Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Some leftover caramel sauce and some speckled ripe bananas on the counter top were the inspiration for this moist, delicious and completely decadent coffee cake. I swirled a little of the caramel sauce along with toasted walnuts through the batter for the cake and then used both as a topping/garnish for the finished product. The result was this spectacularly moist and wonderfully balanced coffee cake that really is an equal marriage of all its tasty components.

Caramel Sauce

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 cup whipping cream

Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.

Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.

When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.



Coffee Cake

• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup milk
• 3/4 cup lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl until foamy. Add eggs and mashed banana. Mix well.

Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with milk.

Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch spring form pan. 

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the caramel sauce over the batter (about 1/2 cup) swirl through the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center which comes out clean; this is the best indicator that the cake is fully baked.

Garnish with more of the caramel sauce and lightly toasted walnut pieces.