Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake 朱古力粒香蕉牛油磅蛋糕

I made this cake last month and the recipe was adapted from my Banana Pound Cake with a few modifications. I’ve done this a couple of times with awesome results so I feel comfortable sharing this with my readers. First, I’ve replaced some of the sugar with trehalose to further reduce the sweetness (simply cutting the sugar would put the moisture level at risk). Trehalose is about 40% as sweet as white sugar and helps with moisture retention in baked goods. For more information about trehalose, please visit this site. There is also a list of recipes that you could follow there. I’ve also replaced some flour with almond flour roughly in a 3 to 1 flour to almond flour ratio. The addition of almond flour not only makes the cake fluffier, but also reduces the amount of carbohydrates, which is great for people who are limiting their carbohydrates intake. However, as almond flour absorbs less moisture than wheat flour, the cake batter will be a bit less thick than the original version. Consequently, many of my chocolate chips sank to the bottom of the cake. My daughter said it created an illusion that there were lots of chocolate chips inside the cake. In order to fix this, instead of mixing in the chocolate chips right at the beginning, I filled the pan with half of the plain batter and then swirled in half of the chocolate chips. And then I added the rest of the batter and swirled in the remaining chocolate chips. This method has worked pretty well for me so far.
上個月做了這個從香蕉磅蛋糕演變過來的朱古力粒香蕉磅蛋糕。過去試驗了此新比例幾次，覺得效果不錯，所也想繼續介紹給大家！這個新配方添加了海藻糖減低整體甜度(若只盲目減去砂糖份量的話，蛋糕是會有變乾的風險的)。海藻糖大約只有蔗糖四成的甜度，也有著保濕功效。這個網站有更多關於海藻糖的介紹，而內裏也有一系列食譜可供參考。至於乾粉類方面，EC以杏仁粉取替了部份的麵粉量，整體比例大約就是三份麵粉、一份杏仁粉吧！此舉一來可令蛋糕更加蓬鬆，二來也可減低碳水化合物含量，對要控制碳水化合物攝取量的人來說，也許是不錯的方法。只是杏仁粉吸水程度比小麥麵粉低，因此蛋糕麵糊會不如全麵粉配方的杰，以致朱古力粒在烘焙過程中出現了沉底跡象。對於此，女兒笑說這製造了一個蛋糕有很多朱古力粒的假象。後來EC嘗試改變策略，先把一半蛋糕糊倒入模中，再加入一半朱古力粒輕輕拌勻，之後再加入餘下的蛋糕糊和朱古力粒，朱古力沉澱的情況便改善了。

I have talked about the following in my blog post, Vanilla Pound Cake, but I”m just gonna say it again as I found this very helpful. To make it easier for the egg mixture to be incorporated into the butter mixture and to prevent curdling, only half of the egg whites are added at first. The other half is mixed with mashed banana which is to be mixed in alternatively with the flour. Note that I am using a 6-cup bundt pan here. Longer baking time is required if a loaf pan is used as there is no middle heating core. It’s hard to state an exact baking time as every oven is different. Generally speaking, if the cake is done, the top would look golden brown and spring back to the touch while the center crack may still look a bit moist. A wooden skewer inserted into the center of cake should come out clean and the internal temperature should reach 210℉ (99℃) on an instant-read thermometer. So If you are uncertain about the baking time, use the above guidelines to determine the doneness of cake.
以下的補充早在雲尼拿磅蛋糕一文分享過，但因為EC覺得這個方法很湊效，因此再次說明一下。為了令蛋液更加容易被牛油吸收，減少攪拌時蛋油分離的情況，初期只會加入一半的蛋白份量與牛油混合，餘下的一半蛋白則預先與香蕉泥一起拌勻，稍後才與麵粉一起交替混合。注意EC使用的是6杯容量的中空環形鑄鋁蛋糕模(bundt pan)，若使用一般長方形烤模，因為中央欠缺了煙囪，因此入爐時間要延長。鑒於各家焗爐型號功能有別，恕EC未能提供準確入爐時間。一般而言，烤透的蛋糕表面色澤金黃，用手輕按表面會回彈，中央的裂縫驟看仍有少許濕潤的情況。若以竹籤插進蛋糕，取出後不會沾有任何麵糊，用溫度計測試時中央整體溫度應達210℉ (99℃)。因此在不肯定蛋糕要焗多久之情況下可用上述的方法判斷蛋糕是否巳烤熟。

Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
朱古力粒香蕉牛油磅蛋糕

For 6-cup bundt cake pan
6杯容量中空環形蛋糕模份量

Ingredients

150 g cake and pastry flour
50 almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 overripe medium-sized banana (100 to 120 g without peel)
4 large eggs (about 200 g)
200 g unsalted butter, slightly softened
130 g granulated sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
35 g trehalose
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Notes: The eggs I use are about 50 g each without shells.

材料

低筋麵粉 150克
杏仁粉 50克
泡打粉 1茶匙
鹽 1/2茶匙
1隻中型熟香蕉 (不連皮計約100至120克)
大號雞蛋 4隻(約200克)
無鹽牛油 200克(室溫放軟)
砂糖(EC用有機蔗糖) 130克
海藻糖 35克
黑朱古力粒 1杯
註：EC用的大號蛋每隻淨重約50克

Directions 做法

Preheat oven to 325ºF/160ºC. Spray the interior of the pan with a cooking spray containing flour or grease and flour the bundt pan. Tap off excess flour then set aside.
焗爐預熱325ºF/160ºC，環形蛋糕模內噴含麵粉的噴霧油，或抹上牛油並洒一層薄麵粉後拍走多餘麵粉，備用。

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
麵粉、杏仁粉、泡打粉和鹽混合過篩放在攪拌盆中備用。

In a large bowl mash banana with a fork then mix with 2 egg whites until blended. Place remaining eggs (2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites) in another bowl and beat lightly. Set aside.
香蕉放大碗中用叉壓成泥，加入兩個蛋白拌勻，餘下的蛋(兩個全蛋和兩個蛋白)放在另一大碗中輕輕打散備用。

With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter with low speed until smooth. Add sugar and trehalose and beat with medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.br />用電動打蛋器或座枱式攪拌器(使用攪拌槳配件)把軟化牛油低速打滑，加入糖和海藻糖轉中速拌至顏色轉淡及蓬鬆，需要時用膠刮清理盆邊。

Add egg mixture in 3 to 4 batches, beating well after each addition.
分三至四次加入蛋液，每次要打至蛋液完全被吸收。

With low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with banana mixture in two additions. Mix until just combined and avoid over-mixing the batter. Scrape down the sides as needed.
粉類分三次，香蕉混合物分兩次交替加入低速混合至剛無粉粒，切勿過度攪拌，需要時可用膠刮清理盆邊。

Spoon approximately half of the batter into the prepared pan. Gently swirl in half of the chocolate chips with a chopstick or a spatula. Add remaining batter and chocolate chips and swirl to mix again. Tap the pan several times gently on a work surface to release any bubbles that may have developed and ensure the batter reaches all crevices in the design. Smooth top with a spatula.
把大約一半份量的麵糊倒進模中，加入一半朱古力粒輕輕用筷子或膠刮拌勻，再倒入餘下麵糊和朱古力粒拌勻，往枱上敲幾下讓麵糊充分填滿模具的坑紋和釋出較大的氣泡後抹平表面。

Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is golden, feels firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Adjust oven temperature and baking time accordingly for your own oven.
※Baking time would be about 1 hour if loaf pan is used
入爐焗45分鐘或至蛋糕顏色金黃、表面有彈性及竹籤插入蛋糕取出不沾麵糊，各家焗爐火力不同，請自行調節焗爐溫度及時間。
※若用長方模烘焙時間大約要一小時

Cool in pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. For the best flavor, let cake rest overnight before consuming.
出爐5分鐘後脫模，反轉蛋糕移到鋼架完全放涼，第二天待味道融合後才食用