Serves8
- Active Time:30 min
- Start to Finish:2 1/2 hr
February 2008
A great way to use very ripe bananas, this easy-to-make cake incorporates everything you love about banana bread and adds a few more favorites—chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon—for good measure. (It's also much more tender, with a light, moist crumb.)
-
2 1/4
cups
all-purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2
teaspoon
salt
-
1
stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, melted and cooled
-
1
cup
sugar, divided
-
2
large eggs
-
1 1/4
cups
mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
-
2/3
cup
plain whole-milk yogurt
-
1
teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
1
(3 1/2- to 4-oz) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
-
1
cup
walnuts (3 oz), toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
-
1/2
teaspoon
cinnamon
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Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan.
-
Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
-
Beat together softened butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (mixture will look curdled).
-
With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
-
Toss together chocolate, nuts, cinnamon, melted butter, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Spread half of banana batter in cake pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling and sprinkle remaining chocolate mixture on top.
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Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, right side up.
Cooks' notes: Cake can be made 2 days ahead and kept in a airtight container at room temperature.