Banana Yeast Dough Cakes with Chocolate-Almonds Filling

The following tasty cakes are a version of THIS recipe, for banana yeast dough cakes.
In this version, I decreased the amount of mashed bananas a bit (simply because I had less at hand), and used a combination of white and spelt flour for the dough. Other changes I’ve made were using a chocolate-almonds filling, shaping the cakes in different ways, and baking the cakes in different pans. The aroma in the kitchen while baking was wonderful, and the cakes came out very tasty.
As, unfortunately, so many of us are now homebound, preparing these cakes can be a perfect distraction and an opportunity to be engaged in positive activity. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* For the chocolate filling, I used a mix of dark chocolate with almonds, and milk chocolate. Any other combination to your liking will work just as well.
* The spelt flour added a nice nutty flavor to the dough, but also made it darker, and a bit heavier. If you prefer a lighter and fluffier dough, use white flour instead of the spelt flour.
* Buttermilk powder adds a subtle tanginess to the cakes, and improves its texture. It can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets, or online. If you can’t find it, simply omit it.

Makes: 1 Bundt + 1 loaf pan
Prep time: 20 minutes
Proofing time: 3½ hours
Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 cup whole milk, warm
1 package (1/4 oz, 7 grams) dried yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups white flour
3 medium bananas, very ripe (1¼ cups mashed)
¼ cup buttermilk powder (see notes)
1 L egg
½ stick (55 grams) butter, melted
3 cups spelt flour (+ for rolling the dough)
For the filling:
7 oz (200 grams) chocolate, broken to pieces (see notes)
½ stick (55 grams) butter, soft
¼ cup oil
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup almond flour
2 crushed graham crackers
For the syrup:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water

1. In a mixer bowl, mix 1 cup white flour with the milk, yeast and 1 Tbs of the sugar. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes, until the mixture foams.
2. Add the mashed bananas, buttermilk powder, egg, butter and rest of the sugar. Mix with the kneading hook on low speed. Add the remaining 1 cup white flour, and mix on low speed, to combine. Add 2 cups of the spelt flour and mix on low speed, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Increase the speed to medium and knead for about 5-7 minutes, until elastic dough is formed. (The dough will be very soft.)

3. Oil a large bowl, add the dough and roll it in, to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm for about 3 hours, until the dough doubles in size.
4. Punch down the dough, add the remaining 1 cup of spelt flour and knead a bit by hand. (The dough should be fairly sticky, but if it is too sticky to handle, add up to 1 more cup of flour.) Divide the dough into two equal parts and let rest at room temperature, while preparing the filling.

5. The filling: mix the chocolate, butter and oil in a bowl, and melt in the microwave, or in a bain-marie. Add the sugar, vanilla, almond flour and graham crackers, and mix.

6. Brush a bundt pan and a loaf pan with melted butter and set aside. Preheat the oven to 360F (180C).
7. On a lightly floured work surface, roll one part of dough into a large rectangle. Spread half of the filling over it and roll together. Cut it in the middle, lengthwise, and roll the two parts as shown in the photos. Place in the loaf pan. Cover and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

8. Cut the remaining dough into two equal parts. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each into a long rectangle. Spread ½ of the remaining filling over each and roll. Attach both rolls together, as shown in the photos. Place in the Bundt pan. Cover and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

9. Place both pans in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. While baking, mix the water and sugar for the syrup in a small pot. Bring to the boil, lower the heat to medium and cook for 1-2 minutes. Take the cakes out from the oven after 30 minutes, and carefully brush them with the syrup. Place back in the oven and bake until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before transferring the cakes to a rack to cool.