So, as you might know, I’ve got a whole lot of bananas in my garden.

Now, something you might not know, is that I’m part witch. Or you can call it Attraction Law, according to the Kybalion, as well.

The thing is, I’ve been here, hiding behind my computer, always reading the delicious recipes @auelitairene cooks in order to participate in @qurator’s contests. Kind of jealous, you could say, as I wanted to write an entry as well but I didn’t have the ingredients, or I didn’t like cheese, or Idontevenknowwhatelse.

So, maybe 10 days ago, I took a look at the last chosen ingredient -which was seafood, in case you’re curious- and I said:

Ok, you know what? I am going to choose next week ingredient. It’s going to be bananas.

And here we are, a week later, coming back to this Internet-Hivean-Life to find out that… this week’s Hive Top Chef is all about bananas!

I am the one who's going bananas in here, my friends.

Alright, a lot of rambling for now.

Let’s put hands to the fruit, shall we?

“Snicker’s ” Banana Slice

First things first: We’ve got three simple rules in my kitchen:

1. The sweeter the better.
2. The healthier the merrier.
3. If you can combine both, you’ve achieved a masterpiece.

...And no, it does not need to rhyme. This is cooking, not poetry.

In this Cold Cake recipe, I used gelatin but it can be easily made vegetarian or vegan. You can look at the Substitution Notes at the end of the post.

It also uses over-ripped bananas so the sugar amount you will need is zero. Well, that’s up to you, actually. I used cane sugar only because I love the taste of it in everything.

This recipe is as sweet as overripe banana can be but also a lil’ bit salty because of the peanut butter. It has chocolate. It is smooth! And it is so healthy!! It’s the perfect combination!!!

This is also a two-recipes-in-one recipe. So let’s begin.

FIRST PART: BANANA JAM

You’re going to need:

• Ripe bananas.
• The sweetener of your choice, if you’re going to use any. As I told you before, I choose cane sugar.
• Water.

I know, those bananas look like something you would find in another part of the house and not in the kitchen (was that too much for a food post? 😅) but stick with me in this, okay? The more ripe the bananas, the higher their levels of antioxidants and vitamin C. Also, the more ripe, the sweeter! So it’s a win-win for us.

I had a lot of overripe bananas in my freezer and they were perfect for this recipe.
To make the banana jam you simply are going to put 50% fruit for 50% sugar for proper conservation.

I truly believe these bananas were so sweet they did not need any sugar and I also didn’t need to conserve them for a lot of time. So I just added as much cane sugar as I liked the taste.

You’re going to incorporate them in a pan in low fire with enough water to cover all the fruit.

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Put the lid on and let it cook for two hour approximately.

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Remember: this should NEVER run out of water. So you should check up on it every now and then and add as needed.

You decide the consistency. The jam will be as runny or thick as you prefer. I wanted to unmold the cold cake so I made it thick.

This jam is a recipe in itself. You can enjoy it for breakfast with some toasts and cheese cream.

SECOND PART: THE CRUST

While the jam is cooking, let’s make the crust.

This recipe is really customizable so you crust can be whatever you want it to be.

To go with the Snicker’s theme, I used:

• Peanut butter.
• Peanuts, chopped.
• Cracker cookies. I had there slightly sweet ones, but you can use whichever you like.

Let's start greasing your mold -or pan- for our cold cake with a bit of butter.

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I chopped my unsalted peanuts and crackers with a knife and mixed with peanut butter.

Then, I pressed it and covered the bottom of the pan I used for the cold cake.

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Done. We will let it sit in the fridge.

THIRD PART: CHOCOLATE GELATIN

We are going to need:

• Cacao paste or cacao powder.
• Water or milk.
• Sweetener of your choice. I, once again, used cane sugar.
• Gelatin powdered + water to dissolve.

If you want it vegetarian or vegan, loot at the Substitutions Notes at the end of the post.

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First, we’re going to dissolve our gelatin into the water. I used 70 gr. of gelatin and half a cup of water.

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When they’re incorporated, approx. 15 minutes later, heat at slow fire until the gelatin had dissolved completely and retire from the fire. This mixture should not boil.

_{oh, hi there heheh}

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Then, you’re going to make your basic hot chocolate.

I made mine with two (2) cacao paste bars, half a cup of water and half a cup of milk. I also added cane sugar until desired.

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When the hot chocolate is ready, retire from heat and add the gelatin mixture.

FOURTH PART: ASSEMBLY

You can do this two ways:

• Crust as bottom layer + banana jam as middle layer + chocolate GELATIN as top layer

or,

• Crust as bottom layer + chocolate gelatin as middle layer + banana jam as top layer.

As you need the chocolate gelatin while it’s still hot, it would be better to use it as a middle layer and, once the gelatin is cold, add the banana jam in top of it. This way, the hot chocolate liquid wouldn’t mix with part of the banana jam.

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Anyways, for decoration purposes, I went with the 1st option.

So, grab your pan with crust and add your middle layer. Then, add your top layer.

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Note:If you choose chocolate mixture as middle layer, let it cool until gelatin before adding the banana jam.

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Now, let it cool, in the fridge, completely. Two hours at least. It will depend on the fridge you have.

It could also be put on the freezer; if you're going to do this, put a lid on.

Meanwhile...

OPTIONAL STEP: CARAMEL!!!

Is a caramel healthy if I insist on using cane sugar? 😅 Cane sugar everything, guys.

For this caramel, I used:

• Cane sugar.
• Half part water.
• Half part milk.
• Butter.
  (I used a salted vegetable butter. If you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the recipe.)
• OPTIONAL.A little bit of peanut butter.

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I eyeballed the measurements. But, basically, I added the sugar along with the liquids and the butter.

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When it started to get creamy, I added a teaspoon of peanut butter. I insist, this is optional.

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When my cold cake was ready, I added a lot of caramel, more banana jam, chopped peanuts and… more bananas!

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You can unmold it or just cut a slice, as I did!

_{When I was taking the proper pictures of the slice, my hubby @acurewa handed me a flower from our garden heheh cutie}

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This is another way of deliciousness. It’s so rich and sweet you wouldn’t believe how healthy it is.

SUBSTITUTIONS NOTES

To make it vegetarian: Instead of chocolate gelatin, we’re gonna make chocolate pudding. This pudding recipe is not mine but I have been using it for the past year. It’s simple and very yummy!

It needs:

• Half a cup of milk.
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• 3 egg yolks.
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  Plus:
• 2 cups of milk.
• Half a cup of sugar
• ⅓ cup of cocoa powder or cocoa paste.

First, you’re going to incorporate the first 4 ingredients and whisk them together.

Then, in a cooking pot at low heat, add the last three ingredients.

When that mixture is hot, pour a little bit of it into the cornstarch mixture and whisk a little for the eggs to start to heat.

Lastly, add that mixture to the chocolate pot and let it boil whisking thoroughly.
And it’s all done.

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To make it vegan: Instead of gelatin, you can use

• Agar-Agar, a natural gelling agent that comes from red algae. It can be found in Asiatic markets or shops. Follow the instructions on the packaging.

or,

• Ground flax-seed egg. For this, you’re going to mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax-seed in 2 tablespoon of water. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until sticky, then add to your hot chocolate.

Bon Appétit!