banana hazelnut pound cake

By foodiva

Ingredients

• yields: one 9-inch loaf
• ingredients
• 5 overripe bananas
• 1 3/4 cups (7 18/25 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 3/4 cup (5 7/25 ounces) brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark molasses
• 5 large eggs, cold
• 1 teaspoon hazelnut creamer or hazelnut extract
• 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts with skin, coarsely chopped or crushed (toasted hazelnuts will work fine, too)
• baking spray oil, or a little extra butter for greasing cake pan

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from unegaminedanslacuisine.com

Preparation

Step 1

method
1. Take one banana and slice it across its length and keep one slice aside, cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to use. Slice the rest of the bananas along with the single leftover slice and place them in a medium-sized microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes and then transfer the fruit to a medium-sized strainer and place it over a bowl. Let this sit for 1 hour without disturbing, you should get around 1 cup of liquid that will drain and collect. Keep strained bananas until ready to use.

2. Place a wire rack at mid-level in the oven. Take a loaf pan and grease it lightly with the spray oil or butter. Line pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients from the all-purpose flour to the baking soda and set aside until ready to use.

4. Place butter, sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 5 minutes on med-high speed. Add one egg at a time to the creamed butter mixture and mix till combined. Add the hazelnut creamer/extract and mix for 5 seconds on med-high speed.

5. Stop the mixer and add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed for 15 seconds, then increase speed to med-high until just combined. Add the drained banana mixture to the batter and mix on med-high for 2-3 seconds, then add remaining dry ingredients; mix on med-low speed, gradually increasing to med-high. Add hazelnuts and mix for 15 seconds. Once batter is mixed, transfer to prepared loaf pan. Place reserved slice of banana in the center of the loaf. Bake 75-80 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process. The cake will rise and will be done when the outer layer is firm to touch and caramelized. A knife or skewer when passed through the center should come out clean.