Banana Cake Recipe

I am not really a big fan of banana cakes, the only one that I have found good is an unusual Liberian recipe for a banana and ground rice cake. In that cake the banana flavour is not overwhelming as it is in most Western cakes.

So, when I saw this recipe I had to give it a try. What got me was the use of lemon. This balances out the flavour and the sweetness of the bananas and the final cake is much better... or at the very least I enjoyed it.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I had to publish the recipe here!

Banana Cake

Serves: 10–12

Ingredients:

200g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g (3/4 cup, packed) soft brown sugar
75g (3 oz) butter
2 medium eggs, beaten
500g ripe bananas (about 3), mashed
finely-grated zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
75g pecan nuts, coarsely chopped

Method:

Sift together the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and cream together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs with a little of the flour, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition.

Work the lemon zest and juice into the mashed bananas then add to to the creamed mixture with the nuts. Finally, fold in the flour until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Turn the batter into a greased 1kg (2 lb) loaf tin, the base of which has been lined with parchment paper.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for about 45 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

For more classic cake and baking recipes, why not visit the Celtnet cake baking page?