Cake:
2 1/4 c Cake flour
1 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c Sugar
3 lg Eggs
1 tb Dark rum
1 ts Vanilla extract
3/4 c Sour cream
1 ts Baking soda
2 c Mashed ripe bananas (about 5)
1 1/4 c Finely chopped chocolate butterscotch or toffee bars (about 6-oz)
Glaze:
2/3 c Whipping cream
7 tb Unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
1 tb Light corn syrup
14 oz Semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ts Dark rum
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 3/4 c Chopped chocolate butterscotch or toffee bars (about 72 ounces)
Crunchy, crushed candy bars are folded into the batter here; they're also used to coat the top and sides of the cake. The glaze is similar to a fudge frosting.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9" x 1 1/2" cake pans. Line bottoms with wax paper rounds. Butter and flour paper.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in dark rum and vanilla extract. Combine sour cream and baking soda in medium bowl. Add mashed bananas to sour cream mixture and stir until well blended. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in chopped chocolate bars.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until center of cake feels firm and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes. Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool. Peel off waxed paper.
Glaze:
Combine cream, butter and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in rum and vanilla. Pour glaze into small bowl. Cover and refrigerate just until cool and thick, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
Transfer 1 cake layer to platter. Slide waxed paper strips under edges of cake. Stir glaze until smooth. Spread 1 cup glaze evenly over top of cake layer. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining glaze over top and sides of cake. Cover top and sides of cake with chopped chocolate bars. Remove paper strips.