Banana Rum Choc-Chip Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Here I go rescuing withering bananas from my fruit bowl again. This time they get to hang out with rum and chocolate under a blanket of brown butter frosting... I've decided I'd like to come back as a banana in my next life.



Banana Rum Choc-Chip Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
adapted from Joy Wilson's Joy the Baker Cookbook

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
85g unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 tablespoon white rum
2 eggs
60ml buttermilk
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

For the Brown Butter Frosting:
85g unsalted butter

pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon white rum
1/4 cup cream

Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour a 23cm round cake pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, bi-carbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add mashed bananas and rum and blend for another minute, until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute between each addition.

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Add the buttermilk and beat on low until the mixture just begins to come together. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until the mixture is almost entirely incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a spatula. Fold in the mini dark chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. When a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. Let cakes rest in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Make the Brown Butter Frosting:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter until browned in colour and nutty in fragrance. Pour browned butter into a small bowl to cool. The browned bits will add color and character to the frosting.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add icing sugar, turn mixer on low, and add brown butter in a stream. Increase speed to medium and add vanilla and rum. Beat for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add cream. Increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add a touch of cream. If the mixture is too thin, add a touch more powdered sugar. 

Cut the cake through the middle so that you have two layers and spread the frosting between the layers and on top and sides of cake.