Not everybody loves bananas the way I do. I eat them plain, slice them for crepe filling, mash them in pancakes, whisk them in milkshakes, fry them as fritters, and as the title says, bake them in heavenly, moist, pound cakes!

 

“Life is full of banana skins. You slip, you carry on.” – Daphne Guinness

The Fact: The scientific name for banana is musa sapientum, which means ‘fruit of the wise men’.

The Inspiration: Christmas came and went, but left me with this need to abstain from cakes, desserts, and pretty much everything sweet. But as all good things come to an end, so did this phase of abstinence.

As I made the climb back on to the ‘food’ wagon, I decided to start small with a few desserts and some hearty servings of fruit—watermelons, apples, oranges, pears, grapes, mangoes (yes, I’m blessed with the perfect tropical climate for these fruits) and bananas! But not everybody loves bananas the way I do. I eat them plain, slice them for crepe filling, mash them in pancakes, whisk them in milkshakes, fry them as fritters, and as the title says, bake them in heavenly pound cakes.

So here’s my attempt at combining fruit and cake in a rather popular way… banana cake! I write this entry as the warm cake aroma continues to waft through my kitchen...

The Ingredients

This cake serves approx. 15–20 people.

Dry ingredients

• 1½ cups sifted flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (use 1 cup if you prefer sweeter cakes)
• 1½ tsp freshly ground cinnamon powder
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 heaped tbsp chocolate shavings or chocolate chips

Wet ingredients

• 2 large or 3 small eggs
• I cup softened butter
• I cup milk or sour cream or buttermilk
• 2 large or 3 small ripe bananas mashed to a pulp

The Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F.
• Prepare your cake tin (standard 9 x 2 inch) by spraying it with grease or lightly greasing it with butter.
• Whisk together all the dry ingredients except the chocolate shavings.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter for about 1 minute with a hand-held or electric beater.
• Gradually, whisk in the eggs.
• When the consistency is smooth, add the milk or cream and the banana pulp and whisk for about 1 minute.
• If you’re someone who’s bothered by the smell of eggs, add a teaspoon of vanilla essence/extract. If not, you’re fine.
• Now, gently whisk in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. This should take you less than a minute because the consistency of the batter is thinner that most cake batters. Do not beat this batter for more than 90 seconds; if you do, gluten will begin to form and make your cake denser and not as moist.
• Gently fold in the chocolate shavings or chocolate chips.
• Pour mixture into the prepared cake tin and put it into the oven.

• Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack

You should know by the aroma in your kitchen that you’re done 🙂 . This cake has a lovely, strong banana flavour. If there’s someone at home who dislikes bananas, the aroma is sure to drive them out of the house. Trust me; I speak from experience.

This cake is best served warm. Cut a slice to look at your beautiful, cinnamon-and-chocolate-speckled cake!

This cake can be kept without refrigeration for a few days. In warmer climates, refrigerate within 2 days. Bon appétit!