One of my favourite ingredients to bake with is ripe bananas. The riper the better. I like them best when the skins are almost black. Just perfect for baking with. Oh, I do love me some banana chocolate chip cookies, banana tea bread, banana muffins, banana cake . . .
One of Todd's favourite things to eat is bananas. He usually eats them all up before I can do anything with them. Most annoying . . .
This week I managed to squirrel some away where he couldn't see them and I let them get . . . ripe, ripe, ripe . . .
I wanted to make a delicious banana cake. Rich and moist, and just chock full of banana flecks and flavour . . .
With a lucious cream cheese icing.
This banana cake is the epitome of the word M-O-R-E-I-S-H!!!
Ohh, but it is dangerous to have around. Anyone care to come over and help us eat it up???
*Dreamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting*
Serves 8 to 10
Printable Recipe
A deliciously moist and rich banana cake, topped with a lucious cream cheese frosting. It is best to store this in the refrigerator because of the frosting, but don't worry, because there is oil used in the cake batter instead of butter the cake stays moist and tender, even when served cold from the fridge.
For the Cake:
2 large very ripe bananas, peeled and lightly mashed
(8 ounces)
4 ounces of creme fraiche
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp loosely packed finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 ounces of light brown muscovado sugar (in America use Turbinado, or even just ordinary brown sugar)
4 ounces of safflower oil
170g of plain flour
30g of cornflour
(alternately use 200g of cake flour)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For the icing:
6 ounces full fat soft cheese
(like Philadelphia)
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
400g of icing sugar, sifted
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 inch round deep cake tin. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper and butter the paper. Dust with flour, shaking out any excess. Set aside.
Place the bananas, sugar and creme fraiche into a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides. Gradually add the oil with the motor running, until it is thorougly incorporated. Add the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Process again for about 10 seconds.
Whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, cornflour and salt.
Pour the wet mixture into a large bowl. Sift in the flour mixture and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for several minutes until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and then flip over and cool completely top side up.
To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Spread this frosting to cover the top and sides of the banana cake. Store in the refrigerator.
