CAKES - Other Cakes

Banana Cake

July 19, 2017 | Recipe by Bake with Paws
Banana Cake


Banana Cake



This is a banana cake recipe I would recommend highly. It is shared by Mandy, my girlfriend from Penang who bakes expertly for her kids. 

This Banana Cake is very moist. I have baked it once before a few months ago when she first shared with me but I didn’t manage to take any photos of it then because it got eaten up so fast. I tried it again recently but with reduced quantities as I did not have enough banana. As a result, my cake did not turn out as tall. But, still the result still tastes just as good.

It is advisable to read the following notes before baking.  

GENERAL NOTES

Butter

When the recipe requires room temperature butter it refers to a soft and pliable butter that is melted. The butter should not look shinny or greasy. It should still be cool to touch and not warm.  During the creaming stage of butter and sugar, the mixing will create air pockets in the butter and this will result in a soft and fluffy cake.

If the butter is too warm it will not create the desired air pockets and this will result in a dense cake.  Conversely if the butter is too cold, the butter won't expand easily and is also unable to create the desired air pocket s for a fluffy texture. Ideally, the butter needs to be soft and pliable but still cool to the touch.

Creaming Butter and Sugar

The beating (butter, sugar and egg) process has to be done slowly at a low medium speed and not more than a medium speed.  The slow speed needs to be maintained when the flour is added. The flour needs to be mixed at a low speed as a high speed would develop additional gluten that will cause the cake to rise in the oven, but sink as soon as you remove it from oven. The sinking causes the cake to be dense. In short, over creaming will make your cake dense too.  Sources from here.

Oven temperature and Baking Time

Do note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven. 

It would be good to use an oven thermometer when baking. This will help you understand and know the actual temperature you are baking at. The actual temperature in the oven may not be the same as the oven’s setting.  Leave the thermometer on the same rack where you place your baking.

I usually bake cakes with top and bottom heats setting.  I don’t encourage baking cakes with fan-forced mode as this setting uses a fan to circulate the hot air for quick baking or cooking at high temperature and may result in cracks on the cake.  However, if fan mode is used, it is recommended to reduce the temperature setting by about 20C if using a fan-forced mode.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible.

Recipe - Banana Cake


Yields: 1 square banana cake (7 inch X 7 inch) or (8 inch X 8 inch)

INGREDIENTS:


7 inch Square Pan


8 inch Square Pan

200g unsalted butter
180g caster sugar (I cut down to 140g)
3 eggs (big size),  around 180g total
280g flour (140g bread flour + 140g cake flour)
1 tsp baking powder (I used Clabber Girl Double Acting Baking Powder)
½ tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
250g mashed banana 
50g fresh milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
Walnuts or any nuts for topping


250g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar (I cut down to 175g)
4 eggs (big size), around 240g total
350g flour (175g bread flour + 175g cake flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder (I used Clabber Girl Double Acting Baking Powder)
½ + 1/8 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
313g mashed banana 
62g fresh milk
½ + 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Walnuts or any nuts for topping


METHOD:
  1. Lined the bottom of square baking tin (7 inch X 7 inc).
  2. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  3. Shift flour, baking powder and baking soda, then whisk in salt together in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Cream butter and sugar till light and creamy in a bowl of stand mixer.
  5. Add in egg one at a time and beat till creamy.
  6. Add in mashed banana and vanilla extract, then mix well.
  7. Fold in the flour mixture then follow by mixing in the milk and mix well.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin.
  9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
  10. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan.

Comments

  1. I love banana cake, so this looks perfect! I have to make this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments. Hope you will like it too.

      Delete
  2. Hi, is this cake to be baked with or without fan?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Evelyn, Thank you for asking. I used top and bottom heat. Normally, I don't use fan-forced mode for baking cake as it will be too hot.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  3. Hi, would like to ask if the natter is supposed to be thick? I am making it now and the Batter seems really thick not like normal cake texture. Thanks! In the oven now, hope it turns out well ��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Thank you for trying this recipe and your question. Yes it is supposed and not runny. How it is turn out?

      Delete
  4. Ooh look at this cake! I love the combinations of flavors. Yumm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the recipe. I have just tried, I was a bit worry the creaming butter and sugar process as not sure when to stop but it turns out perfect. It would be helpful if you could take some pictures next time when you bake this again and add to the recipe for reference. Thanks for sharing. It's the best banana cake that I've made so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for trying this recipe and your kind feedback. Sure! I will if I bake it again. However, for the meantime you can search for Butter Cake In my blog and you can see the creaming stage diagram there. I hope it will help.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  6. Hi, thank you so much for the recipe. I just baked it yesterday with the 7inch portion to a 12pcs muffin tray and baked at 180C for abt 45mins. I did fold in slices of banana to my batter and also for the toppings.🤣. It turned out so good!! Thanks and love all your recipes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jessica, Thank you for trying this recipe and your kind feedback. Glad to hear that you like it. It must taste very good with adding the slices of banana.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  7. Yes, it tasted real good. I did a 2nd bake by reducing the temperature to 170C for 20mins, 160C for 10mins ans 150C for 5mins. I used 120g Caster sugar and 20g Molasses sugar. The texture was much softer and moist compare to my 1st bake. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe 😘😘😘

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing with me your experiment. I should try molasses next time too. Cheers :)

      Delete
  8. Hi, is cake flour the same as self-rising flour?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, Thanks for visiting Bake with Paws. From my understanding they are different. Cake flour is very fine and low protein flour made from soft wheat. Self raising flour is flour already added baking powder.

    Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment