The key to this recipe is to use high-quality baking chocolate with a cocoa content of 60% or more. I like to use the Dutch unsweetened cocoa powder, like the ones from Droste, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 stick (4 oz/115 g)) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas, about 1 cup (225 g), mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup (110 g) sour cream
Ganache:
- 3 oz (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate (60-65% cocoa) chips or a chocolate bar chopped in small pieces
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp rum (optional)
- 1/4 cup (30 g) pecan halves, roasted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Butter and flour a loaf pan. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg. Sift flour, unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter-sugar mix, alternating it with the banana mash. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Mix just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake it for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Place cake pan on a rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, place the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl. Melt chocolate in the microwave. Let it cool a bit and add the butter. Beat it until smooth and shiny and allow it to cool a bit longer. Add the milk and rum. Beat again to obtain a smooth consistency. If chocolate frosting seems too runny for spreading, place frost in the fridge for a couple of minutes until it has reached the consistency of your liking. Glaze the cake top and sides. Sprinkle with the roasted pecans.
