BANANA & WALNUT CAKE

     Banana & Walnut Cake –  moist, fluffy and full of wonderful flavours. What's great about this Banana Cake Recipe is that it takes very less preparation time.  Easy, tasty and mildly sweet, that it can be eaten as a teatime snack or for breakfast. The aroma of the baked Banana Cake is an absolute free treat.
     We get the best Banana Cake in Johor, Malaysia.  The HIAP JOO BAKERY, a small shop in the lanes of busy Johor Bahru.  It is a common scenario that this Bakery is always lined up with a queue in front of it. This is an absolute Old-school Bakery baking their goodies in the most traditional way, in a wood-fired oven. When kids are home, we usually make sure to go out to Johor Bahru City Centre early in the morning, for a Breakfast at Kopi Tiam, with Kopi, Milo, Bread Kaya Butter, Nasi Lemak, Mee, Curry Puff etc., Then undoubtedly we buy a box of Banana Cake from the Bakery opposite to the place.  On one such day, my Son told me, we should try Banana Cake at home.  And that caught my thoughts and there went my quest for best Banana Cake Recipe.
     It is always that one or two bananas in a bunch get too ripe, every now and then.  And when a whole bunch of Bananas shoot up in the Banana Tree in our backyard.  I usually have few bananas too ripe for the taste that I whip up a Banana Smoothie out of it or make some goodies out of it like Unniyappam, Unda Pori etc.,  On one of such instances, I incorporated this Banana Cake.  I wait until the Bananas get really speckled. Overripe Bananas yield Moist & Sweet Banana Cakes.
     This Banana Cake recipe is a simple, yet foolproof recipe and all the more it also leaves room for an additional mix of flavours, nuts etc.,  I love to add some Walnuts in this recipe which gives a place for crunchy bites in between the soft and moist cakes. Also, the flavour is not so overwhelming that the real aroma of Banana Cake do not get lost in the midst of it.

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Recipe Type - Cake, Dessert
Difficulty - Medium
Yields - 1 Medium Sized Cakes
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 45 Minutes - 1 Hour


 

HOW TO MAKE BANANA & WALNUT CAKE

BANANA & WALNUT CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Bananas - 2 Nos.(large)
Walnuts - a Handful
All-Purpose Flour - 2 Cups
Baking Powder - 1¼ Tsp
Baking Soda - ½ Tsp
Salt -  ½ Tspn
White Sugar/Brown Sugar - 3/4 Cup
Butter - 1 Cup
Eggs - 2 Nos.
Vanilla Extract - 2 Tspn
Sour Cream/Buttermilk - 1/4 Cup

• Preheat the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for about 10 - 15 Minutes.
• Mash the Bananas along with Sour Cream/Buttermilk and keep it aside.
• Toast the Walnuts on a very low flame until crisp & aromatic and keep it aside.
• Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour(Take it from the measured Flour used for the cake) over the toasted Walnuts and toss them up well until the nuts are evenly coated with the Flour.
• Powder the White Sugar/Brown Sugar(1 Cup) into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Sift the All-purpose Flour along with Baking Soda, Baking Powder and a pinch of Salt thrice.
• In a large bowl beat Butter until soft, add powdered White Sugar/Brown Sugar and beat until it's well combined, soft & fluffy.
• Add Eggs one at a time into the Butter mixture and beat well until soft and fluffy.
• Add Vanilla Essence to the above mixture and beat it well.
• Add the sifted Flour in batches alternating each batch with mashed Bananas & Sour Cream/Buttermilk mix.
• Beat after each batch until the Flour is well combined into the mix.
• Add half the amount of  Walnuts to the cake batter along with any remaining mashed Bananas.
• Grease the Cake Tins and dust them up with the Flour.  Line the greased tins with Baking Paper.
• Pour the Banana Cake Batter into the prepared tins and smoothen the tops.
• Sprinkle the remaining toasted Walnuts on top of the Cake Batter.
• Bake the Banana Cake in the preheated at the centre rack of the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for about 45 mins to 1 hour or until the skewers come out clean.
• Let cool in the Cake Tin on a rack.
• Remove the Banana Cake from the pan carefully and peel off the baking paper.
• Cut the Banana Cake into the desired shape and store it in an airtight container.
• Banana Cake stays good for 2-3 Days at room temperature.

 

For Longer Shelf Life :

• Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate the Cake.  Can be refrigerated up to a week.
• Before serving remove them from the plastic wrap and serve once it reaches the room temperature.

 

NOTES:

• Eggs and Butter should be at room temperature.
• Can also add freshly grated Orange and Lemon zest to the Banana Cake.  This will give a mild citrusy aroma in the cake.
• Can use Nuts like Walnuts, Cashew nuts, Blanched and toasted Almonds in Banana Cake.
• Some recipes call for adding mild spices into the Banana Cake. Spices like Cinnamon, Nutmeg, suits well for the purpose.
• Overripe Bananas yields moist and naturally sweet Banana Cake.
• Can use White Sugar/Brown Sugar for Banana Cake.
• Adjust the amount of Sugar to suit your sweet preference and sweetness of the Banana.
• Sour Cream can be substituted with Greek Yogurt, Plain Yogurt or Buttermilk.
• Adjust the baking time according to your oven settings.