Saturday, April 16, 2016

Banana Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Peanut Butter Glaze


I made this banana bundt cake a couple of weeks ago for a brunch.  I told the host that I would bring cinnamon roll, but I noticed another person had offered to bring cinnamon rolls too.  In the end, two people brought cinnamon rolls.


I have a soft spot for cinnamon rolls, but three pans of rolls would have been a bit much.  This cake is a dessert, but it's appropriate for brunch because it is a bundt and has minimal frosting.  How do you like my logic?

You can tell from some of my photos that I wasn't able to remove the cake from the bundt pan without chunks tearing off.  I added the broken off bits to their proper place, but it was permanently disfigured.

I greased the pan, but I didn't flour it.  I probably should have let the cake cool a little more before trying to remove it from the pan.  I let it sit in the pan for about five minutes before turning it over on a rack, but the pan was still quite warm.


Removing cakes from pans is a stressful affair.  Extricating bundt cakes can be especially trying.  If I were a perfectionist, I would have remade the cake.  Instead I pieced it together, and tried to cover most of its scars with glaze.


This dessert consists of a cake recipe, a filling recipe, and a peanut butter glaze.  The banana bundt cake recipe came from Dori Greenspan.  I stole the peanut butter filling recipe from another bundt cake recipe on My Baking Addiction.  I created the glaze myself.


The cake ingredients are 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup softened butter, 2 cups white sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, 4 ripe bananas, and 1 cup sour cream.


The filling ingredients are 2/3 cup peanut butter, 4 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.  The ingredients for the glaze are 4 tablespoons peanut butter, 4 tablespoons milk, and about 2 cups powdered sugar.


I started with the filling.  In a bowl, I beat the butter and cream cheese together.



I beat in the peanut butter.


I added the sugar and eggs.


I added the vanilla and flour.  I stirred to combined, and then set the filling aside.


For the cake, I creamed the butter for a few minutes.


I added the sugar and beat the mixture until it was light and fluffy


After several minutes I added the vanilla and eggs one at a time.  I mixed well after each egg.



I mixed in the mashed bananas.


I added the baking soda, salt, and half of the flour.  I stirred until the batter was incorporated.


I stirred in half of the sour cream.


I mixed in the remaining flour.


I mixed in the remaining sour cream.


I scooped three fourths of the batter into a greased bundt pan.  I should have floured the pan as well.  


I made a little divot in the center around the circumference of the bundt.  I filled the divot with a ring of peanut butter filling.


I added the remaining banana cake batter on top of the peanut butter filling.


I baked the cake for 65 to 70 minutes at 350.  I let it rest for about five minutes before attempting to remove it from the bundt pan.  You can see that I was not totally successful.  It was a scarred and mutilated cake.  I let the cake cool completely.


For the glaze, I mixed together the peanut butter and milk.


I gradually added the powdered sugar.


I stopped adding powdered sugar once it had the correct consistency.  I wanted it thick but pourable.


I spooned the glaze over the cooled cake.



I let the glaze harden before cutting into it.


The banana cake was delicious.  It had a pronounced banana flavor.  It was very moist and tender.  It was a standout banana cake recipe.


The filling wasn't as good as I had hoped.  The peanut butter flavor was too subtle.   I used a different peanut butter filling in this chocolate bundt, and it was much better.  This filling was not flavorful and the texture wasn't as creamy and smooth.


The glaze was peanut-y, smooth, and sweet.  It encased the cake in a crisp layer of sweetness.


Overall, it was a pleasurable cake.  The banana cake and glaze were on point.  I would use a different peanut butter filling or omit it entirely.

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