Banana Cake

Baked this banana cake (quickbread actually) early this morning...as it was a great way to use up a bunch of over-riped baby bananas ;)

I adapted a recipe which is meant for a banana-nut quickbread to accommodate the ingredients I have on hand. The preparation was quite straight forward, however, the cake would take about 1 hr to bake, and I had to tent (cover the top with a foil) it, about half-way during the baking time.

Instead of using a loaf pan, I baked mine using a 20cm (8") round pan. It turned out to be quite a big cake as there would be only the 3 of us at home for these few days.


When the cake was unmold, I thought it looked really ugly! After pouring the batter into the pan, I had studded the top with banana slices, trying to copy the way these beautiful banana muffins and this banana cake were made. But this decorating tip didn't work on this cake.


As I have seen how icing sugar has done wonders in spicing up an otherwise not too fantastic-looking cake/pie/tart...so, I tried dusting the top with some of it. Once again, I did more damages than any good. The cake didn't look any better :'(

My kid even told me the cake looked like a spaceship!


We like the slightly crisp crust though. It was baked to a nice golden brown...could it be the brown sugar used? It really reminded me of a chocolate cake if not for the banana slices on top.


Since I prefer to taste the little chunks of bananas in the crumbs, I mashed the bananas quite coarsely. I really love the delicious taste and texture of this cake. It was very moist and the sweetness was just right. Furthermore, the addition of some wholemeal flour not only add a wholesome goodness to this cake, it also lends a nutty texture to the crumbs.

If you happen to have all the necessary ingredients on hand, this cake is really worth a try.


Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (315g) mashed banana
1 1/2 cups (235g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75g) wholewheat (wholemeal) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (185g) firmly packed golden brown sugar
6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (125ml) fresh milk

Method:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 180 degC (350 degF). Line bottom of a 20cm (8") round pan with parchment paper, butter and flour the sides. Alternatively, you can use a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, butter and flour it and set aside.
2. In a bowl, stir together plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended and stir in the brown sugar, butter and milk.
4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the mashed bananas, and stir with a spatula until just blended. Do not over mix.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. (Optional: Stud the top of the batter with slices of bananas).
6. Bake for 55~60mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the surface starts to brown too much, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil around the last 15mins of baking. Depending on your oven, you may have to do this mid-way during the baking time.
7. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan for 5mins before unmold. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in airtight container at room temperatures for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Recipe source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking