Banana and bourbon crêpe cake

Method

1. Whizz the bananas, mascarpone, cream, maple syrup and bourbon in a food processor until smooth. Trim the crepes to fit into the tin – the easiest way is to layer up a few at a time, put the base of the tin on top and cut around it with a sharp knife.
2. Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water, put in a medium saucepan with 2 tbsp water and melt over a very gentle heat – don’t allow it to get anywhere near boiling.
3. Add the banana mix to the pan off the heat and stir to combine, then pass through a sieve. Lay a crepe on the base of the cake tin and spread over a little banana mixture (about 3 tbsp), then top with another crepe and more mixture, spreading the mixture all over the crepe so it’s covered in a thin layer. Repeat with the remaining crepes but leave the top crepe uncovered and reserve about a third of the mixture to cover the top and sides later.
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5. Cover the top layer with cling film and a smaller cake base. Put a few full food tins on top to weigh down the cake, then chill for 1-2 hours. Cover the remaining banana mixture and keep it somewhere cool – it will become solid in the fridge, so don’t chill it. Once the crepes have been compacted, remove the food tins, small cake tin and cling film. Turn out the cake onto a serving plate, then use a palette knife to ice the sides and top with the reserved mixture. Return to the fridge for 1-2 hours until totally firm. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to serve it.
6. To serve, roughly crush the pecans and demerara in a pestle and mortar, then sprinkle over the cake.