A recipe for really ‘bananary’ banana cake.

05.06

i always seem to find myself getting into an endless cycle of banana bread baking. both jason and i only like to eat bananas when they’re super super unripe (almost green!) and they tend to ripen quicker than we can eat them. so i bake a loaf of banana cake to use up the overripe ones (which uses about three bananas, but we’ll get onto that later) and invariably find that leaves one last unwanted banana behind. then i buy a new bunch, so that i can use up the old banana in a new cake. but that leaves behind a banana from the new bunch, and on and on it goes.
it’s just as well this cake is so totally delicious, or else it’d be quite the hardship to have one on the go the whole time. i struggled a fair bit to get this recipe where i wanted it. it’s originally a hummingbird one, but the first time i baked it both jase and i were like ‘um…where’re the bananas in this banana cake?!’ it only asked for 200 measly grams. that’s like a banana and a half. puh-thetic. so i tinkered with it a few times before i got brave enough to straight up double the amount of bananas, and now it’s oh so good. it’s the sort of cake that looks as though it might be dry, but melts into a squidgy, toffee-like texture when it’s in your mouth. blissful.
n.b. i couldn’t decide whether to refer to this loaf as banana cake, or banana bread. so i just switched it up. oh, and this cake’s best eaten the day after it’s been made, with a cup of coffee and fresh berries on the side. 

(recipe adapted from the hummingbird bakery cookbook)
ingredients: 

250g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
400g ripe banana, mashed
280g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of sofa
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
140g unsalted butter, melted
1. preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (325 fahrenheit) or gas mark 3. put the butter in a small pan, and leave over a low heat to melt. 
2. mix together the sugar and eggs until well combined, and then beat in the mashed bananas.
3. add the flour, baking powder, bicarb, ginger, and cinnamon to the sugar and egg mixture. mix thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
4. slowly pour in the melted butter, and mix until combined. 
5. pour the mix into a buttered and floured loaf tin. because of the increased volume of the extra bananas, there will be more mixture than can fit in the loaf tin. just fill the tin up to about an inch or so from the top, then pour the excess mixture into cupcake cases or buttered ramekins to be cooked separately. 
6. place the filled tin into the centre of the preheated oven,  cook for 1 hour. check for ‘doneness’ the usual way, by poking a toothpick/skewer/dry udon noodle (just me?) into the centre and making sure it comes out clean.
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42 Comments
Posted in CAKE, FOOD, FROM MY HOME TO YOURS, RECIPE
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14210617859722868239 Valentina Duracinsky

    WOW… yum.

    Valentina
    Valentina Duracinsky Blog

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02389604029454716961 Lauren

    YUM! I have only just recently realised that I like bananas, after 20 years of thinking I didn’t! Will definitely have to try this one out :)
    Love your photography in this post too! Especially the ingredients picture. So cool :) xo

    iamlaurenpotts.blogspot.co.uk

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02209013825661248794 intoruth

    Oh, what a great recipe, and such pretty photos – very Pinterest-friendly :) x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07840251615015420679 The tea-drinking Book Lover

    Wow this looks incredible! I have tried a few banana cake recipes, but I’m always left pretty underwhelmed because they just don’t taste of banana- so I’m definitely going to give this one a try. I’m also exactly the same, I eat my bananas still with a tinge of green so if they go past that, they’re straight away destined for baking. Beautiful photos Rosie! X

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02338215565907647319 lipstick and soda

    looks lovely! i really like how you packaged the slices of cake in the first picture :) thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03349787300552065851 Dizzy Miss James

    I love banana cake and this looks soooooooooo good!

    http://dizzymissjames.blogspot.co.uk/

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15985403837964786493 Hayley

    This looks amazing, I have a few ripe bananas lying around as well!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13800152177886653861 DaphneB.

    I sometimes add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips…
    Even tastier :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05753257316618615211 Dorien

    well, I hate bananas actually, haha. But these pictures are so pretty! Almost can’t get over how perfect they are :p xo

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/09177681934862350078 Becky Lamyman

    Beautifully photographed! Banana bread and Banana ‘icecream’ are my go to staples for using up overripe bananas.

  • http://howdoesitfeeltobe.com/ howdoesitfeeltobe.com

    Rosie, your photography is just beautiful. So talented in both the cooking and photography departments. Wow. Bella xx

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15388963427573939709 Lindley Anne

    love love love the presentation!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05757325104798543386 Irela

    Wow these photos are so beautiful! I’ve never tried making banana bread but I must after seeing your recipe.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11474198992341706776 Amy at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

    Those pictures are so fantastic, that I can almost smell the banana cake! Wish I could reach in and grab a slice!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14138149513010535816 Dominique

    i’m really enjoying your photographs at the moment, especially your food posts!

    http://capturingthewanderlust.blogspot.dk/

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06966907698638497826 Victoria // Oh So Pretty

    OMG my fiancé would absoultely LOVE this!!! He looves banana bread, and I’m sure banana cake too haha. Your description sounds amazing – you had me at melts into a squidgy, toffee-like texture. Your presentation is also beautiful! Love everything about this Rosie, and we definitely have to try this! xo

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13310741457064350651 Harri Davison

    Yummy, I have been craving banana cake for so long, it’s just the best. I love the way you’ve taken the photos too, looks so professional :)

    Harri

    at-rubik.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13303953012647683773 Adriana Lucia

    This looks amazing!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I love your blog! :)

    http://www.leopardmartini.com/

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904480403584923286 Monica

    Yum, looks so delicious!:)

    citta-soleggiata.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13662807909223140699 Rachel

    This looks amazing, and your food and recipe photography is amazing; so much better than mine!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12243157960743503663 ellalogy

    This looks so delicious, and I love your photos!

    Ellie | Ellalogy 

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/09070219776982675074 Sallytangle

    Love the beautiful pictures in this post so so much!! I love banana bread or cake come to think of it! Its nice cos you can quite easily class it as breakfast or a snack without feeling too guilty… ;) Plus since you have added extra banana-y-ness, its even healthier ;) xxxx

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613607428705274362 petra lorietta

    oh my grandma gave me similar recipe and it tastes amazing! :) love the photos too!

    http://www.lorietta.cz

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16780450024723206903 Fatzee

    Omg Rosie….this is amazing!
    These pics are out of the world….
    http://fatzee.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11737273772055389695 rosaliejayne

    This looks so good, I’d eat banana cake everyday for the rest of my life if I could. Definitely going to have to try making this the only issue being that I can’t cope with unripe bananas so I leave them till they’re very rips and it’ll be a task for me not to eat them before I can bake them :)
    Rosalie x
    RosalieJayne

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/00465397986274223331 LottiLovesLondon

    Gorgeous pics! Did you take these pics! Wow! I booked a photography lesson so I can improve – and well take pics like you! X

    http://lottiloveslondon.blogspot.co.uk/
    What do you think of my blog anyhoo!
    Ive been following yours for a while now :) x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17594166356861813187 LouLou in Paris

    Délicieux! Your photos are as yummy as this cake sounds :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/10668883822760403177 HannahSundae

    Oooh this cake looks scrumptious! I’ll have to get round to baking it! Your photographs are beautiful and originial, they really add to the post! I wouldn’t be suprised to see a recipe book written and photographed by you on the shelves of Smith’s in the near future!

    Hannah xo

    hannahsundae.blogspot.co.uk

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17067384818803508140 Lulu

    Rosie I need to make this just so I can stare for ages at your gorgeous ingredient list picture!
    You are SUCH a talented photographer!
    And I love banana bread:)
    Lulu x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12151079815928622234 Terri

    Yummmm, i love banana bread!

    http://terriface01.blogspot.co.uk/

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/04866426491149601365 Kaz

    Mmm this sounds amazing, definitely going to have to try it :) your pictures are so pretty- you’d be worthy of a recipe book with those beauties!
    Kaz at Sunshine Days x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06755946038349809355 Ella

    the pictures are gorgeous! love the way you presented it especially the ingredients. I found some old bananas after reading this and whipped up a loaf for the family tonight and it was delicious, thanks for the recipe! It wasnt quite as photogenic as yours though :)
    (theres a picture on my blog http://ellacbee.blogspot.co.uk/ )

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14691097337506151662 Tania

    Love those photos Rosie!!! They’re amazing! and the ingredients board is perfect!!! AND banana bread is one of my favourite! x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11676574410721198774 Rebecca

    The photos are just beautiful!

    http://www.girlaboutchelts.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17321392126360255031 Alice

    This looks SO delicious!! Your pictures are amazing too. We have some on the go at the moment too- and it’s brilliant topped with a little bit of nutella. YUM!! xx

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193892807338730163 Haylee

    Holy yummmm! Wow it’s only 7 in the morning and I’m already craving cake now. ha wow seriously this looks delish. These pictures are beautiful too by the way, some of my favorite food photos I’ve seen.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15377545174612897833 Reni J

    Mmmm, can’t wait to try this recipe! I never know what to do with the overripe bananas, they just sit there staring at me until they get thrown away, this is a much better idea! X

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07964496748433875636 Cannella Vita

    Oh yum! I love how you break down the ingredients like that! Your pictures have a unique, cheerful quality to them, unlike other food blogs I read. You go girl! :)

  • http://www.everywordhandwritten.blogspot.co.uk Rosie W

    This looks fabulous, think I will be giving it a go :)
    Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten

  • Pingback: Things To Try Thursday – 08/08/13 | Kirschplunder's Blog()

  • http://jetsettindaisy.blogspot.com Daisy

    Love this recipe (and the pictures cuz it makes it easier lol), thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!

  • isabella

    Hi! Im triying this recipe for my sister In law bday! Hope im doing it rigth ill publish the result on my instagram acount

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