It was only a few short years ago that I first met and fell in love with chiffon cake. So how could I resist Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe for "Banana Split Chiffon Cake"? I love banana cake but I don't have a go-to recipe -- and this one seemed like a good candidate for the honor.
To make the batter, you combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add a mixture of bananas, oil, lemon juice, egg yolks, and vanilla that has been blended in the food processor; and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with cream of tartar and sugar until they reach stiff peaks. You scrape the batter into an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom and bake. After I took the cake out of the oven, I cooled it upside down by hanging the pan over the neck of an empty wine bottle.
After the cake was completely cool, I ran a thin plastic spatula along the sides of the pan to release the cake. This cake was beautiful. It had a superfine crumb and was dense like foam, while maintaining a soft, springy texture -- one of the true wonders of chiffon cake.
But I'll admit that I got lazy when it came to finishing the cake. The recipe includes both a chocolate drizzle glaze and a caramel sauce. I left my cake unsauced, both because I thought the two sauces seemed decadent and because I was in a bit of a rush. In retrospect, that was a mistake. The thing about this cake is that it might have the perfect texture, but the flavor was really lacking. I could hardly taste the banana, although the banana flavor was stronger on day two. My first thought when I took a bite was to wish for some banana extract or some other way to boost the flavor. Tom and I ended up eating the cake with salted caramel ice cream, which was delicious.
This cake would have been amazing with chocolate and caramel sauce. I have some mixed feelings about it. While I appreciate that the recipe is presented as a complete dessert with both sauces, I can't help but feel disappointed in a cake that fails to satisfy when eaten on its own. But because I didn't judge it with the sauces as the author intended, I accept fault for its shortcomings.
Recipe: "Banana Split Chiffon Cake" from The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Previous Posts:
To make the batter, you combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add a mixture of bananas, oil, lemon juice, egg yolks, and vanilla that has been blended in the food processor; and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with cream of tartar and sugar until they reach stiff peaks. You scrape the batter into an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom and bake. After I took the cake out of the oven, I cooled it upside down by hanging the pan over the neck of an empty wine bottle.
But I'll admit that I got lazy when it came to finishing the cake. The recipe includes both a chocolate drizzle glaze and a caramel sauce. I left my cake unsauced, both because I thought the two sauces seemed decadent and because I was in a bit of a rush. In retrospect, that was a mistake. The thing about this cake is that it might have the perfect texture, but the flavor was really lacking. I could hardly taste the banana, although the banana flavor was stronger on day two. My first thought when I took a bite was to wish for some banana extract or some other way to boost the flavor. Tom and I ended up eating the cake with salted caramel ice cream, which was delicious.
This cake would have been amazing with chocolate and caramel sauce. I have some mixed feelings about it. While I appreciate that the recipe is presented as a complete dessert with both sauces, I can't help but feel disappointed in a cake that fails to satisfy when eaten on its own. But because I didn't judge it with the sauces as the author intended, I accept fault for its shortcomings.
Recipe: "Banana Split Chiffon Cake" from The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Previous Posts:
- "There's More Than One Way to Skin a Nut: Hazelnut-Orange Chiffon Cake," August 23, 2013.
- "The Seedy Side of Chiffon: Pumpkin Seed Chiffon Cake," July 11, 2013.
- "Ready for the Fiesta!: Margarita Chiffon Cake," May 21, 2013.
- "Sky High Expectations: Chocolate Chiffon Cake," September 28, 2012.
- "Baked Sunday Mornings: Lady Praline Chiffon Cake," September 9, 2012.
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