Say goodbye to those well-travelled bananas in the kids’ lunch box this week and say hello to this easy-peasy banana cake recipe the whole family will love!
Not to be mistaken with a loaf of dense banana bread (which is also super delicious, but with a different texture), this banana cake recipe is light and fluffy in texture – and so good it will be a regular recipe in your baking repertoire!
A family favourite recipe, it’s delicious on its own thanks to its super moist crumb, however, you can also sprinkle the top of the mixture with chocolate chips or fresh banana slices before baking for a little bit of added oomph.
You could even cut this banana cake in half and layered with sweet whipped cream, or even spread generously with chocolate icing, which is my kids’ favourite. And possibly mine too.
A word on bananas
The riper your bananas are, the better and sweeter they are for baking. Ripe bananas are also much easier to mash – so for all those black bananas in your fruit bowl at the end of the week, use them for this banana cake recipe. And if you’re short on time, you can put bananas (in their skin) in the freezer to use later. SO GOOD, and you’re not wasting them!
Easy and delicious banana cake recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups self-raising flour
- ½ cup salted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 level teaspoon of bicarb soda
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoons hot milk
- 3 mashed bananas
Method
- Grease and line a large loaf tin (or two small log cake tins) and preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Using electric beaters or a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy.
- Beat the eggs in, one at a time, mixing until combined.
- Add in the vanilla essence, beating well.
- Add in the mashed bananas, giving a quick mix to incorporate them into the mixture.
- Sift in the flour over the top of the mixture. In a mug, combine the hot milk and bicarb soda, stirring until it is dissolved and fluffy. Add the bicarb and milk mixture to the cake mixture bowl and mix thoroughly but lightly on a low speed.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top. Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through when a skewer is inserted in the centre.
- Leave the banana cake to cool in the tin for five minutes before gently turning it out into a cooling rack to cool completely.
TIP: You can slice and individually wrap pieces of this banana cake (or cupcakes) in Gladwrap and freeze them for lunch box prep. It freezes beautifully!
The banana cake recipe perfect for lunch boxes
Yes, you CAN use this banana cake recipe for lunch box-friendly cupcakes (why do cupcakes withstand those bumps in a school bag better than a slice of cake?). Just fill each cupcake liner around ¾ full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they spring back in the centre when touched lightly.
So what do you think? Are you a banana cake fan or do you prefer banana bread instead? We’d love to hear what you use overripe bananas for in your home, let us know in the comments below!
