Kimberly of Only Creative Opportunities decided on Lot’s of Ways of Banana Cake for this week's Tuesday with Dorie baking event and I threw caution to the wind and just played. Dorie said "versatility" so I tested the meaning of the word.
Dried fruit with banana cake is a hard concept for me. Larry just went to the dentist so adding flaked coconut did not seem like a good idea. Malibu Rum, yes! Malibu Rum in the banana cake AND Malibu Rum for the glazing sugar syrup, double check!
So, what all did I try? First, I used 1 3/4 c. mashed, very ripe bananas (the max for the recipe), 1 cup dried blueberries (I was very sketchy on adding these), and the pre-mentioned Malibu Rum in the banana cake and in the glaze, baked into two 8" cake pans.
Using a skewer to poke holes, the layers are doused until the syrup was used up.
Dorie's marshmallow frosting sounded like a great addition and thick slices of banana were added with the marshmallow frosting as a filling between layers. (Chocolate frosting or ganache did NOT speak to me in this triage of goodness.)
I was surprised to find out the dried blueberries complimented the banana cake, adding another layer of flavor. The sliced bananas in the filling was killer BUT the marshmallow frosting felt like a little TOO much sugar overkill. Dorie's banana cake recipe is definitely worth a return visit; loved the moisture and flavor. Overall, playing mad scientist was a nice release from stress in the kitchen plus Larry has a fun dessert to take in his lunches for the rest of the week. I forgot to mention, I have A LOT of cake left. Maybe I can share with the people at the new produce stand.Thank you Kimberly for hosting this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. For the recipe (if you do not have Dorie's fab baking cookbook), go see Kimberly at her Only Creative Opportunities blog. Also, don't forget to check out the rest of our TWD baker blogs for their fun twists with this great recipe!