Mexican Chocolate Cake with Roasted Banana Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt
6 tbsp. Dutch cocoa powder
2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
Sauce:
4 ripe bananas
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. bourbon or rye whiskey ( optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan with parchment paper, set aside. Sift the flour, soda, salt and cocoa together, set aside. Beat the yolks until they begin to pale, about 1 minute. Pour in 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue to beat until doubled in volume, 1 more minute.
2. Pour half of the buttermilk into the egg yolks along with half of the dry ingredients, beating after each addition. Repeat for the second half. Add the oil and beat well.
3. Beat the whites with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until soft peaks form. Do not over beat. Fold the whites into the batter and pour this into the prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the middle comes out clean. Cool.
4. For the sauce, make small cuts about 2 inches long in the skin of the bananas. Place the bananas on a baking tray and roast in a 350F oven for 20 minutes. The skin will become completely black. Remove from the oven, cool and peel.
5. Place the bananas in a food processor together with the syrup, cream and bourbon. Process until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
6. To serve place a wedge of the cake on a serving plate and ladle the roasted banana sauce over top.
Serves 8 - 10.
