Banana Cream-Topped Cakes

Rich in calcium.

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Bonjour and welcome to recipe no. 8.

To achieve this perfection, my husband had to sacrifice himself by tasting more than twenty little cakes in a week. Am I compromising his balance?

My first banana moelleux, plain, were a revelation from the very first attempt. Then the desire took me to marry them with raspberry purée. Alas, they baked poorly and all broke apart.

Each morning, upon waking, my mind wanders toward my stove. I dream of improving, inventing, sublimating. That morning, inspiration visited me: what if I enrobed my moelleux in a generous cream... also banana?

Apron tied, here I was at work. The first result showed promise, but the cream still lacked body, freshness, harmony. Each flavor cried too loudly: banana on one side, mascarpone on the other. The whole thing tired the palate.

Disappointed, I freed one moelleux from its creamy coat to taste it bare. Coquin de sort!¹ Everything went to the refrigerator, in indifference. My husband could no longer bear my experiments, and I was vexed. But then the miracle of night worked its magic.

Come morning, my moelleux were transformed. During those silent hours, each ingredient had found its place, had grown tame, had embraced the other. The cream finally offered that firm yet melting texture I had hoped for. The taste had become gentle, subtle, ethereal. Pure magic.

So grant them this patience: let them bloom for an entire night before savoring them.

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Banana Cream-Topped Cakes

Moelleux de crème à la banane

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Ingredients

Makes 8 to 10 small cakes.

For the batter:

• 2 very ripe bananas

• 2 eggs

• 50 g light brown sugar

• 1 packet of vanilla sugar (about 10 g)

• 1 Greek yogurt (150 g)

• 180 g all-purpose flour (or any cake flour)

• 1/2 packet of baking powder (6 g)

• 1 pinch of salt

• 50 ml grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil)

For the cream:

• 1 banana (no more than 80 g)

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 100 ml cold heavy cream

• 250 g cold mascarpone

• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

• 20 g icing sugar

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Instructions

The batter:

1. In a mixing bowl, mash 2 bananas into a purée.

2. Add 2 eggs, 50 g of light brown sugar, and 1 packet (10 g) of vanilla sugar. Mix well.

3. Add 150 g of Greek yogurt and mix again.

4. In another bowl, combine 180 g of flour, 6 g of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

5. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

6. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then add 50 ml of grapeseed oil. Mix thoroughly.

7. Spoon about three small teaspoons of batter into each cup of your cupcake pan.

8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven.

9. Let them cool before removing from the pan.

The cream:

1. Mash the banana and blend it with 1 tsp of lemon juice until smooth and lump-free. Set aside in the fridge.

2. Whip 100 ml of very cold heavy cream with 250 g of cold mascarpone and 1/2 tsp of vanilla powder, preferably using a stand mixer or electric beaters, until you get a firm whipped cream (be careful not to over-whip or it may curdle).

3. Add the banana purée and sift² 20 g of icing sugar on top. Whip for a few more seconds, just until everything is well combined.

4. Chill for 1 hour before piping³ onto the cakes using a star or round piping tip.⁴

5. Then, let the cream-topped cakes rest overnight in the fridge.

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Thank’s for reading, let me know what you thought in the comments!

1. Coquin de sort is a playful old-fashioned expression from Provence, the kind a mischievous grandpa might use. It’s a lighthearted way to express frustration with a smile, like swearing, but sweetly and without any rudeness.

2. Sifting (tamiser, in French) flour or powdered sugar means passing it through a fine sieve or sifter to remove lumps, aerate it, and make it easier to mix into a batter or dough.

3. Piping (pocher, in French) cream means gently placing it using a piping bag, often to decorate a dessert or fill a preparation in a neat and aesthetic way.

4. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can easily replace it with one of these options:

1. Piping with a freezer bag

   • Put the cream inside the bag.

   • Cut a small corner off with scissors.

   • Gently squeeze to pipe.

2. Piping with a spoon (less precise, but it works)

   • Use it to fill or top simply, without decorative effect.