Recipe: Ina Garten's Chocolate Banana Crumb Cake. For our dinner party menu from Ina Garten's new book, Make It Ahead, we knew we needed a classic Ina dessert — something easy and relaxed, but totally showstopping. When we flipped to the page with this chocolate banana cake, we knew we'd found it.

And when Faith talked to Ina, she also got an ingenious tip for not only making this cake ahead, but making even more moist a day later. About this cake, Ina says, "When we tested this recipe, we all couldn't stop eating it! The combination of banana, chocolate, and streusel is irresistible." Um, yes.

And a cake like this is the perfect choice for a dinner where you want to make everything ahead. Not only is it easily made ahead, but Ina let us in on a tip she learned while at her store, Barefoot Contessa. When you are making a pound cake or banana cake," she told Faith, "if you wrap it well and refrigerate it it gets moister.

No date night in would be complete without a special dessert. This showstopping chocolate layer cake from Ina Garten's new cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey, comes with a.

It actually gets better!". So give it a try with this cake!

Bake, cool, wrap, and refrigerate, then take out about an hour before dinner, and serve at room temperature with homemade whipped cream. Read more: 7 Essential Tips for Making (and Storing) Better Whipped Cream. Tester's Notes. This was such a tasty, decadent way to eat banana bread! It stayed moist when stored in an airtight container and was delicious even days later. To make the cake easier to remove from the pan, place a sheet of parchment paper like a sling into the bottom of the pan before greasing and flouring it. In Ina Garten's book, this cake was pictured baked in a metal pan, but I baked it in a ceramic baking dish. I think a metal pan would have helped the cake rise and bake a little more evenly, but ceramic is fine if it's all you have!

If you bake it in a ceramic dish, add another 1. Mashing the bananas with a dinner fork was a fast, easy way to get them mashed up! Christine, April 2. Serves 9. 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature. Recipe Note). 1/4 cup sour cream.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake from Ina Garten, Food Network's Barefoot Contessa, is complete with a rich chocolate buttercream that keeps the cake decadent and moist.

For the streusel topping: 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed. Preheat the oven to 3. F. Grease and flour an 8x. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, beat in the egg, vanilla, banana, and sour cream and mix until combined.

Don’t worry—it may look curdled. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. For the streusel, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a medium bowl and pinch the ingredients together with your fingers until the mixture makes crumbles. Add the chocolate and combine. Distribute the streusel evenly over the batter, sprinkle the almonds on top, and bake for 4.

Cool in the pan and serve warm or at room temperature. Recipe Notes. I mash bananas on a cutting board with a dinner fork. Make- Ahead Notes. Bake the cake, wrap well, and allow to sit at room temperature overnight.→ Buy the Book! Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten. Tikka Chicken. Reprinted from Make it Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Ina Garten has posted a Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake recipe with a secret ingredient. For our dinner party menu from Ina Garten's new book, Make It Ahead, we knew we needed a classic Ina dessert — something easy and relaxed, but totally showstopping. Get Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake Recipe from Food Network.

Copyright © 2. 01. Ina Garten. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Recipe: Ina Garten's Devil's Food Cake. No date night in would be complete without a special dessert. This showstopping chocolate layer cake from Ina Garten's new cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey, comes with a make- ahead strategy so you can end your evening on a sweet note, without breaking a sweat.

A four- layer cake with homemade buttercream might seem like a lot of work, but Ina has a great tip for keeping things manageable: "I bake the cakes one day and make the buttercream and assemble the cakes the next so it is not too daunting." Smart! This recipe yields a lot of cake for two people, but leftovers are always great with a cup of coffee the next morning.

Or, you can bring slices to work to share with your colleagues in the office break room — talk about an afternoon pick- me- up! Makes one 9- inch 4- layer cake; serves 1. Pernigotti. 3/4 cup hot brewed coffee or espresso. Coffee Meringue Buttercream (recipe follows)Chocolate espresso beans (for decoration). Preheat the oven to 3. F. Grease two 9×2- inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pans.

Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat until well mixed, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Whisk the cocoa powder and hot coffee together in a small bowl.

With the mixer on low, add it into the batter. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture to the batter, then all the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture, mixing each addition until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold the batter until it is well mixed. Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 3. 0 to 3. Cool in the pans for 3.

To frost the cakes, slice them in half horizontally with a long, thin knife (see note). Place the bottom of the first cake, cut- side up, on a flat serving plate and spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top only (not the sides) with a palette knife. Place the top of the first cake, cut- side down, on top and thinly frost the top only.

Next, place the top layer of the second cake on top, cut- side up, and thinly frost. Finally, place the bottom layer of the second cake, bottom- side up (so the top of the cake is flat). Frost the top and sides of the cake. Heat a palette knife or frosting spatula in hot water, shake off any excess water, and use it to smooth the buttercream on the sides and the top of the cake. Continue heating the palette knife and shaking off the excess water, until the buttercream is smooth.

A revolving cake stand will make it easier.) If there is extra buttercream, fill a pastry bag with it to decorate. Garnish with the chocolate espresso beans. Make ahead: Bake and frost the cake completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Serve at room temperature. Note: Ina uses skewers and a long, thin flexible knife to cut the cakes evenly. Coffee Meringue Buttercream. Frosts one 9- inch 4- layer cake. Pinch of kosher salt. Kahlúa. 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Combine the sugar and 2/3 cup of water in a medium heavy- bottomed saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.

As soon as the sugar dissolves, uncover the pan and place a candy thermometer in the syrup. Cook over high heat until the thermometer registers exactly 2. Thicken Chili here.

F. (Don't stir!). Meanwhile, place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Beat the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Carefully pour the syrup into a 2- cup glass measuring cup.

With the mixer still on high, very slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Leave the mixer on high for about 1 hour (trust Ina!), until the mixture is completely at room temperature.

If the mixture isn't absolutely at room temperature, the butter will melt and deflate the egg whites.). With the mixer on medium, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time. If the butter starts to melt, stop and wait for the mixture to cool.

With the mixer on low, add the coffee liqueur and vanilla. Do not refrigerate; frost the cake while the buttercream is at room temperature. Reprinted with permission from Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten, copyright (c) 2.

Published by Clarkson Potter.