With the weather still so dreary, I thought I’d share a recipe for a gorgeous banana cake sure to brighten up a long day in the office or to have at home as a treat afterwards.
I love a good banana cake, but can’t stand those dull variations with little to no flavour. A good one has to be made with overripe bananas, otherwise that taste gets lost. In fact, this is a fantastic way to use up bananas that have blackened. Though the cake is still lovely without frosting, this one is light and fluffy with a delicious hint of coconut. You can use the frosting recipe for lots of different sponges and cakes, and play with other flavours such as orange blossom water as well. Don’t forget to sprinkle raw coconut flakes on top as it adds great texture and looks so pretty.
Makes one cake, serves 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake
- 110g unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
- 190g plain flour, plus additional for dusting pan
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 150g light brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 300g well-mashed, overripe bananas
- 60ml sour cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the coconut frosting
- 200g cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 50g confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tbsp well-stirred cream of coconut
- 30g coconut flakes
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 165C/Gas Mark 3 and lightly butter, flour and line an 8in loaf tin.
2. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until combined, then add the bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract, and beat again until combined well. Reduce speed to low. Sieve in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and continue to mix.
3. Spread the batter in the tin. Bake until pale golden and a skewer or knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. This should take about 45 minutes, or an hour in a ceramic tin.
4. Once the banana cake is cooked, let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before lifting it out and onto the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, place all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and beat on high speed until well combined, light and fluffy. This should take about two minutes.
6. Finally, frost the top of the cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut flakes.
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