Banana Cake

WHAT do you think I do when there are a couple of bananas getting overripe and no one wants to eat them? Reincarnate them into a banana cake! There are banana cake recipes galore, but over the years I’ve stuck to this one, shared by my friend Eslinda, which can be mixed in a jiffy. I’ve tried this with just-ripe bananas that are good for eating, but found that overripe ones work better because besides making the cake more flavourful, they also lend the cake a rich brown colour, which keeps people guessing whether I’d added golden syrup too.

What you need:

2 big bananas (Robusta variety)
2 eggs
200 gms granulated sugar
300 gms flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
100 ml cooking oil
A dash of vanilla essence
50 gms walnuts, lightly roasted and chopped

First preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees C, so that it’s ready for the cake to be popped in by the time you’re done with the mixing.

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Break the eggs into the same bowl and continue beating with the fork. There’s absolutely no need for the ceremony of beating them separately etc…the cake will turn out just fine in a one-bowl method. Next add the sugar, cooking oil and vanilla essence and beat some more. Once again, no worries if the sugar has not fully dissolved…by the time the cake is done, there’ll be no trace of it left, except in the sweetness.

Now stir in the walnuts, and then the flour sifted with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix all together until all the flour is completely moistened. The batter should be of dropping consistency. If too stiff, incorporate a tablespoon or two of milk.

Pour the mix into a greased and dusted cake tin and bake at 180 degrees C for 35 minutes or until cake tester comes clean. If using a microwave, preheat 15 minutes on convection mode at 180 degrees C and set baking time for 35 minutes.

I normally use a non-stick tube pan (ring mould) for this cake - with the heat circulating through its centre, it gets nicely browned on all sides.

PS: It’s 300 gms of sugar in the original recipe, but since overripe bananas are naturally sweeter, I’ve reduced the sugar to 200 gms. Substituting melted butter for cooking oil works wonders on the palate and what’s more, your waistline will even show that you enjoyed every bite. For a hint of spice, sift a teaspoon of cinnamon powder with the flour.