Do you, like me, go bananas over banana cakes? Well, I love bananas in pancakes, bananas in cakes and bananas in muffins but never found any bakeries that sold really good ones. I told myself one day I will make my own banana cake. By the way, banana bread is really banana cake. Am I right or am I wrong?
I dug around the web and found many versions of banana cakes. I threw out those that had buttermilk in the recipe. My goal is to bake with as little milk as possible because I use alternative milk like oat milk or soy milk. Another criteria I had was whole wheat flour. I want to bake with as little white flour as I can possibly get away with.
I found
this recipe and although I didn't follow it 100%, I came quite close. The two big differences are 1) I used a lot more bananas - 3 big ones 2) I used raw sugar. The recipe did not use 100% whole wheat flour. Instead it used white flour and whole wheat flour at a 2:1 ratio.
The bananas were around 250grams.
I mixed everything by machine and the batter was smooth. Hubs said he was expecting chunks of bananas.
This was the cake after I removed it from the oven. I baked for 35 min which I regretted immediately because the sides and the top was a bit too crusty. (hubs will be happy) This time around, I made sure my thermometer sat in the middle of the oven so I don't think it's an issue with the temperature. I'm starting to think the issue is with the colour of my baking pan. Since it is dark, should I decrease the baking time further or should I decrease the baking temperature?
The cake was freaking delicious though and the sides and crusty top as well. It wasn't burnt at all. The inside was very soft and there were still bits of mashed bananas here and there. The cake is totally gone now. So good.
My kids don't care for the cake though. My son said he doesn't like banana cakes. In fact anything with bananas. My girl said it was not sweet enough. It was sweet but she's too used to Starbucks level of sweetness. So... Hubs like it and so do I so I'm definitely making it again. Next time though, I will only do the creaming using the machine and everything else by hand. That way I can preserve the lumps! Also, next round I won't use any white flour. What do you think?
Mmmmm, that looks delicious! I love when the 'crust' on cakes and breads splits like that. It's like it can't contain its own deliciousness.
ReplyDeleteWell done! Yup, banana bread is really banana cake. Perhaps banana loaf?
ReplyDeleteSo I'm right Jane McLellan. Banana cake doesn't taste like bread tho'.
ReplyDeleteBanana bread is so yummy. Especially warm. With maybe some walnuts folded in.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would suggest a 1:1 ratio for your next attempt before going 100%. You want to make sure you like the texture, and also note if you need to make some moisture adjustments since whole wheat flour has a lot more to it than the flour you're using.
Hi Ely, thanks for the advice. I actually like the texture of whole wheat very much but I will have to make the moisture adjustments otherwise it's too dry. Once I baked a very dry egg cake and almost choked eating it.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your results!
DeleteYum!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I LOVE banana bread... my kids HATE bananas so much. And I don't use the word hate lightly. I don't know how that happened - when they were toddlers they ate bananas, then one day - no more. I only make it when they're not around, it's sad. Yours looked so good. There's a fun recipe for a lime/coconut banana bread in The Sundays a Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook.
I think if you use 100% whole wheat you'd have to use less flour or add more liquid. I'd be curious to see how it comes out if you do that.
I'm pretty sure at some point I've made banana cake and it's more blended and smooth, lighter than banana bread. Definitely hungry for bananas now. All of your posts are making me hungry!!