Tokyo Banana

Japanese food has the power to make me go gaga. While I don't get to go Japan as often as I would like, I'm fortunate to have lots of friends and family who does. And every time someone travels to Japan, our family will raid the omiyage and snatch these twinkies look-alike confectioneries - Tokyo Banana!

Luscious, banana-flavored crème pâtissière, encased in a moist vanilla sponge, that ooze out with every bite. What's not to love? Like all Japanese snacks, these delights don't come cheap. A box of 16 goes for ￥2,057 (US$18.80, S$23.50, A$21.50)! But if you just want to onomnom and forgo the box, it will be slightly cheaper if you get the 4s pack. Yet another problem presents itself -- there can be never quite enough no matter how much you (or the traveller) lug home!

You can only imagine my joy when I stumble upon the recipe for it; it went straight to the top of my "To-Bake" list and bananas became top priority of my grocery list! 

Tokyo Banana (makes 8)

Sponge cake (makes 9" square)

     2      Eggs
  50g     Superfine Sugar (Caster sugar)

  35g     Cake Flour

  20g     Milk

Preheat oven to 180ºC

1. Beat 2 eggs and 50g of superfine sugar. Place over hot water, continue beating to melt the sugar and warm mixture till 40°C.

2. Remove from heat. With an electric beater, beat on high speed for 5mins, then on low speed for 2mins "to set".

3. Sift in 35g of cake flour, fold together with a spatula for about 10 times. Add 20g of milk, fold together with spatula for about 50 times until combined.

4. Pour batter into pan, drop pan against countertop to release trapped bubbles. Bake for 11-12mins

5. Drop the pan lightly to prevent shrinking. Let cool completely on wired rack.

Banana Custard Cream 
 100g     Banana, mashed

     1       Egg
  7.5g     Corn Starch
37.5g     Sugar

 150g     Milk
Optional
  2-3      drops of Vanilla Extract

1. Mix together all ingredients except vanilla extract. Strain mixture through a sieve into a saucepan.

2. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off heat when the cream starts to thicken. Continue stirring with the remaining heat.

3. Add few drops of vanilla extract (optional). Let cool completely.

4. Transfer cream into pastry bag (aka piping bag) and chill it in refrigerator.

Assembly

1. Cut the 9" sponge into 4 squares, then cut each squares into thin slices (laterally into 2 squares), so you'll have 8 thin squares total.

2. Place cake on plastic wrap (with browned side up). Pipe banana cream onto the cake, roll and securely twist the ends like a candy. Chill in fridge before serving. 

Thoughts: These tastes exactly like the real McCoy!! And they sit very prettily in my vintage mismatch trio tea set! One thing for sure is that you know the flavor comes naturally from the banana, not some weird tasting essence. I'd say they're more addictive than the real thing, maybe because they cost just a few dollars to make so I don't have to savour it in miniscule bites! I chomp chomp chomp, 3 bites and finished. On to unwrapping a new one. 

I'm greedy, I want to pipe as much creme pat inside as possible so they will ooze out when I bite into it. Oooohh yums... Hooray to "unlimited" supply of Tokyo Bananas!!

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