Prep Time : 15 + 25 Minutes | Cook Time : 30 Minutes | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Moderate
Hello my lovelies! We need some cake to cheer us up in this grey weather. Banana cake is a family favourite. It’s the all time favourite cake of a few of my nearest and dearest. The cake is adapted from the recipe made throughout my childhood. I made it bigger. A bit more banana-y. And topped it with something a little different. Growing up banana cake ALWAYS had chocolate icing. I also like lemon icing on a banana cake but I’m pretty sure I would have been adopted out if I ate it that way back then. Fingers crossed this doesn’t get me disowned. Banana and caramel are great friends. A lick of something nutty and slightly savoury is the perfect partner for all that luscious sweetness. Enter sesame. We are using sesame oil for this recipe. It has a clean nutty flavour with none of the bitterness that can come through in tahini. Make sure your sesame oil is fresh though to avoid off flavours.
For the best banana flavour I like to let my bananas get really brown then I keep a stash in the freezer. Thawed bananas mash up really smoothly as well giving a really even texture. You will need a few bananas for this cake so keep your stash topped up for future cake related emergencies. That’s totally a thing.
First the cake. Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch sandwich pans with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at at time beating until combined and fluffy. It may split a little after the third egg. Don’t panic.
I press bananas into a cup to measure them then put the banana pieces, milk, vanilla and lemon juice into a jug and zap it with a stick blender. It makes the banana super smooth and blends the liquids so they mix into the cake better.
Add the liquid along with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold until combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes are well browned and spring back when lightly pressed in the centre.
Leave the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling make the frosting. In a small saucepan combine the golden syrup, milk, condensed milk, brown sugar and vanilla. Melt together and simmer gently until the brown sugar has dissolved. It will only need to cook for about a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool to lukewarm.
Slowly beat together the icing sugar and butter in a standing mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer. It will be dry and lumpy. Add the caramel goo a little at a time while the mixer is running.
Let the frosting whip and taste it as you go. It will be a bit soft to begin with as the caramel was a bit warm but it will firm as it cools. Add the salt and a drop of sesame oil. Let it whip together and taste. Add another drop or two of sesame oil as needed. We are going for a gently nutty flavour that takes a moment to sink in.
When the cakes and frosting are both cooled, assemble the cake and decorate. There is enough frosting for a two layer cake in a semi-naked style. I tend towards less is more with frosting.
I’m pretty proud of my efforts decorating this one.
Get some cake in ya.
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Banana Cake + Sesame Caramel Buttercream
Prep Time : 15 + 15 mins | Cook Time : 30 mins | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : moderate
Makes : 2 layer 8 inch cake
Tender luscious banana cake filled with sweet and nutty sesame caramel buttercream.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 + 1/2 cups mashed banana
- 1/3 cup (80 mls) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 + 1/3 cups (335 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 2 tablespoons condensed milk
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch cream of tartar
- 3 cups (350 grams) icing sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) soft unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 drops sesame oil
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Standing or hand-held electric mixer
- 2 x 8 inch sandwich pans lined with baking paper
Directions:
First the cake. Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch sandwich pans with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at at time beating until combined and fluffy. It may split a little after the third egg. Don’t panic.
I press bananas into a cup to measure them then put the banana pieces, milk, vanilla and lemon juice into a jug and zap it with a stick blender. It makes the banana super smooth and blends the liquids so they mix into the cake better.
Add the liquid along with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold until combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes are well browned and spring back when lightly pressed in the centre.
Leave the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling make the frosting. In a small saucepan combine the golden syrup, milk, condensed milk, brown sugar and vanilla. Melt together and simmer gently until the brown sugar has dissolved. It will only need to cook for about a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool to lukewarm.
Slowly beat together the icing sugar and butter in a standing mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer. It will be dry and lumpy. Add the caramel goo a little at a time while the mixer is running.
Let the frosting whip and taste it as you go. It will be a bit soft to begin with as the caramel was a bit warm but it will firm as it cools. Add the salt and a drop of sesame oil. Let it whip together and taste. Add another drop of sesame oil as needed.
When the cakes and frosting are both cooled, assemble the cake and decorate. There is enough frosting for a two layer cake with a thin coating on the sides. I tend towards less is more when it comes to icing on cakes.
Get some cake in ya.
Cook’s Notes:
- To get the best banana flavour use very ripe bananas – I deliberately brown some to keep in the freezer. I also find that bananas that have been frozen break down more easily into a puree.
- Don’t skimp on salt in the frosting.
- Be very gentle with the sesame oil – make sure it’s fresh so it has no bitter off flavours and add a drop at a time. Don’t try to pour the drops directly out of the bottle – pour a tiny bit onto a spoon and let the drops fall off the spoon into the frosting.
– Once filled this cake is best within two days. The cake itself lasts very well and also freezes well unfilled –
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