a wire whisk). Then spread the frosting on top of the cake. Can garnish with dried banana chips.

Serves 16 people.

I'm glad I made this today cos it was just sooo good. It's the kind that would make you go for seconds, or even thirds! Hehe.

This would definitely be a keeper in my book. :)