Caramilk blocks have brought us some delicious desserts, but this one takes the cake, litreally.

To find a fully stocked shelf of Caramilk blocks is a rare sight and for good reason. This cult-favourite is not only enjoyed by the block but is also used as a key ingredient to make some legendary cheesecakes, cookies and cocktails. To add extra goodness, this recipe also a take on 2020’s official food - Banana Bread. Dole New Zealand has released this amazing Caramilk Banana Bread Cake recipe featuring a Caramilk ganache, vanilla buttercream icing and chunks of Caramilk. Let’s get baking!

Ingredients

For the cake:

250g butter, at room temperature
1 cup golden caster sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe Dole bananas, large, peeled and mashed
2 tsp baking soda
½ cup hot milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ block of Cadbury Caramilk, broken into squares

For the Caramilk Ganache:

1 block (190g) Cadbury Caramilk
200g cream

For the Vanilla Buttercream Icing:

100g butter, room temperature
2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C bake. Line two medium (22cm diameter) cake tins with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and bananas.
Dissolve baking soda in hot milk, add to mixture and stir to combine.
Sift in flour and baking powder and fold gently into mixture until just combined. Do not over mix.
Spoon mixture into prepared tins and smooth tops. Gently press squares of Caramilk chocolate into the cake batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top is golden and springy to the touch. Allow to cool in tins and then turn out.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the Caramilk ganache. In a bain-marie, gently heat the cream over low heat until small bubbles begin to appear.
Remove the cream from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate is almost fully melted. Use a whisk to combine the two until the ganache becomes glossy. Cool in the refrigerator and stir occasionally It will gradually thicken over time – it can take around two hours to get to the desired texture. Any remaining ganache can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
When the ganache is cool, prepare the vanilla buttercream. In a medium bowl, cream butter with icing sugar, adding ½ cup at a time. Add in vanilla and milk and beat with an electric beater until well smooth and fluffy. You may need to add more milk to reach desired consistency.
Once the cake is cool and the Caramilk ganache thick enough to hold its shape, spread the ganache on the top of one cake, gently place the second on top and ice with Vanilla Buttercream Icing as desired.
Drizzle the remaining ganache over the iced cake, and gently arrange chopped / whole pieces of Caramilk on top.

The cake has a shelf-life for 2-3 days, but because it’s hard to stop at just one sliver, so it won’t really last that long.