banana cake: a sucessful experiment
We had some bananas that went straight from tasting under-ripe to looking over-ripe. As it turns out, while I was mashing them I found that they were at their peak for eating, despite the almost totally browned skins, so Mom and I each at one since two was plenty for the cake.
Anyway, I had decided to try this since I thought I needed to bake the bananas into something. I think it turned out pretty well, though it would be nice if the banana flavour was stronger.
2 sticks/1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt if butter is unsalted
1 cup mashed ripe banana (approx. 2)
1 tbp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a bunt or tube pan.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, and then add eggs one at a time blending well after each one.
Wisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well.
Mash bananas. Add bananas and vanilla to batter and mix well. It will be incredibly thick.
(I threw in a few spoonfuls of sour cream for the hell of it since the recipe was adapted by substituting 1 cup banana for 1 cup sour cream, but it's probably not necessary to have any. I also wonder if this would work with 2 eggs instead of 3.)
Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and inserted tester comes out clean. Coolin pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to finish cooling.
Adapted from "Nicky's Vanilla Cake" from Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, which I've never tried, but has a full cup of sugar, the aforementioned sourcream instead of banana, 2 tbsp vanilla extract, and bakes for 40 to 45 minutes.
Anyway, I had decided to try this since I thought I needed to bake the bananas into something. I think it turned out pretty well, though it would be nice if the banana flavour was stronger.
2 sticks/1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt if butter is unsalted
1 cup mashed ripe banana (approx. 2)
1 tbp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a bunt or tube pan.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, and then add eggs one at a time blending well after each one.
Wisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well.
Mash bananas. Add bananas and vanilla to batter and mix well. It will be incredibly thick.
(I threw in a few spoonfuls of sour cream for the hell of it since the recipe was adapted by substituting 1 cup banana for 1 cup sour cream, but it's probably not necessary to have any. I also wonder if this would work with 2 eggs instead of 3.)
Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and inserted tester comes out clean. Coolin pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to finish cooling.
Adapted from "Nicky's Vanilla Cake" from Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, which I've never tried, but has a full cup of sugar, the aforementioned sourcream instead of banana, 2 tbsp vanilla extract, and bakes for 40 to 45 minutes.