banana cake

my bananas finally ripened enough for me to make a banana cake. it's so cold and gray these days (all that talk of spring weather turned out to be sadly premature. it has snowed for the past 2 days) that they take forever to get to the perfect stage of banana-cake ripeness.

after much searching, i've decided that stepahnie alexander's banana cake recipe (from the cook's companion) is the best one i've yet encountered. for such  a simple thing, it's amazing how many bad banana cake recipes there are out there! the crumb is deliciously moist and firm, it toasts beautifully and it keeps very well in an air-tight container for quite a few days (if it lasts that long). i've made this recipe with various size and shaped tins (round, square, loaf, big and small muffin tins) and it has always worked perfectly (with a slight adjustment in cooking time for the muffins - only cook for 15 - 20 mins or so). often i bake two and put one in the freezer for a later time as it freezes excellently. it's a staple in our kitchen, requiring only the most basic of ingredients, with the exception of buttermilk, which can be made by souring milk with lemon juice anyway.

usually i don't bother to ice the cake, but last night we had bruno's parents around for dinner so i wanted to tart it up a little. i used nigella's delectable cream cheese icing from 'domestic goddess'. worked a treat. tasted delicious (yes, that was me licking out the bowl, i have a weakness for cream cheese-y things). otherwise, i'm happy to leave it naked in all it's brown banana glory.

so, without further ado, here is the recipe:

stephanie alexander's banana cake recipe (from the cook's companion)

125g softened unsalted butter

1 cup of sugar (note: stephanie specifies 1.5 cups of sugar but i find that too sweet. i 1 cup if enough for us as the bananas are usually quite sweet anyway. a less-sweet cake is better for toasting, i find. use white or, if you are lucky enough to have it, brown sugar)

2 eggs

1 cup of mashed ripe banana - i reckon on 4 medium size bananas

few drops of pure vanilla

2 cups of plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground allspice (i don't have this so i usally use either ginger or cardamom)

1/2 cup of buttermilk or 1/2 cup of milk plus 1 tsp lemon juice

how

- preheat oven to 180c and line your chosen baking tin. i use a 25cm loaf tin. if you want a round or square cake, use a 20cm appropriately shaped tin. you can also make spectacular muffins, probably about 24 of them with this recipe.

- cream butter and sugar until fluffy and pale, then beat in banana, vanilla and eggs.

- sift dry ingredients and add to mixture alternately with buttermilk. mix until thick,  smooth and creamy.

- pour into whatever tin/s you are using and bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests clean when skewered. for muffins, cook for only 15 - 20 mins. the cake should be nicely browned on the top, and will probably be cracked. this crevasse is a good thing.

- cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. cool completely before storing in a hermetically sealed container. you will find that the crust will soften and moisten after a day or so in the container. i love it this way. it is perfect for toasting and eating with marscapone drizzled with honey. or just fresh unsalted butter, for breakfast ; ) ooh so delicious!!!!

- if you want to ice the cake using the cream cheese icing:

cream cheese icing, from nigella lawson's how to be a domestic goddess:

125g cream cheese

200g sifted icing sugar

few teaspoons lemon or lime juice

how

- beat the cream cheese until softened slightly. sift the icing sugar into the same bowl and mix in as much as you can. add the juice 1 tsp at a time - go slow and make sure you mix it in well before adding another. too much juice and you will get runny icing, like mine in the pictures above : ) no matter, it still tasted great. if it becomes too runny, just add some more icing sugar (unfortunately i ran out). it should be voluptuously smooth, thick, and the colour of double cream.

- ice the cake using a palette knife if you have one. otherwise, just use a plain old knife.

- i zested a lemon onto the top to make it look pretty.

- we enjoyed it with after-dinner espressos. but why wait until after dinner to indulge, i say. breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack...

Comments

[Lushlife]

Great photographs of the cake. As soon as I saw that frosting I thought cream cheese? I hope so its my favourite. Have you ever tried banana bread - I have bought it from some bakeries here - there is a low fat version which still tastes pretty good surprisingly. Anyway its good for the kiddies snacks as well. P.S tried your Nectarine tart on the weekend - absolutely scrumptious I am having another go at it this weekend too.

[Molly]

Sooo excited to see the banana cake recipe! And the photos are gorgeous. I can't wait to try it.

[mum]

Tried to get hold of u other day to c if u were ok, now that Ive read what u have been cooking, u must of bn ok n cooking up a storm! How come u didnt make banana cake for dad, its his favourite, actually jus as well u didnt cos otherwise his stomach would b twice as BIG!
It looked delicious anyway, hope Ernest n Ruth enjoyed it.

[kitschenette]

we're ok! i was just having a stressy morning. we were fine once we (finally) managed to get out of the house.

i didn't make the banana cake for dad because i only found this good recipe after we got back from oz. the recipe is in the big cookbook you brought over for me when you came here, which i left behind in switzerland when we came to oz. so i didn't find out how good this recipe was til we got home! or else i would definitely have made it for dad (but rationed him to a few pieces a day, and definitely no cream cheese icing!)

you should try the recipe, it's dead easy and very yummy. i think the buttermilk is the key. go on, dad will love you even more!

[Molly]

Well, I officially made it, and...drumroll, please...it was delicious! In fact, I've had a hard time keeping myself out of it. Wonderfully moist and so deeply banana-y. Thank you.

[luthien]

this is absolutely fantastiliciously yummy-looking *drools*

it's SO freaking huge! :D

[Elissa]

I often make this cake but instead of buttermilk (which I never have) I use half milk, half natural yoghurt. Works a treat.

[Angus]

Stephanie Alexander is of course an icon - but what about the famous banana cake recipe in the good ole Edmond's Cookbook? I love that one - you just need to add an extra banana and Bob's your uncle.
Do you have an Edmonds? If not I will bring one up.
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[Meredith Hylton]

Wow, what an amazing cake! The pictures make me want to take a bite out of my computer!

[serena]

i think the banana cake at the top looks so nice and i wish i could have a taste some of that beatiful cake ,its looks good. when i make my banana cake it was so beatiful and i am making one right now hope it turns out like the one at the top and tastes nice

[serena]

i think the banana cake at the top looks so nice and i wish i could have a taste some of that beatiful cake ,its looks good. when i make my banana cake it was so beatiful and i am making one right now hope it turns out like the one at the top and tastes nice

[Andree]

I came across this recipe about a month ago and have made it several times since. It is a definite hit with my husband. It turns out perfect every time, in fact I am eating some as I type this. Yummy

[Denise]

Great cake, really moist and tasty. My husband and children loved it! I didn't have any buttermilk so replaced it with yoghurt with a little whole milk mixed in.

[aparna beecham india]

hey...this ones real cool.......my friends and family are gaga over it.......cashews on top r a fantastic combi...i plan to try it next time with dates...yhat is half cup banan and half dated.......thanks a ton....and oh yup...HAPPY BAKING!

[aparna beecham india]

hey...this ones real cool.......my friends and family are gaga over it.......cashews on top r a fantastic combi...i plan to try it next time with dates...that is, half cup banana and half dates.......thanks a ton....and oh yup...HAPPY BAKING!

[Mawera - New Zealand]

What an outstanding cake; it was moist, sticky and delicious. I used trim milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice since that it what I had, and added 1/2 cup of milk chocolate buds and iced with chocolate icing. My family ate the whole cake in a day and are already demanding another. !

[Teresa Dapo]

Your banana cake is really delicious!

[Shalum]

Wow! I love banana cake. There's a lot of bananas here in the Phils., but you make it so pretty! Great work :)

[Account Deleted]

Have you ever tried banana bread - I've bought some bread here - there is a low-fat version, surprisingly, pretty good taste. In any case its good kid snacks as well. PS try to nectarine pie at the weekend - absolutely delicious I have another go this weekend. In fact, I have been very difficult to keep it myself out.

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