Cake
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups flour, sifted twice
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 oz. (2 squares) semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 bananas, sliced
White Chocolate Icing
3 cups whipping cream
10 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla
Dark Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup whiping cream
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
The Cake
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in eggs, one at a time
Add vanilla
Beat in sour cream
In a seperate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and chocolate
Add 1/3 of flour mixture and 1/2 of the mashed bananas to the creamed mixture
Mix just until the flour is mixed in
Add 1/3 of flour mixture and the rest of bananas
Add in remaining flour mixture and mix until flour is mixed in
Spoon into 2 greased 8-1/2 inch heart shaped pans.
Smooth the top of cakes with a knife
Bake in 350°F oven (180°C) 35 to 40 minutes or until top springs back when touched
Let cool 20 minutes and remove from pans
White Chocolate Icing
Put white chocolate into a bowl
Pour 1/2 of the whipping cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil
Pour hot cream over the white chocolate and whisk it until it is melted
Add vanilla
Put in fridge until chilled one hour, whisking often
Beat the white chocolate mixture on medium speed until the ridges hold their shape
Beat remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form
Gently fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture
With a serrated knife, slice the 2 cakes in half horizontally (now you have 4 layers)
Place a top layer, cut side up, onto a plate
Put strips of waxed paper under edges of cake to protect the plate
Spread the top of the layer with 3/4 cup of the icing
Cover with a layer of sliced banana, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the cake
Cover with a bottom cake layer (cute side down)
Cover with 3/4 cup of the icing and sliced banana layer
Add the other top layer, cut side up, and cover with 3/4 cup icing and layer of bananas
Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down
With a palette knife, cover top and sides of smoothly with remaining icing
Dip knife into warm water and wipe often to smooth out any bumps in icing
Refigerate about 1-1/2 hours until white chocolate icing is firm
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Put dark chocolate into a bowl
In a saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a boil
Pour hot cream over chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted
Let cook about 20 minutes, or until room temperature, but still pourable
Pour dark chocolate over center of cake and spread it to the sdge with a clean palette knife
Let some of the chocolate drip down the sides of the cake
Refridgerate at least 40 minutes until firm
Now you can decorate your cake for Valentine's Day.
Suggestions:
Use pink and white icings in a piping bag to decorate the cake with pretty designs.
Dip marachino cherries, with their stems, into melted chocolate and allow to set on wax paper, then add them to the top of the cake using a bit of melted chocolate as a glue.
Take a pretty lace doily and lay it on top of the cake, sprinkle lightly with icing sugar. Remove doily carefully for a pretty romantic design.
