Banana Chocolate Cake with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

As it often happens, I once again found a few very ripe bananas in the kitchen, and used them as an excuse to bake a cake. The decision on which kind to bake was easy, as it’s been a while since I’ve baked a chocolate cake.
After mixing the bananas with obvious ingredients, I decided to flavor the cake with espresso powder and warm spices, such as vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon, which always pair well with cocoa. To add more layers of texture and flavor, I also added some raw pistachio nuts and dried cranberries to the batter.
The aroma in the kitchen while baking was very promising, and the cake kept its promise and turned out delicious, with a dense, moist and rich texture. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* In order to obtain the rich dark color of the cake, make sure to use Dutch processed cocoa powder.
* Chocolate glaze can be used instead of the powdered sugar. Click HERE for a recipe, along with a recipe for another version of banana-chocolate cake.

Makes: 1 Bundt pan
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
½ cup shelled raw pistachios
½ cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs cornstarch
3 very ripe large bananas, mashed
1 stick (115 grams) butter, melted
2 L eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cardamom powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp espresso powder, mixed with 1 Tbs hot water
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1¾ cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
Dash salt
Powdered sugar for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Brush a 12 cup Bundt pan with soft butter, and dust with a bit of flour. Turn the cake upside down and tap on in, to get rid of access flour. Place in the fridge until using.
2. In a small bowl, mix the pistachios and cranberries with the cornstarch, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, brown and white sugar, vanilla, cardamom and espresso powder, and whisk with a hand blender.

4. Add the sour cream and cocoa powder, and whisk well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix briefly to combine. Switch to spatula, and add the pistachio-cranberries mix. Mix to combine and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out almost clean.
6. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before carefully releasing it onto a rack, to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.