The Elvis

Submitted by Sandra Stilt

Banana Cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 Large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup heavy cream mixed with 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. banana flavoring
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
• 3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" or two 9" layer cake pans.
2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).
4. Add vanilla, banana flavoring and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.
5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

Peanut Butter Mousse Filling

• 1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin
• 2 Tblsp. cold water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 Tblsp. sugar
• 3 Tblsp. salted smooth peanut butter

Directions:
In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in the water and let stand for 5 minutes. In a saucepan, cook the cream over moderately high heat until it bubbles around the edge.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Gradually whisk the hote cream into the egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, followed by the gelatin.Scrape the peanut butter mixture into a covered bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until set (overnight). When ready to assemble cake, whip with wire whisk until smooth.

Ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped.

Put cream in saucepan and heat until scalding hot. Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl, then pour over the hote cream. Leave for about 2 minutes, then stir until just smooth. Let cool until thick enough to spread.

Salted Butter Caramel Buttercream

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 lb salted butter

Combine sugar and water, heat until amber. Immediately add the cream. Cool 10 minutes, put in mixer bowl and cool until firm (but not ice cold). Whip with an electric mixer with balloon whisk attachment until the caramel is fluffy, add butter 2 Tblsp. at a time and whip until butter is incorporated. Use before chilling.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 8 Tblsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup

Melt chocolate and butter in a medium bowl set over pan of almost simmering water. Stir in corn syrup. Set bowl of chocolate mixture over a large bowl of ice water, stirring occassionally, until the frosting is just thick enough to spread.

Cake layering directions:
Divide baked cake layers in half. First layer, cake. Second layer, ganache. Third layer, peanut butter mousse. Fourth layer, cake.. and so forth. Frost entire cake with Salted caramel buttercream and refrigerate. Final icing chocolate buttercream. I used 3 cake layers.

Bacon:
Chop one half pound of bacon into 1/2" pieces and fry until crisp. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of frosted cake.