Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll – “Cat’s Eyes” – funny name, intriguing look and divine taste, all-in-one. No wonder it is so popular!
“Cat’s Eyes” Cake or Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll was very popular when I was a kid. Everybody was making it, which is no wonder since it has a funny name, looks intriguing and tastes divine. I guess the name comes from a look of a slice of the cake which resembles eyes of a cat.
Chocolate and banana is the best of all taste combinations, in my opinion. Chocolate sponge cake is baked in a large sheet pan and covered with a layer of chocolate frosting. Whole bananas are laid in two rows on top of the cake. Everything is rolled together from two opposite sides. It is hard for me to explain it in English, so please look at the video below to see how it is done.
There are different variations of this recipe. Some use 150 g chocolate and 200 g butter, while others use 200 g chocolate and 150 g butter. In my opinion, less butter and more chocolate is better.
In the video you’ll see that my chocolate is already melted, even though the recipe says to use finely chopped chocolate. It is because I put my chocolate in the still warm oven after baking the cake, so it was just about melted enough for me to work with when shooting the video.
Original recipe does not contain whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, but I like to decorate Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll this way.
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- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 150 g sugar (3/4 cup)
- 200 g chocolate, 43 % cocoa (7 oz)
- 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp rum (or rum flavoring)
- 150 g butter (1 1/3 stick or 10 1/2 Tbsp)
- 3-4 large bananas
- 200 ml whipping cream (a little bit less then a cup)
- chocolate sprinkles
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SPONGE: Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
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Whisk egg whites and set aside.
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Mix egg yolks with sugar until pale. Add vanilla extract, egg whites and flour-cocoa mixture. Slowly and gently stir with a spoon (do not use mixer).
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Transfer the mixture to a sheet pan lined with baking paper (my pan is 12x13 inches or 30x33 cm large). Bake in 180 C (350 F) oven for about 15 minutes.
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Roll the sponge together with baking paper and let cool.
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FILLING: Mix eggs with sugar over water bath (or a very low heat). Cook until mixture reaches 80 C (175 F). Be careful, because if you continue cooking over this temperature, the eggs will coagulate (scramble).
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Add chocolate, coffee powder, vanilla extract and rum. Let cool to room temperature.
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Mix butter until fluffy. Combine butter with egg-chocolate mixture.
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ASSEMBLING: Peel off the baking paper from the sponge. Place on a cling film (it will help you roll the cake easier). Spread the cake with 1/2 of the chocolate filling. Place two bananas on 2 opposite sides of the cake. Slowly roll each end toward center (see video).
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Spread remaining filling on the top of the cake roll. Use a fork to create lines (if not using whipped cream).
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OPTIONAL STEP: Before serving, take the cake out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Whip cream until stiff. (If cake will wait for your guests for longer time, consider stabilizing whipped cream.) Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.
Recipe Video
