4 + 3 ripe bananas 125ml yoghurt 2 eggs 250ml sugar 2,5ml ground cinnamon 5ml vanilla a pinch of salt 500ml flour 15ml baking powder 150g butter, melted 160g sugar 30ml water
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Peel 4 bananas and halve them in their length. Arrange cut-side down in the prepared baking tin and set aside. Peel the other 3 bananas and mash them with a fork. Add to a bowl with the yoghurt, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix together. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix together until smooth. The mixture will be very stiff. Add the melted butter and mix again until all of the butter has been absorbed into the batter. Set aside. Add the 160g sugar and 30ml water to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer the mixture WITHOUT STIRRING until it turns a caramel colour. Remove from the heat and pour it over the bananas in the prepared baking tin. Now pour the batter into the tin and spread it out evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the cake and cool in the baking tin for 15 minutes. Invert the cake on to a serving plate and cut into squares to serve.
For the filling: Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and pour in 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g sugar and whisk together. Set aside. Pour the 450ml milk and 50g sugar into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to just before boiling point and take off the heat. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir until very thick and then cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the custard onto a dinner plate and cover with plastic wrap. Push the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Your should make TWO batches of filling, separately.
For the cake: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed. Add another third, mix and then the remaining flour and mix again. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: YOU WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT, YOU DONT WANT TO BOIL THE MILK! Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly, pour in the milk. Scrape down the sides and the base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and then drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning the cakes out on cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Assembling the cake: Slice the cake horizontally so that you have 4 cake discs. Spread the custard evenly on to each cake layer and stack them on a serving platter. Roast the flaked almonds in a dry pan, allow to cool and scatter over the cake to serve.
My Whisk and I 