Do you have a “go-to” banana cake recipe? One that you can whip up in a heartbeat using a few store cupboard ingredients plus those past-their-prime bananas in the fruit bowl? If not, this is the one for you. Made from only 7 ingredients, this easy banana cake recipe is moist, tender and as happy un-iced as it is with a topping of cream cheese frosting.
How to make our easy banana cake: key tips
The main thing to keep in mind when making a melt and mix cake — like this super easy banana cake recipe — is to make sure you don’t overstir the mixture. Once the flour goes in, only stir until the batter just comes together.
Key ingredients in our easy banana cake recipe
Our favourite banana cake relies on vanilla extract and bananas for its main flavour profile. Make sure your bananas are really ripe. Ripe does not only mean a more intense banana flavour but riper bananas contain more liquid, preventing the cake from being dry. Also ensure you use full fat milk as it adds flavour, liquid and helps activate the self raising flour.
Love cooking with bananas? Then try out some of these quick and easy recipes. Not just for sweets, bananas can also be used in savoury cooking. They work a treat in this tropical chicken curry as well as in curried sausages.
Ingredients
- 125g butter
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 egg
- 2 bananas mashed ripe
- 1 1/2 cups Woolworths Essentials Self Raising Flour
- 1/4 cup milk
Method
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Step 1Melt the butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium-sized saucepan.
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Step 2Remove from the heat.
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Step 3Add mashed bananas and stir through until just combined.
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Step 4Add egg and mix well. Stir in the flour, then pour in the milk and fold in lightly.
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Step 5Bake at 170C for approximately 40 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Recipe Notes
Why is my banana cake dry?
The success of a cake lies in having the correct ratio of wet to dry ingredients, so it’s important to measure your ingredients properly. Whether using a melt and mix recipe or you’re creaming butter and sugar, the flour always has to be folded in as lightly as possible. Overmixing strengthens the gluten and you don’t want a dry bready texture. Also make sure you don’t overcook it. There are a few methods for checking whether your cake is done. While you shouldn’t really check your cake before the cooking time is up (this makes your cake crack) if you’re only a few minutes off there’s nothing wrong with having a quick look. Either stick a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean, or try pressing the cake with your fingertips. If it bounces back it’s done.
What other sweet dishes can I make with bananas?
Apart from the ubiquitous banana bread, bananas are very comfortable in muffins, puddings and pancakes. Banana fritters make a great dessert. Simply dip them in a batter and then into hot oil and serve with caramel sauce and ice cream.
What is the difference between banana cake and banana bread?
The obvious one is that one is baked in a cake pan and the other a loaf pan. Banana bread is likely to have oil rather than butter, the crumb is looser than in a cake and it’s less sweet.
How do I know if the cake is done in the oven?
To check if your cake is cooked, you can just lightly touch the top of the cake. If it springs back then it's done. You can also stick a skewer in the centre and if it comes out with no wet batter attached, you’re good to go.
What icing could I use on this banana cake?
We love a cream cheese icing on this cake, and have a super simple recipe for you to try. Make sure you wait for the cake to cool before spreading it over the top.
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