Chequered Eggless Banana Cake

Earlier I have baked a chocolate & vanilla chequered bar cake using a Victoria sponge cake recipe & used chocolate butter icing to sandwich & cover the cake. I have also baked banana cakes with all purpose flour (maida). This is the first time I am trying out an eggless cake without sugar & with whole wheat flour & honey. This is Sunita Bhuyan’s recipe which I felt was different & wanted to try it out. Above all I liked her idea of chequering! I used to bake loaf cakes separately & then assemble into a chequered pattern. I have yet to master the art of icing cakes.. This cake is low on sweetness..so those who like it extra sweet may not enjoy it! Next time I will bake a chequered cake with the Victoria sponge which I love. You see I love my cake sweet!

This cake is for the calorie conscious .. Who knows? May be the ones who have an extra sweet tooth may go for it! Happy Chequering!! J

Ingredients :

2 Ripe Bananas (pureed)

11/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)

7 tbsps. Almonds (ground)

2 tsps. Baking pwd.

1/3 tsp. Soda Bicarb

1 cup Milk

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

6 tsps. Honey

For the Dark Cake :

3 tsp. unsweetened Cocoa pwd. + few tsps. Milk

For Glueing, Filling & Covering :

2 cups Double Cream, whipped with one tbsp. of sugar till stiff or jam to fix the pieces together & then cover with cream.

Method :

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Line two 8 inch round baking pans with greased foil/baking parchment.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking pwd., & soda bicarb.

In another bowl, whisk together the pureed bananas, milk, honey & oil.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture & tip in the banana mixture.

Fold in till everything is just mixed together.

Divide the mixture into 2 parts.

Mix together 3 tbsps. of cocoa pwd. with few tsps. of milk till it is a smooth paste & add it to one part of the mixture.

Combine till well mixed. Keep aside.

Tip each mixture in both the pans.

Tap the pans against the counter to spread the mixture evenly & to release air bubbles. Place the pans in the centre of the pre-heated oven & bake for about 30 mins. or till the top is lightly browned & when a tooth-pick inserted through the centre comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 2 mins., peel away the foil/parchment & then transfer to a rack, upside down to cool completely.

Once cooled, cut out two smaller circles from each cake (use 5 inch or 2 inch pastry cutters to cut out the circles or a lid to cut them out). (I used the rim of a steel tiffin & a bowl).

Brush the insides of the cakes & the sides of the cut circles with jam/cream & fix them in alternate colors.

(I used melted jam).

You will have 2 cakes with alternating colors in each.

Spread some whipped cream over the top of one cake & place the other on top.

Cover the sides & the top with the whipped cream to make one whole cake.

Mix melted chocolate & cream & use this mixture to decorate the cake with patterns.
Alternatively decorate the top of the cake as desired.

Cut into wedges & serve. (Follow the pictorial).

5 Comments

Shireen Sequeira on November 5, 2011 4:33 PM

Cake looks very delicious Hilda, I am sure my husband will love this as he likes cakes that are not too sweet..your cake looks beautiful & the chequered look is very attractive 🙂

Lavanya Muralidharan on October 5, 2012 12:33 PM

Your cakes are extraordinary….especially the zebra and this checkered cake….
http://www.wowyummy.com

Hilda Mascarenhas on October 5, 2012 1:31 PM

Thanks Shireen… 🙂

Hilda Mascarenhas on October 5, 2012 1:32 PM

Thanks Lavanya… 🙂

betsy on October 8, 2012 11:45 AM

i wl try both these cakes