Banana Frangipane-Sponge Cake For the Nesco

Most folks day dream about other things. If I'm not day dreaming about my crochet projects, then I'm day dreaming about cooking something I haven't managed to make (yet). Invariably the thing I want to cook is a permutation of something else, or a mash up of several ideas, this process I refer to as "MacGuyvering." 

Anyhoo, what is being daydreamed about right now is a frangipane-sponge cake hybrid. I've got ripe bananas at home, hence the inclusion herein. 

This recipe VERY EASILY lends itself to being made gluten free and/or Kosher for Passover. I say sponge "cake," but given the nature of the ingredients, this could very well be a very spongey muffin, quick bread recipe or whatever you want to call it. If you want to gussy it up with a frosting, call it cake. If you want to tinker with it and see if it's got enough structural integrity in the sponge itself to see if you can do it up jelly roll style, knock yourself out. 

I just wish I were home to play with this. The cook time is the only thing I am not certain of, and if anyone out there decides to play along at home, please let me know what your experience has been w/the cook time, whether in a traditional pressure cooker, or in an electric Nesco.

Maven's Banana Sponge (For the Nesco)

Step 1: Separate 3 room temperature eggs.
Step 2: Put steel bowl in freezer.
Step 3: Prep cake pan (which should fit in your Nesco w/sufficient space to allow steam to circulate around the pan in the cooker).

Mise #1 (Frangipane):

The three yolks from Step 1.
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 T. Macadamia nut oil (or almond oil, or neutral flavored oil, or if you want to go in a different direction entirely w/the flavor profile, try coconut oil)
1 Very ripe banana, mashed

Step 4:  Mix wet ingredients very well, then combine the dry together, and gradually add this to the wet ingredients, incorporating it well:

3/4 C. Almond (or hazelnut) meal
2 T. Malted barley flour (or regular AP or oat flour, or ladoo besan/chick pea flour, or potato starch)
1/3 C. Splenda (or sweetener of your choice)
1/4 tsp Salt

Set bowl aside.

Mise #2 (Meringue for the Sponge):

3 Whites from Step 1
½ tsp Cream of Tartar
1/3 C Splenda (or sweetener of your choosing)

Step 5:  Start whipping whites in steel bowl from the freezer, as it starts to froth up, sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Continue whipping until it doubles in bulk and starts to hold peaks. Gradually add in Splenda and keep whipping until nice firm (not too stiff though) peaks form.

Frangipane-Meets-Sponge:

Step 6: *Glop* (yes, it's a technical term. If in doubt, listen to the whites fall from the bowl into the bowl of the frangipane batter. There should be a tell tale GLOP)  the whipped whites on top of the banana frangipane batter. Then GENTLY fold whites into batter. Fold approximately 20-25 times. Counting carefully, and not abusing the whites.

Pour into prepared cake pan, smoothing out evenly.

Step 7:  Cover with Saran wrap or  aluminum foil, and put on trivet in cooker with 1-2 cups of water in the vessel.  Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (setting valve to SEAL). Once done cooking, let it sit, and let it de-pressurize on its own.

It's up to you how you proceed w/a frosting.
It's up to you about add ins such as chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.

I envision, at a minimum, of eating a slice of this with a shmear of peanut butter on top.