Banana Bundt Cake
The price of banana in the supermarket has been crazy lately. Could you imagine $4.95 – @5.95/kg? I am better of having a luxury of eating Kensington Pride Mangoes at $19.99/box. So, you are wondering what in the world was I thinking to make a banana cake. This was how it all begins. I went to Harris Farm to buy a box of Mangoes, passed by banana stand and wasn’t intended to buy any of them. Then I passed by discounted stand where they have buckets of over ripe fruits, and there they were… bananas. A small bucket full of bananas for $2.95. I got 5 bananas on my bucket. Yipeee.. it’s banana cake time.
My husband ordered me this great book from Amazon called “Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan that I have been longing to have. When a delivery guy ringed me through my unit phone telling that he was downstairs, I just rushed through the lift carrying my 2 years old toddler. I was so excited receiving this book that I can’t wait to try her recipe. This banana cake is one of her great collection that she got from her friend Ellen Einstein who owns Sweet Sixteenth Bakery in Nashville.
Anyway, my tips before you bake this banana cake are:
- Wait until the bananas are very ripe. When they are ripe, store them in the refrigerator until their skins are blackened. I know it is disgusting to see the blackened banana’s skins, but to tell you the truth, the banana cake taste even better and sweeter. Because they are sweeter, I don’t need to use so much sugar. If you are following my sugar quantity, just keep in mind though that I don’t have a sweet tooth, so you might add more from my recommendation (the one highlighted in red).
- If the top of the cake browns too quickly, place an aluminium foil on top of the cake.
This is how my banana cake looks like straight from the oven. Why the top cracks? I have no idea. But it tastes so goooooood and fluffy and yummy. I never taste the banana cake this good. This is definitely a winner recipe of banana cake for me.
I had some left over batter that I turned into muffins. I added some dark choc chips to the batter before baking them. For me, they are too sweet. Next time, I will decrease the amount of sugar if I want to turn them into choc chip muffins.
Ingredients
Recipe adapted from “Baking: From My Homes to Yours by Dorie Greenspan”
- 3 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt (I didn’t use this)
- 226 gr unsalted butter, at room temperature (I use reduced salt butter)
- 2 cups sugar (I use 1 1/3 cup sugar)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature (I use 3 eggs of 700 gr pack)
- about 4 very ripe bananas or 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups, mashed (my 4 ripe bananas was 2 1/3 cups)
- 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I use Jalna berry yogurt)
Instructions
- Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 170 C.
- Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. (If you use a silicone Bundt pan there’s no need to butter it.) Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet – you want the oven’s heat to circulate through the Bundt’s inner tube.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
- Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
- Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas.
- Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don’t be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to debubble the batter and smooth the top.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes – if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent.
- Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.
- If you’ve got the time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving – it’s better the next day
Preparation time (duration): 45
Please leave your comment/suggestion if you find this recipe useful. Can’t wait to hear from you and Thank You!!!
