Speculoos, banana chocolate cake

This is my first personal creation!! I wanted a really nice birthday cake for my husband. So I made this and I think the result was quite fantastic!

Time it takes:

• Total time to make : 5-6h
• Waiting time : 4h
• Preparation time : 2h

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 200g (0.5lbs) speculoos (or ginger biscuits)
• 100g (0.25lbs) butter

For the banana mousse:

• 4 bananas
• 300g (0.65lbs) liquid cream
• 1 gelatine sheet (2g/0.07oz)

For the chocolate mousse:

• 250g (0.55lbs) dark chocolate
• 600g (1.3lbs) liquid cream
• 2 gelatine sheets (4g/0.15oz)

Ustensils:

• a tall cake pan (or an entremet ring)
• parchment paper
• electric whisk
• 3 big bowls
• 2 small pots
• 1 small  bowl
• 1 grinder

Step 1: The crust ( time to prepare 15min, waiting time 1h)

• Grind the speculoos in powder.

• Melt the butter in the microwave
• Add the butter to the speculoos powder. Mix it well, until you get a more aggregated batter.
• Put this at the bottom of your cake pan and with your finger spread it well until you get a very uniform "cookie"

• Put this in the freezer for 1h.

Step 2: The banana mousse (time to prepare 30min, waiting time 1h)

• Put the gelatine sheet in a bowl of cold water for it to soften
• In a small pan, cut the bananas in small chunk and cook them until you get a good banana juice. Remove from the heat. (If you do have a grinder, forget this step and just grind the banana so that you don't have anymore chunks at all.)
• Boil 100g (0.25lbs) of liquid cream. Once it boils, add the gelatine (which you will have to dry out a bit beforehand using a paper towel) and stir well for the gelatine to melt.
• Add the cream to the banana juice and mix it well (if you have some banana chunks remaining it's ok, but they should be very small chunks)

• Pour this in a big bowl .
• In a big bowl, whip the cream into a chantilly cream (just put the cream in the bowl, and whip it with the electric whisk until you get a chantilly)

• Add the chantilly gently to the banana juice (still warm but not hot). This should make a mousse.
• Take the crust out of the freezer.
• Cut a banana in small slices.
• Lay some slices vertically around the cake pan.
• Pour the mousse in the cake pan, on top of the crust.
• Spread evenly.

• Put in the freezer for another hour.

Step 3: The chocolate mousse (time to prepare 30min, waiting time 1h)

• Put the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water
• Cut the chocolate in small chunks and put them in a big bowl

• Boil 150g of liquid cream. Add the gelatine once it boils (again dry it out with a paper towel beforehand), and stir well for the gelatine to melt.
• Add the cream to the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and you end up with a very glossy chocolate liquid.

• In a big bowl, whip the rest of the cream into a chantilly cream.
• Add the chantilly gently to the chocolate (still warm but not hot). This should make a mousse.

• Take the crust and banana mousse out of the freezer.
• Pour the chocolate mousse in the cake pan, on top of the banana mousse.
• Spread evenly using a brush.
• Decorate with whatever you want.

• Put in the freezer for another hour.

Note:  As you might have guessed this is a frozen cake and you can keep it for a good week in the freezer.  However take it out of the freezer a good 45min  before eating it!