Banana & caramel cake

This delicate cake is delicate, porous and soft, like a cloud. A fairly neutral custard, based on the sour cream, with the addition of ricotta, goes well with bananas and the caramel.

For the cake layers:

• 150 g flour | 5.30 oz
• 150 g starch | 5.30 oz
• 15 g baking powder | 0.55 oz
• 270 g sugar | 9.50 oz
• 270 g butter 82.5% | 9.50 oz
• 6 eggs | 6.00 items
• a pinch of salt | 0.00 pinch

For the custard:

• 500 g sour cream 20% | 17.65 oz
• 3 eggs | 3.00 items
• 40 g corn starch | 1.40 oz
• 180 g sugar | 6.35 oz
• 15 g vanilla sugar | 0.55 oz
• 500 g ricotta | 17.65 oz
• 100 g cream cheese | 3.55 oz

For the caramelized bananas:

• 420 g bananas | 14.80 oz
• 165 g sugar | 5.80 oz
• 75 g butter | 2.65 oz
• 140 g cream 33% | 4.95 oz
• a pinch of salt | 0.00 pinch

First, cook the cake layers.

Sift the flour, the potato starch, the baking powder and salt into a separate container. Melt the butter, and cool it to the room temperature. While the butter is cooling, whip the eggs with sugar at a maximum speed for 4 minutes until the mass increases. Reduce the mixer speed to slightly less than average, and gently add the melted butter at the room temperature; then, add the sifted mixture of flour and starch, and mix until smooth at the minimum mixer speed.

Preheat the oven to 190C (374F), using the convection mode. Prepare 8 sheets of parchment and a 19-20 cm (7.5 to 7.9 inch) ring. You can bake the cakes without a ring, but then the edges of the biscuit will be lower than the middle. You will need approximately 140 g (4.95 oz) of the dough for each cake layer. Spread the dough evenly in the ring, and bake until golden brown (for about 6-7 minutes). Carefully detach the finished cake from the ring with a knife, and cool it; then, put it in a bag or close it with the cling film without removing it from the parchment. It will prevent the cake layers from getting dry; so, the crust will be easily “removed” from the biscuit.

Cook the custard.

Combine the sour cream, the eggs, corn starch, sugar and vanilla sugar in a saucepan with a thick bottom, and mix until smooth. Place the mass on the heat a little less than average, and bring it to thicken, stirring constantly (it will take from 10 to15 minutes).

Place the finished custard in a different container, and cover it with foil in contact; cool, and place the custard in the fridge for a couple of hours. After 2 hours, whip the ricotta and the cream cheese at the maximum speed until combined; then, add the custard base with a tablespoon while whisking. A very stable and airy custard should come out.

Finally, cook the caramelized bananas.

Melt the sugar in a saucepan with a thick bottom over a slightly less than medium heat, stirring constantly until amber. Add the frozen butter in chunks, and mix quickly and thoroughly until combined; add the hot cream, and mix. Add the bananas cut into rings, and boil them in caramel for 2 to 3 minutes; add salt, and mix. Remove the mix from the heat, and chop the bananas slightly with a fork to leave visible but not large pieces. The caramelized bananas are ready!

Carefully remove the crust from each cake (with a knife). Detach the cake layers from the parchment. Cover each cake with 100-110 g (3.55 to 3.90 oz) of the caramelized bananas through a pastry bag, starting from the middle. Then, make a custard side (210-220 g | 7.40 to 7.75 oz for each cake), and spread the rest of the custard over the caramel. Continue by analogy.

Wrap the cake in a cling film, and "enclose" in a ring mold; leave it at the room temperature for 1 hour, and then put it in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours to stabilize. After 3 to 4 hours, decorate the cake with the crème.

To cook the crème, combine the chilled cream cheese, room temperatured butter and the powdered sugar, and whip the crème at the maximum speed for 5 minutes (500 g | 17.65 oz of cream cheese, 120 g | 4.25 oz of butter 82.5%, 90 g | 3.15 oz of powdered sugar). Decorate the cake with the crème, and send it to the fridge overnight.

Bon Appetit!