Susan's Chocolate-Banana Bundt Cake - So Easy and So Good!

I have just realized a major disadvantage to the “empty nest.” When my youngest child goes off to college, I will be baking for less people. 

 I love to bake, but I have a sweet tooth and it is best when there is only a small amount of cookies, bars, pies, or cake available for me to consume!

Knowing that soon I will not be hosting teenagers as often, I am trying to take advantage of each time my son has a group of friends over. It is the perfect situation: I get to enjoy baking, and whatever treat I make will be pretty well gobbled up - instead of being leftover to tempt me!

A few weeks ago, I knew a group of teenagers would be arriving at our house in a few hours. It was a busy day, and I didn’t have a lot of time. Cookies were too labor intensive - I needed something I could mix up quickly and pop in the oven. I decided to make a bundt cake from a cake mix.

My favorite bundt cake recipe was written down for me by a friend years ago, after I begged her for the recipe of the cake she had just served me! One of the ingredients is a large box of instant chocolate pudding. Searching the shelves of my pantry, I realized the only flavor of instant pudding that I had on hand was Banana Cream Pie.

Using the banana flavored pudding gave me an idea of a way to make the recipe just a little more healthy. I had some very ripe bananas, so I mashed one up and substituted it for one of the 4 eggs listed on the original recipe.

Once the cake was baked and cooled, I decided to glaze it with a banana-chocolate glaze and then sprinkled it with a little confectioners sugar.

The result was a dense, rich and almost sticky cake, with a nice depth of flavor. The banana taste is detectable, but not overpowering. My son’s friends all gave the cake their seal of approval, and more than one of them made the comment, “This is SO good.” 

The cake quickly disappeared, but the next time I have ripe bananas I might just have to make another one!

Here's the recipe - enjoy!

Susan's "SO Good" Chocolate-Banana Bundt Cake

Printable Recipe: Click Here.

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Ingredients:

1 Butter Fudge Cake mix 

1 large box (5.1 oz.) Banana Cream Instant Pudding 

3 eggs

1 medium very ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1 cup greek yogurt, plain (or sour cream)

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Method: 

1.  In a mixing bowl, stir until combined:  cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, mashed banana, oil and water.  Beat on medium for 2 minutes until well blended.

2. Fold in greek yogurt (or sour cream) and chocolate chips.

3. Pour mixture (it will be thick) evenly into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated (350 degree F.) oven for 50 - 60 minutes, until tester comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan.
5. Cool on a rack.
6. Serve plain, or top with glaze and/ or a dusting of confectioners sugar.

GLAZE

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. mashed banana

1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

3/4 - 1cup confectioners sugar

Method:

1. Whisk all ingredients, gradually adding confectioners sugar, until glaze is still thick but a consistency that can easily be poured in a stream over the cake.

To Glaze the Cake:  

1. Place rack with cake over a cookie sheet to catch the drips

2. Pour a thin stream of glaze back and forth around cake, so it drizzles down both the inside and the outside. Try to pour near the top of the cake, so only a minimal amount of glaze drips off before it hardens.  

3. Once glaze has set, I like to lightly dust the entire cake with confectioners sugar.

Did you notice my moose napkin rings? I guess in Montana, you really never do know when you will come across a moose!

What is your favorite version of chocolate cake?

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