Banana cake, also known as banana bread, started out in a classic shape: it was originally baked in a loaf tin, the kind used for sandwich bread, and sliced with a serrated bread knife into pieces that look like slices of bread.
Today banana cake comes in many shapes. You can still find the original loaf style, or bite-sized pieces that are easy to eat without having to cut a large cake.
Two Main Types of Banana Cake
There are many banana cake recipes, but they fall into two main types: those made with vegetable oil and those made with butter. Each is made differently.
1) Banana Cake with Vegetable Oil
This is the most popular version because it is quick and easy. The wet ingredients are mixed together: eggs, vegetable oil, mashed banana, vinegar (some recipes use lime juice), sugar and salt, and the flour goes in last. It is inexpensive to make and has a soft, moist crumb that stays soft and moist even after chilling.
2) Banana Cake with Butter
This version costs more and takes longer, but the crumb is denser than the oil version and becomes very firm when chilled. The method is exactly the same as for a butter cake: cream the butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time, add the mashed banana mixed with vinegar, then gently fold in the flour to finish.
Ways to Add Variety to Banana Cake
1. Cake Shape
Banana cake can be made as a small rectangular loaf cut into slices, or as cupcakes. These days you will often see mini or bite-sized banana cupcakes sold in supermarkets. You can adapt it however you like, because banana cake is very versatile. The advantage of cupcakes is that they are easy to grab and you do not have to spend time cutting the cake.
2. Toppings
You can add a topping before baking, or leave the top plain; the plain version is fairly popular too. Banana cake tends to crack on top as it bakes, with the centre doming up, so any topping will shift towards the edges of the tin.
3. Crumb Colour
Most people prefer banana cake with a brown crumb, but you can change the colour of the crumb too.
For a brown crumb: simply mash the bananas and leave them to stand for 1 to 1.5 hours before making the cake.
For a golden-yellow crumb: mash the bananas with vinegar and cover tightly with cling film to keep the air out. Remove the film only when you are ready to use it; this stops the bananas from turning black.
Banana cake works both as a light meal and as a snack. The riper the bananas, the better it tastes. Bananas left on the bunch until they are bruised and overripe give an even stronger aroma and sweeter flavour, and fill the kitchen with a lovely scent while baking.
