HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!: BANANA,CHOCOLATE CHIP & CASHEW CAKE WITH WARM,HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE AND COOL,VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM{Eggless}
INGREDIENTS
1 and 1/2 cups refined flour/all-purpose flour
2 bananas - preferably overripe
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped-roasted cashewnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup sugar - ground in a food processor to a powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
Generous pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter - softened
FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:
240 gm sugar
60 gm unsalted butter
140 ml heavy cream/double cream
90 ml water
FOR THE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM:
1/2 cup whipping cream - chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon sugar - ground in a food processor to a powder
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C/340 degrees F.
In the meanwhile,place a small sauce pan with the milk on high heat.Once fairly hot,reduce the flame to low,add the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves.Switch off the heat.
Now,in a bowl,sieve together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder,baking soda and salt.Add chopped-roasted cashewnuts.Keep aside.
In another bowl,beat the unsalted butter and powdered sugar until light,fluffy and creamy.
Put the bananas in a blender and blend to a smooth,fine puree.Alternately,you may mash them or even use a combination,like puree one and cut into dices the other.Depends upon the texture you are looking for in the cake.Add these bananas to butter and sugar mixture.Pour in the sweet milk and vanilla extract.Beat together until combined.Tip in dry ingredients in two batches and beat again till all traces of flour disappear,and the batter is smooth.Do not over mix.
Fold in the morsels of deliciousness,the chocolate chips.
Grease a 7.5 inch or 8 inch round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper.Pour the cake batter into the tin and place it in the oven.Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are fine as well,wet batter is not.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool a bit in its tin for about 10 minutes.Then,while still warm,unmould the cake and transfer it to a serving platter.Poke some holes on the top using a metal skewer or an uncooked strand of spaghetti,about half way into the cake.Pour the warm,silky,luscious caramel sauce over and allow to soak for 5 minutes.Cut into slices and serve with cool,vanilla whipped cream.Can life get any better?
