Banana Split Coffee Cake

I like bananas. I buy them by the bunch from the Shuk. Invariably, they all go bad before I can eat them all. And so I bake with them. A quick sweep of this blog will show you that I've baked ALOT of banana baked goodies so it's a miracle that there are still original recipes to try. This latest one is the Banana Split Coffee Cake from King Arthur Flour's Baking Companion. Essentially it is a banana chocolate marble cake. Banana and chocolate are a classic combination but more than that, it used buttermilk (needed to use up) and oil (healthier!) so this really was a winning recipe. Nothing too complicated here- just mixing half the batter with melted chocolate, half the batter with mashed banana and layering. I didnt bother with the glaze because I was just too lazy, but it was fine without it. I might make one if I were bringing this to a party or a meal but my girls were none the wiser and perfectly content to eat any cake at all. Thankfully, I had little trouble unmolding this bundt from its pan, due to the large amount of PAM I sprayed the pan with. The cake was moist and soft and wonderfully good. One of my girls called it heavenly. This cake really lives up to its name and would be
PER-FECT with a cup of coffee.

Banana Split Coffee Cake
from the Baker's Companion

3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 large banana or two small
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350. LIBERALLY grease a ten cup bundt pan with baking spray. Set aside. Melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside. Mash the bananas and set aside. Place the eggs in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high until light and foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until thick, about five minuets. While the eggs are beating, combine the dry ingredients on a sheet of parchment paper. Gradually add the oil to the egg mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and blend. Add the dry ingredients. Pour half of the batter into a bowl and blend in the melted chocolate. Add the mashed banana into the remaining batter. Pour half of the banana batter into the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate batter and top with the rest of the banana batter. Using a knife, gently swirl. Bake the cake for about 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in a pan for fifteen minutes before daring to unmold it. Cool completely on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar.