Banana & Mascarpone Layer Cake Recipe
Chocolate Sorbet, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Walnuts
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Cake & Assembly
Salted Caramel
Chocolate Walnuts
Chocolate Sorbet (no-churn style)
Finish & Garnish
Method
Cake & Assembly
- 1
Prepare oven and pans
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and lightly flour or spray with nonstick spray.
- 2
Mix dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until evenly combined; set aside.
- 3
Cream butter and sugars
In a large mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature unsalted butter with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes on medium speed.
- 4
- 5
Incorporate bananas, mascarpone and liquids
Fold in the mashed bananas and mascarpone until mostly smooth. Add the buttermilk and neutral oil, mixing until combined but not overworked.
- 6
Combine wet and dry
Add the flour mixture in three additions, folding or mixing on low speed just until combined after each addition. Do not overmix.
- 7
Bake
Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth tops and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through baking for even color.
- 8
Cool
Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.
- 9
Assemble layers
When cakes are cool, level tops if necessary. Place first layer on a cake plate, spread about 1/4 cup of softened mascarpone over the top, drizzle 3–4 tablespoons of salted caramel (see Salted Caramel section) over that, then sprinkle a third of the chocolate walnuts. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining mascarpone over top and sides (reserve a little for garnish). Dust edges lightly with powdered sugar if desired.
Salted Caramel
- 10
Make caramel
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Swirl pan gently (do not stir) until sugar dissolves and turns amber in color, about 6–8 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- 11
Finish caramel
Immediately remove from heat and carefully add the cold cubed butter, whisking or stirring until melted and incorporated. Slowly pour in the warm heavy cream while whisking (mixture will bubble vigorously). Return to very low heat if needed to smooth. Stir in sea salt. Let cool to warm room temperature before using on cake. Reserve about 1/3 cup for drizzling at service.
Chocolate Walnuts
- 12
Toast walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 6–8 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove and let cool slightly.
- 13
Coat in chocolate
Melt bittersweet chocolate with 1 tsp coconut oil in a heatproof bowl set over a barely-simmering pot of water (double boiler) or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Toss toasted walnuts in the melted chocolate until evenly coated, then transfer to a parchment-lined sheet. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Let set at room temperature or chill briefly until firm. Reserve about 1/3 for garnish and chop remaining roughly for layering.
Chocolate Sorbet (no-churn style)
- 14
Make chocolate base
In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sifted cocoa powder and granulated sugar. Add hot water and whisk until smooth and fully dissolved. Whisk in the melted bittersweet chocolate, vanilla extract, and fine salt until homogeneous.
- 15
Freeze sorbet
Pour mixture into a shallow, freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm at edges, about 45 minutes, then scrape with a fork to break up ice crystals and remix to produce a smooth texture. Repeat scraping every 30–45 minutes for 2–3 hours until a scoopable, sorbet-like texture forms. For faster method, chill until mostly set then process briefly in a food processor or blender until smooth, then refreeze until scoopable.
Finish & Garnish
- 16
Final assembly and plating
Cut the cake into slices. Place a slice on each plate, spoon a generous drizzle of salted caramel over the slice and around the plate, and place a small scoop (about 1/3 cup) of chocolate sorbet alongside. Scatter chocolate walnuts over the slice and around the plate. Add a few fresh banana slices if using, and top with chocolate shavings and a light sprinkle of sea salt.
- 17
Serve
Serve immediately so the sorbet remains firm. Leftover cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; salted caramel will keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks, chocolate walnuts at room temperature in an airtight container for 3–5 days, and sorbet in the freezer for up to 1 month (best within 1 week).