Banana Cake is the perfect tea-time snack. This wonderfully light, soft and fruity cake is perfect with a cup of afternoon coffee!
Jump to RecipeBanana Cake is a classic tea cake, not necessarily Asian but very much loved on this side of the planet. In full disclosure, I must say that every time I have this banana cake I am reminded of the lighter and more delicious version available in JB, at a sweet little charcoal-oven bakery called Hiap Joo. Thanks to this lockdown that seems to be lasting forever, we won’t be able to try this anytime soon. In fact, I have it on good word that the shop is now closed for a period of time, due to the pandemic.
Here’s a video I made when visiting JB’s Hiap Joo Bakery:
While I don’t claim this cake to be the same recipe as the one sold in Hiap Joo, it comes pretty close. I do not, and nor will I ever, own a charcoal oven. Plus, this cake has a heavy butter base which I just adore.
Recipe Roots
This recipe is a pretty old one, that has been with me since I was 15 years old. I have made this on many occasions, and this is really the only way in which I will eat bananas. This basic ‘rich’ cake involves beating butter and sugar till it becomes fluffy and thick and almost doubled in volume. I have used half white and half dark brown sugar in this recipe because the dark brown sugar brings out the flavours of banana really well. You can use all dark brown sugar, but expect a more treacly taste from the finished product.
Unlike other banana cake recipes that require you to beat the mashed bananas in with the butter and sugar mixture, I find that folding the bananas in at the end with the flour helps to protect the delicate chunks of the banana. This will result in a cake with chunks of mashed banana distributed all over. The addition of lemon juice into the bananas helps to keep the fruit from turning brown quickly.
I know 4 eggs seem like an awful lot compared to my usual recommendation of 2 or 3. But this makes all the difference here. The cake comes out soft and light because of the number of eggs in this recipe. Plus, the addition of lemon juice mentioned above keeps the cake from smelling eggy, too!
Banana Cake Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
servings30
minutes40
minutesYou’ll need;
200g Unsalted Butter
75g Fine White Sugar
75g Dark Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract or Bean Paste
225g Self-Raising Flour
2 Large Ripe Bananas, peel and mashed
You’ll need to;
- Take out the eggs and butter from the fridge at least 30 mins before starting the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake tin. You can also use a standard loaf tin for this recipe. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat together with the vanilla extract or bean paste. Sift the flour into a bowl. Set these aside and get started with the cake mixture.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This is a process called creaming, and you can do this by hand using a wooden spoon or whisk, or in the mixer. Once creamed (about 5 mins), add the eggs a little at a time, in 5 to 6 additions. Make sure that the eggs are well combined into the fluffy butter and sugar before adding each addition.
- Then, add the flour and mashed banana. Fold in with a metal spoon until well combined, then transfer to the waiting tin. Smoothen out the top with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 40 to 45 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre, comes out clean.
Notes
- Tip: You can choose to strew sliced almonds on the top of the cake before baking it. You can also make a simple streusel and dot the cake with it, for added texture.