Week 9, April 5

By now it's not much of a secret that I enjoy making cakes (and cupcakes) more than just about anything else.  There's always an air of celebration around a beautiful cake, and it's so fun to be a delicious part of that!  It's also a hobby of mine to come up with different flavor combinations, often inspired by other dessert, truffle, or confection flavors that I stumble upon when I'm travelling, visiting little shops, or perusing a farmers' market.

I was asked to make a Mardi Gras themed cake a few weeks ago, and I suggested Bananas Foster as the flavor, since that's a dessert that originated in New Orleans.  Since that event, I have been itching to recreate the cake again, mostly so I would have the opportunity for a taste! 

This week, each CSB member is receiving one 6-inch two layer Bananas Foster Cake.  I started with my classic yellow cake, made with pure butter, local organic eggs, and evaporated cane juice.  Once those came out of the oven, I sliced them into layers and infused them with banana liqueur, rum, and spices.  The cakes were then filled with whipped creme fraiche, fresh banana slices, and a drizzle of my homemade salted bourbon caramel sauce.  I topped each cake off with vanilla French buttercream, a sprinkle of toasted walnuts, and another drizzle of caramel.

Each cake should serve 6 people (or 4 very generous servings).  For any pieces that might be leftover, refrigerate, wrapped well, up to three days.  You may freeze this cake, but do be aware that the fresh banana slices might get a little gooey when it defrosts.  Of course, they're in the filling, so that might not be a big issue since they're hidden.  Freeze the cake, whole or by individual slice, until solid.  Wrap well in plastic and store in the freezer up to one month.