• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about Dom in the Kitchen
  • contact me
  • pr & demo’s
  • Private Dining

Dom in the Kitchen Homepage

Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

  • Home
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarian
  • Everything else

coffee, banana and white chocolate cake slices – the espresso collective challenge

12 March 2014 by Dominic Franks

… even though I enjoy a cup of coffee i’ve never been one of those ‘must-have’ coffee drinkers… for instance, the viking quite literally cannot get moving in the morning without a cup of the strong stuff and his is the kind of cup you could stand a spoon up in… I can function without that first cup and I believe that this makes me appreciate the taste just a little more – whilst the viking is simply after the caffeine I am happy to relax into a glorious cup of toasted, roasted beans… I appreciate the biscuity aroma of a pure arabica coffee but I don’t need it injected direct into the vein…

… the good people at Carte Noire have launched a new range of capsules exclusively for use in Nespresso* machines, which is fantastic for those like the viking who simply can’t wait for their coffee and even the thought of having to stand and wait for the process of kettle brewing, coffee steeping and cafetiere plunging is just too much!  There are four distinct flavours and each espresso comes with its own special character, luckily for my lack of caffeine addiction I can distinguish between these flavours and share my thoughts with you…

No3 – Elegant 
pure arabica beans that deliver a classic smooth taste… for me this is the ultimate breakfast coffee as the aroma is reminiscent of biscuits, oats and cereals… the easiest to drink and enjoy cup after cup.

No5 – Delicat
again a pure arabica but this one has a sourness to it that wasn’t to my liking… it describes itself as fruity and silky but I wasn’t so keen although the viking was more than happy to quaff…

No7 – Aromatique
for me, this was a clear favourite with a distinct ‘machiato’ naturalness to the taste reminding me of eating chocolate digestives by an open log fire… perfect for baking into a cake you’ll find…

No9 – Intense
as the name suggests this one has a bit of a kick to it but not in a horrendous aggressive way, this has one of those chili type heats that builds on each delightful sip – again great for baking into cakes and confectioneries…


coffee, banana and white chocolate cake slices
being the food blogger that I am I couldn’t simply provide you with a review, it would only be honourable of me to give you a coffee-based recipe too… something sweet and simple to accompany that first cup of coffee, or at any time of day to be honest.  The coffee is plunged last-moment on top of the cake before it goes into oven and swirled through so it blends beautifully with the banana and vanilla in the white chocolate… to me each slice is like an extra creamy sweet latte…

for the cake:
250g slightly salted butter – cut into cubes
250g white chocolate -green and blacks do an amazing one with vanilla
250g light brown soft sugar
3 large eggs
250g mashed banana (roughly three)
150g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 espresso cup Carte Noire Aromatique coffee

for the icing:
200g icing sugar
200g butter – softened
1/2 espresso cup Carte Noire Intense coffee
2 tablespoons TOTAL Greek Yoghurt

you will need a shallow baking tray roughly 25 x 20cm.  I actually used an old pyrex dish I normally use for lasagne which I lined with parchment paper and this worked fine

place the chocolate and the butter into a large oven-proof bowl and place it into the oven then switch the oven on to 180C and allow the butter to melt into the chocolate for roughly 6 to 8 minutes although check after five and give it a stir with a spatula

in another large bowl beat the eggs into the sugar with a whisk then pour in the melted chocolate and whisk together

sieve the flour and baking soda into the mixture and gently fold in, then add the banana and fold in.

pour into the baking tray and pour 1 cup of Carte Noire Aromatique on top and using a knife, swirl into the cake – then bake for 20-30 minutes

once out of the oven set aside till cooled and then pop into the fridge to chill for at least an hour

to make the icing beat the softened butter into the icing sugar and greek yoghurt and pour over 1/2 cup of Carte Noire Intense – do this in stages as you want to get a nice, thick consistency – you may need to add more icing sugar to reach the desired thickness

slice the cake into fingers and then pipe little waves of icing onto the slices using a flower-shaped piping nozzle – sprinkle with cocoa before scoffing

This post is an entry in the Foodies100 Espresso Collective Challenge, sponsored by Carte Noire. Each box of Carte Noire Espresso capsules contain 10 single servings and are available in supermarkets at an RRP of £2.79 and are available in four intensities. To find out more about the new Carte Noire Collection Espresso click here

*Nespresso® is a registered trademark of a third party without any link with Mondelez International group. Compatible with all Nespresso®* machines bought before July 1, 2013. After that date, compatible with most Nespresso®* machines bought. For additional information regarding compatibility, please see UK: www.CARTENOIRE.co.uk/compatibility

eat and of course, enjoy!

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on E-mail

Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: chocolate, coffee, coffee cake, espresso collective, nespresso, white chocolate

Previous Post: « sous vide kangaroo with rosemary mushrooms and blackberry vodka
Next Post: cajun roast chicken »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Comments

  1. everythingofcooking says

    12 March 2014 at 11:56 am

    Lovely little cakes!

  2. Sally says

    12 March 2014 at 11:58 am

    Oh yum, Dom – that looks delicious. Pop a slice in the post for me? 😉

  3. Karen S Booth says

    12 March 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Those look bloody gorgeous Dom! Fabulous idea for a coffee break treat! Karen

  4. helen says

    12 March 2014 at 2:27 pm

    I would never have thought to add coffee to a banana cake – sounds like a perfect combo & looks amazing!

  5. Stuart Vettese says

    12 March 2014 at 11:10 pm

    Brilliant combo of flavours!

  6. Susan Lindquist says

    13 March 2014 at 1:38 am

    Your first photo made me swoon … no kidding.

  7. Jean says

    13 March 2014 at 8:27 am

    Très chic!
    Love the icing and coffee and banana sounds like a truly fab combination!

  8. Mark Willis says

    13 March 2014 at 10:12 am

    Coffee and banana is a combination I learned to like while living in the Far East. My favourite coffees are Indonesian ones (like Soerabaya), which are really strong – the sort you drink at breakfast, not after a posh dinner – and a very common breakfast food in that part of the world is the little tiny bananas called “Pisang Mas”, and of course “Kek Pisang” (banana cake).

  9. Jenn C says

    13 March 2014 at 12:19 pm

    What a great idea for a little treat to serve up with a nice cup of coffee!! I'm like you.. I'm not a must haver, but I do like a really good cup. Actually, because of the pregnancy, I have stayed away from coffee for 9 months now…. 3 more weeks until the baby comes and than I'm going to enjoy a nice cup of coffee followed by some sushi!! lol

  10. SavoringTime in the Kitchen says

    13 March 2014 at 12:31 pm

    What a brilliant idea! I don't have a Nespresso but my daughter does. Maybe she'd offer me a couple of her cups so I can make this delightful cake 🙂

  11. Kate@whatkatebaked says

    13 March 2014 at 8:07 pm

    I love the middle photo of the casually dusted cocoa powdered bars Dom!

  12. Magnolia Verandah says

    14 March 2014 at 1:25 am

    This little slice is the perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of coffee mid-morning. I am not a big coffee drinker and don't need the caffeine kick first thing in the morning. But I do enjoy a nice coffee to relax with. That icing really makes this slice a bakers delight.

  13. Christian Halfmann says

    14 March 2014 at 4:55 pm

    They look great! Now it would be nice, if you hand some over …

  14. Judit + Corina says

    14 March 2014 at 7:29 pm

    What a decadent idea! Almost too pretty to eat, only almost….
    Cheers,
    J+C

  15. Galina Varese says

    15 March 2014 at 10:12 am

    What a glorious creation! Absolutely marvellous. I love my coffee but my first morning cup should be an Earl Grey with lemon, and my cup is a size of a mini-bucket. 😉

  16. jac says

    16 March 2014 at 9:40 pm

    Sounds and looks delicious

  17. Choclette says

    18 March 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I'm rather intrigued by the banana and coffee combination – sounds quite sophisticated. And all that white chocolate? Sounds like I really ought to try a piece.

  18. Anonymous says

    14 April 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Hi really nice recipe, from my side instead of only 1 cup of coffee
    I will rather add 2 cup of espresso the stronger the icing the best it is, delicious!

  19. Bisuzs Coffee says

    11 April 2016 at 5:13 pm

    Lovely !! I love how my favourite things are together in this recipe (coffee and banana!)

Primary Sidebar

About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:
Powered by follow.it
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Archives

Tweets by @DomInTheKitchen

as featured in Lincolnshire Life Magazine

Lincolnshire Life

creatively managed by

The Persuagers
Belleau Cottage

Footer

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

&copy 2010 - 2021 | All rights reserved | Website by Peckish Digital