Banana Cake:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 4 small bananas)
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 bar (1.5 ounces) GodivaŽ Dark Chocolate, grated
Banana Pastry Cream:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 small banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Spicy Rum Buttercream:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Dash of ground nutmeg
Chocolate Leaves:
3 bars (1.5 ounces each) GodivaŽ Dark Chocolate, chopped
12 firm fresh oblong leaves, such as lemon, cleaned and dried
Make Banana Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 13-by 9-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper.
Beat butter with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in banana, eggs and vanilla.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture. Gradually add sour cream and beat until well blended. Fold in chocolate.
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Make Banana Pastry Cream:
Heat milk in medium heavy-bottomed saucepan until very hot. Mix sugar, flour and salt in bowl and whisk in hot milk until blended. Pour back into saucepan. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and smooth. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in yolks and cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally.
Mash bananas and lemon juice until smooth Add to milk mixture. Cover and refrigerate.
Make Buttercream:
Place sugar and water in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and attach a candy thermometer to side of pan.
Beat eggs in bowl of electric mixer at medium speed. Meanwhile, place sugar syrup over high heat and cook until mixture reaches 238°F. on candy thermometer. Do not stir. Immediately remove pan from heat and pour about 1/4 cup of hot syrup into beaten eggs. Beat at high speed about 10 seconds or until blended. Turn mixer off and add another 1/4 cup syrup, then beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. Repeat adding syrup and beating until all syrup is used.
Scrape down sides of bowl and continue to beat at medium-high speed about 8 minutes or until mixture is completely cooled. Beat in salt.
Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, into egg mixture. Add rum, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Beat at medium-high speed about 5 minutes or until buttercream is smooth and shiny.
Assemble Cake:
Remove cake from pan. Slice in half horizontally and place bottom layer back into pan. Spread prepared banana pastry cream over layer and place second half of cake on top. Spread buttercream decoratively on top and set aside. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Make Chocolate Leaves:
Place chocolate in microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir until melted and smooth.
Hold a leaf with the veined-side up. Using a pastry brush, coat upper surface completely with chocolate, wiping away any chocolate from edges of leaf. Place leaf on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining leaves and chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate is cold and set. Carefully peel chocolate off the leaves and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Remove cake from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut into 12 pieces. Garnish each serving with a chocolate leaf.