Banoffee cake

 

Banoffee cake is suitable for all those who want to lose weight or want to take care of themselves with healthy meals ... no, no way, I'm kidding. Each inch of the cake contains about 2 million calories, so it is something to take with moderation and very occasionally. As positive things is that it is very easy to do - it is just a stack of existing things - and besides it has fruit (and that's really healthy, no joke). In fact, the name is formed by the words Banana and Toffee, which are the main ingredients,  banana over a layer of dulce de leche ... oh, and I forgot: to finish off the task we crown the layers with whipped cream. 

This cake was invented in an English pub in the 70s of the last century. If you have gone to England you will know that pubs are not only those places that retain the same decoration that when they opened, beer is served, darts are played and you look bad when you speak an english with no cockney accent, but also that many of them serve meals pretty decent acting like cheap restaurants.

INGREDIENTS :

• A can of 370 grams (13 oz) of condensed milk or equal amount of Dulce de Leche (in fact with the condensed milk we will make Dulce de Leche).  
• 1 cup and a half of whipping cream 
• 200 grams (7 oz) of cookies (digestive type is ok)
• 100 grams  (3.5 oz) of unsalted butter
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of icing sugar
• 2 or 3 bananas
• 1 lemon
• Cinnamon powder

To make this cake it is essential to have a 22 cm (9 inches) mold (the size of a plate) with the removable bottom. No baking is need for this cake  but it is impossible to unmold it using normal molds, so if you put it in a mold of another type (silicon, aluminium)  there will be no way to take it out. That is why it is often done in individual bowls to take directly to the diner but then loses the grace of the cookie base.

First we will put the can of the condensed milk (which must be new, unopened) in a casserole with water to cover it. We bring the water to a boil and leave about 2 and a half hours. If the water evaporates and the can is not covered with it, pour more water. When you open the can the condensed milk will have become dulce de leche.  But if you already have dulce de leche, skip this step. What if I have condensed milk but in a non-metallic container? You must pass it to a small metal casserole that you can cover and heat it in the water bath for at least 3 hours.

While the dulce de leche is made, we will crush the cookies to take them to a bowl where we will add the butter that you will have melted in the microwave. Stir well with a spoon and take to the mold, where you place the dough in the bottom pressing with the back of the spoon  until it is very compact. To make it even more compact, take it to the refrigerator and keep it for 30 minutes.

Remove the mold from the fridge and on the base of biscuit and butter spread the dulce de leche until it is well distributed. It is convenient to beat it a little with the spoon before spreading it.

Peel the bananas and cut them into slices half a centimeter (half an inch) wide. Cut bananas one by one because that matter is to place the slices over dulce de leche without overlapping, so depending on the size of the bananas you will need 2, 3 or even more. Or maybe just one. Once you have the slices you take them to a bowl and mix them with the lemon juice so they don't rust. Then distribute them across the surface side by side and there is the minimum space between the slices but remember, without overlapping.

Next we will whip the cream. It is best to take it to the freezer at least 15 minutes before starting the process since it rides much better cold. When the cream  is ready we add the icing sugar and integrate it with the same mixer or the rods.

Place the cream on the banana layer with the help of a pastry bag or spoon. Finally we sprinkle cinnamon but we can also use syrup or chocolate chips, filleted almonds etc. We take to the refrigerator and keep for at least two hours.

Take from the refrigerator and remove the ring from the mold. It is cut like a normal cake by cutting it with a long knife and the help of a palette, taking care not to disassemble it.

To allow the possibility to use any type of mold and that it is also easier to work with it, sometimes a puff pastry plate is used as a liner that is first baked - pricking it so that it does not rise too much - and then, once cooled, it filled with dulce de leche, banana and whipped cream, making the layers as before explained  (without cookie base).

It is a delight but it has many calories, eat with moderation !