Banana and Chocolate Bábovka

Bábovkas are one of the simplest things you can whip up in a short time and have it served in about an hour. Generally, there is nothing difficult about the recipes but if you are not careful with the amount of liquids, you can end up with a bábovka so dry that it could be as well made from the sands of Sahara, or worse, a bábovka with gooey center.

The specific shape of bábovkas is achieved with a traditional form that has a funnel in the center and ribbed outside. In theory, the hot air in the funnel should prevent the centre from getting gooey, but anyone that ever tried baking one with cream cheese or bananas will agree that is not always the case.

I've tried to make a banana bábovka several times and failed more often than succeeded. The right balance of flour, sugar, milk and bananas seemed crucial and it wasn't until my latest attempt that I finally struck gold. Eventually I decided to add melted chocolate into the batter because bananas and chocolate just work together in terms of flavour and it gave the final result a very nice tint and aroma.


Banana and Chocolate Bábovka
for a large bábovka you will need:

• 325g all-purpose flour
• 180g caster sugar
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 125g butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 3 bananas
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 200g dark chocolate

1. Butter and flour the bábovka form, preheat the oven to 180°C, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until soft and gooey and mix in the lemon juice to keep it from browning. Whisk in both eggs, melted butter and milk.
3. In a different bowl combine the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder and salt and then add it all into the liquid mixture, stirring until well incorporated. Then stir in the melted chocolate and pour into the prepared form.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the form for about five minutes, then transfer on a plate and let cool some more. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve in medium thick slices.