Once I watched a food documentary which featured a famous NY dessert shop. The chef shared about the type of bananas used in their dessert, described as "rotten bananas" - meaning bananas that are so ripe that the skin has turned black and the insides have softened, almost on the verge of becoming mushy. She explained that these bananas are not only sweeter than usual, but have a much more fragrant and intense flavor.
In our home, we always have "leftover" bananas as my husband is a fruit / banana fan. Whenever he cannot finish eating the bananas and they become overly ripe, he will ask me to make something else with them. So I am constantly trying to find creative ways to use the bananas....pound cake, bread, muffins, chiffon cake, smoothie, etc. Just google 'overripe banana recipes' if you need more ideas.
This chiffon cake is one of my favorite overripe banana recipes. Very similar to the orange chiffon cake, it is light and fluffy, and keeps moist for a good number of days.
One of the key factors for a successful chiffon cake is ensuring the egg whites are beaten correctly and used promptly. When using a mixer, with more experience, it becomes easier to gauge when stiff glossy peaks form and to stop whisking. DO NOT OVERWHISK - if you do, the foam will become lumpy and collapse....and there goes your cake. See this video on how to beat egg whites. Adding sugar helps to stabilize the egg white foam. Finally, use the beaten egg whites quickly, or they start losing water and deflating.
For chiffon pan, I prefer the type with a removable base as unmolding the cake is much easier. It also comes with "3 legs" which allows the pan to stand inverted and elevated when cooling the cake.
The next time you have bananas turning too ripe, don't be in a hurry to eat them all, or throw them away. Try baking this cake!
RECIPE FOR BANANA CHIFFON CAKE
Makes one 10 inch (25 cm) cake
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6 egg yolks
50g (1/4 cup) castor sugar
60g (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
2 large bananas (very ripe)
130g (1 cup) cake flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
6 egg whites
70g (1/3 cup) castor sugar
Preheat the oven at 355 deg F (180 deg C).
Use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas till soft and mushy.
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Hand-whisk egg yolks and 50g sugar in a large bowl till thick and pale. Add vegetable oil, mashed bananas and lightly whisk till well-integrated. Add sifted cake flour, sifted baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix evenly.
Whisk egg whites in a separate container, ensuring the container and whisk are clean and dry. Whip the egg whites till foamy then add the sugar gradually in 3 batches. Whip till stiff peaks form - when you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should point upwards without folding or collapsing.
Incorporate whipped egg white in 3 batches into the egg yolk mixture. Use the spatula to scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Using your hand whisk to mix well gently.
Pour the mixture into the chiffon pan. (Note: DO NOT GREASE THE PAN) Smoothen the surface with a spatula and lightly "drop" the chiffon pan against the work counter a few times to break any large bubbles.
Bake cake in preheated oven at 355 deg F (180 deg C) for 50-55 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, the top of the cake will turn lightly brown. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the chiffon pan (do not remove pan from oven but be very careful).
After 50-55 minutes, remove cake from oven, invert the cake pan and cool on a rack. Unmold and slice when cake has completely cooled down.
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MEASUREMENTS FOR A SMALLER CAKE
Makes one 7.5 inch (20 cm) cake
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3 egg yolks
25g castor sugar
30g vegetable oil
1 large banana (very ripe)
65g cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/8 tsp salt
3 egg whites
35g castor sugar
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