Shelly's Recipe

LAST-OF-THE-BUNCH BANANA BUNDT

Category: Cakes

If you’d like a more generous coating of icing, increase the amount of confectioners’ sugar and add as much additional milk as needed to get the right texture.

For the cake
3 cups (408 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup (113 grams) coconut oil, at room temperature, or another stick (113 grams) butter
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 to 4 ripe bananas, mashed to a puree (about 13⁄4 cups; 360 ml)
1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
3 ounces (84 grams) chocolate (milk, semisweet or bittersweet), finely chopped
1⁄2 cup (60 grams) sweetened flake coconut
For the icing (optional)
3⁄4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar 1 to 11⁄2 tablespoons milk
Sweetened flake coconut, toasted, for sprinkling (optional)

TO MAKE THE CAKE : Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a Bundt pan, dust with flour and tap out the excess (or coat with baker’s spray). Do this even if your pan is nonstick.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and nutmeg.
Working in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, coconut oil, if you’re using it, both sugars and the salt together at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until well blended, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in, then beat in the rum, if you’re using it, and the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, beat in the mashed bananas; don’t worry about how curdled the batter looks.
Still working on low, add half of the flour mixture. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in all of the yogurt, and when that is almost in, add the rest of the flour and mix until blended. Switch to a flexible spatula, scrape down the bowl and mix in the chocolate and coconut.
Spoon the batter into the pan, smoothing the top and swiveling the pan from side to side to even the batter and get it into all of the pan’s curves.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the top is brown and the sides of the cake pull away from the pan when gently nudged; a skewer inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it rest for about 5 minutes, then unmold it onto the rack. Let cool to room temperature. If you have patience, wrap the cake once it cools and let it “ripen” overnight.

TO ICE THE CAKE (OPTIONAL) : Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk if necessary, a drop at a time, stirring until you have an icing that falls easily from the tip of the spoon.
Drizzle the icing over the cake and sprinkle over some toasted coconut, if desired. Let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes, or until the icing is set, before you serve or store the cake. (If you’d like a more generous coating of icing, increase the amount of confectioners’ sugar and add as much additional milk as needed to get the right texture.)

STORING : Covered, the cake will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature. Without the icing, it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.

NOTE: I think the taste and texture of this cake are better after an overnight rest.