Banana cake is one of the easiest bakes, yet most people make mistakes at first because they don't know the techniques, and many fail on their very first try. Let's look at the most common mistakes.
Banana cake is a favourite with children because it is so easy to eat. In the past you needed a cake oven to make it, but nowadays a microwave is enough to make banana cake, and if you don't have a microwave you can steam it instead. Today there are even "clean" banana cakes with no sugar and no flour, using oats in place of flour.
Small Mistakes That Leave Banana Cake Cracked, Flat and Unattractive
1. Use Ripe Bananas
The bananas should be brown, almost black. Ripe bananas are easy to mash with just a spoon or fork, and their natural sweetness means you don't need to add much sugar.
2. Don't Overmix the Batter
Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry bowl, and add the flour little by little rather than all at once. Don't mix for too long; stop as soon as the ingredients are well combined.
3. Don't Use Too Much Banana
For banana cake, use 200 g of banana to 180 g of wheat flour. Oven temperature is also important: bake at 180 degrees with top and bottom heat for 20 minutes, then let it rest for about 10–15 minutes.
4. Measure the Flour Accurately
Don't use too much flour. Too much flour makes any cake dry and dull. Use a measuring spoon and level off the excess so it sits flush with the spoon. Banana cake recipes call for about 180 g of flour.
5. Let the Banana Cake Set
About 20 minutes after baking, move the hot banana cake to a wire rack to cool. Don't leave it in the oven; use a rack so heat can escape from underneath. Leave it on the rack for about 10–15 minutes before eating, and your banana cake will look beautiful.
6. Cream the Butter and Sugar Until Fluffy Before Adding Other Ingredients
If the mixture isn't fluffy enough, the cake will be dense. When transferring the batter to the baking tin, an ice cream scoop works very well: it keeps things tidy, keeps the tin clean, and doesn't drag down other parts of the batter that need to rise in the heat.
Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 200 g cake flour
- 2 eggs
- 165 g sugar
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 80 g salted butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
Method
- Sift the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) together and set aside.
- Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl, add the sugar and beat until it dissolves. Add the salted butter and beat until melted in, then gradually add the evaporated milk and beat until combined.
- Gradually add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Add it in stages rather than all at once, or the banana cake won't rise and won't look appetising.
- Mash the 2 ripe bananas until smooth, then gradually pour them into the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the banana and batter together well.
- Preheat the oven, and prepare the cake tin while you wait.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin. Don't fill it to the top, so the banana cake can rise nicely.
- Bake the banana cake for about 20–25 minutes at 180 degrees with top and bottom heat. For small tins, bake for about 15–20 minutes. The cake is done when it turns brown, or when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
