Blue Plate Bachelor

This cake is amazing, but very rich. Serve with a nice, strong coffee roast. Try Kona or a Kona blend if you can get it. Lion’s Kona Gold is a great blend, imported from Hawai’i.

White Chocolate-Guava Cake with Roasted Banana Cream

Custard:

3 egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split

Cake Batter:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup pureed ripe guava

Roasted Banana Cream Sauce:

2 medium ripe bananas
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup heavy cream

Roasted banana slices (for garnish)
White chocolate curls (for garnish)

In top of double boiler combine egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar and vanilla bean. Cook over gently simmering water until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and discard vanilla bean. Stir in white chocolate. Let cool completely.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour the bottom of a 9 x 2 inch round cake pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and continue beating for 5 minutes. On lowest speed, beat in the cooled custard. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In measuring cup, combine milk and guava puree. On lowest speed, add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and blending until just combined. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake is deep golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, then invert again so that the cake cools right side up. Let cool completely. Serve garnished with Roasted Banana Cream, roasted banana slices and white chocolate curls.

Roasted Banana Cream Sauce:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place two unpeeled bananas on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until soft. Let cool to lukewarm. Peel the roasted bananas and place their flesh in a blender. Add the sugar, rum and vanilla, and blend briefly. Add the heavy cream and blend again. The mixture should have the consistency of a puree. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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