Instructions: * Preferably pastry flour

** or other vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare a 10" Bundt pan with cooking spray or a light coating of oil.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom, if using, into a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, mix well, and set aside.

Combine the egg yolks, bananas, applesauce, oil, and vanilla and mix well.

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until evenly blended.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter and pour it into the pan.

Bake for about 60 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a plate.

MOCHA GLAZE
Combine chocolate and coffee in a saucepan and gently heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Ladle a small amount of the cocoa paste into the saucepan until well blended. Beat in the confectioners sugar until smooth and drizzle over the cake.

(Variation: Combine the chocolate with 1/4 cup of Kahlua and 2 Tablespoons of either hot water or milk in a saucepan. Gently heat just to the boiling point, stirring until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Beat in 2 Tablespoons of confectioners sugar and 2 Tablespoons of cocoa and drizzle over the cake.)

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