Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Chocolate Dessert #9

Even in the midst of strawberry season, you didn't think my kids would let me stray long from the chocolate dessert cookbook, did you? I didn't either.

All of the kids enjoyed this, although one of my big sons griped about the nuts in the streusel. My response to him was something to the effect of "Suck it up, sweetie."

Chocolate Dessert #9:
CHOCOLATE BANANA SPLIT STREUSEL CAKE

1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Chocolate Streusel Filling:
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup chocolate chips (which I did not use)

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat together the butter and granulated sugar until well mixed, 1 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add bananas, cocoa and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, soda, powder and salt. Beat into cocoa mix alternately with sour cream until just combined. Spread 1/3 of batter in the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Top with half the streusel filling. Spread another third of the batter over the streusel, top with the remaining filling, and finish with the balance of the batter. Bake 50 tol 55 minutes, until the cake tests done. Let it cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then turn it onto a rack to finish cooling. Sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake to serve.

Note my confession that the recipe calls for chocolate chips, and I didn't u
se them. I thought this cake provided plenty of opportunity for a chocolate coma without the extra chips. Feel free to further enhance your own chocolate coma, however!
I also suspect you could replace all of the dry ingredients in this confection with a boxed mix, and come up with virtually the same results. I might do that the next time my kids beat me into making this. If any of you try it, let me know!

Tomorrow, Thor hosts "other dogs" for Dogs on Thursday. Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday. I'm working on sending my rain to some of you who are more needy, but putting steering rudders on clouds is proving to be tricky.

8 comments:

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your cake has me drooling and wanting to make this right now.

From the looks of your garden, you're really going to have a bounty!

You made a gorgeous dress for the wedding. I didn't realize you were a shorty like me!

Unknown said...

oh you crack me up! Steering rudders indeed :=)

That cake does indeed look like it would induce a coma. I would try it but I don't have your resolve to avoid all things chocolate. g

Tatersmama said...

Girl, I don't know how you do it! You're so darn organized and make such lovely things... and here I sit, praying for pizza tonight, so I don't have to cook for 7 children!

But I have to admit, this looks beautiful and scrumpdiliumtious... and the kids would love me forever if I made this for dessert tomorrow night!

Paula said...

I've got to tell you, at the exact moment that I read the part about "suck it up, sweetie", my kids came at me with some complaint. I turned my head ever so slightly in their direction and repeated your phrase. My son burst out laughing. "Mom, I've never heard you talk like that before!" My daughters looked stunned, and then they, too, started laughing. And me? I sat with a huge smile on my face. Oh, and the complaint .... it went away. Problem solved. I feel so liberated! :-)

Love this cake. Perhaps if I fed them cake more often they'd never bring me a problem again! :-)

Pam said...

I think the nuts would make this cake extra delicious!

I've missed so much while I was away - your dress turned out really lovely. Your garden looks like it's doing so well too.

Lo said...

mmm. That chcolate streusel looks like it really makes this cake.

Sue said...

Keep those chocolate recipes coming. I won't even have to get the book.

SissySees said...

The Knight would gobbled that up with a gallon of milk.