Banana Cake

And once again, I had some bananas that needed using. It’s amazing! We love bananas but never can seem to eat them before they get to the point we don’t find them attractive anymore.

I didn’t want to make muffins again, so I went for a banana cake. Now, I had done this before, I had a recipe ready to use but decided to try something new. So, off I go, searching the net to find a recipe I could easily make with the ingredients I had on hand.

And I found this recipe. It seemed quite easy and the picture made it look good. I start reading the comments, because, well, you can learn a lot from comments... Of course, you can also get very confused. Some people loved this recipe, and found it foolproof. Some said it failed, fell, etc. Some people said the order of the ingredients was not important, others said you had to put them in the order listed. Some people said it was too sweet, they added more bananas, etc. The temperature of the oven and the baking time also seemed to be very different.

I have to say, I admire these people who try recipes and change quantities, ingredients, etc. I would be so afraid to do this, not knowing how the changes will affect the final product. But I guess this is also the point of these experiments, correct?

So, this banana cake came out delicious. I did need to bake it longer than the recipe called for. It did rise and then fall when I took it out of the oven. It is so moist that I can’t tell if it’s normal or not. BUT it tastes GOOD!!!! Especially with a chocolate icing...

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My Version of this Banana cake

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 150g butter (softened)
• 4 eggs
• 150g sugar
• 250g flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Mash the bananas (really well) in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine butter and eggs, add the sugar. Beat vigorously until you get a smooth mix.
3. Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Mix with a whisk.
4. Add the flour mix to the butter/egg/sugar mix. Be gentle about it. No vigorous beating/mixing.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Add the bananas.
7. If you wish, you can add chocolate chips, walnut pieces, 1 tbsp of rhum...
8. Pour the batter in a buttered and floured pan.
9. Bake at 350 for one hour.
   

Notes:

• The original recipe calling for a lower temperature and shorter time, start checking for doneness after 40 minutes (check color first through the window, then do the toothpick test).
• The banana mash makes the batter real heavy. I would advise using a pan that spreads the batter (brownie pan for example). I used an angel food cake pan and although I like the shape, I think the batter was too thick and could not rise properly.
• My cake rose and fell. So I looked up some possible reasons and solutions. Found this useful list. I think my problem was overbeating / mixing.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

• 100g chocolate
• 40g butter
• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a pan, on low. Stir to prevent the chocolate from burning.
2. When melted, add the heavy cream.
3. Stir until you get a beautiful and shiny mix.
4. Pour over cold cake.

Note:

• I doubled the original recipe (50g/20g and 1 tbsp) and still only got enough to cover the top of the cake. It didn't bother me, I didn't want the chocolate to overcome the banana. But good to know if I want to use this icing with a different cake.
• Decoration: sifted powdered sugar, whip cream, sprinkles...