RECIPE - CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE

12 Sept

I’ve been baking variations of this banana cake since uni. A friend brought me in a piece and I immediately asked for the recipe after eating it in pretty much one mouthful. This was way before Pinterest so I was given a photocopy, which I may still have somewhere hoarded away.

In the wake of COVID-19 and nationwide lockdowns occurring across the globe, banana bread had a resurgence and became a staple home bake. I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for a while so why not just jump on the bandwagon, although I would call this banana cake rather than bread.

Jinny Ngui Design Banana Cake Recipe Blog Post.jpg

This recipe has always been a favourite of mine, because I only like to eat bananas that are just ripening, still with a green tinge to them, after that they are too mushy and too sweet hence why they are good for baking. Also I love making this as it always reminds me of my friend from uni.

Believe me when I say I have made this so many times I’ve done all sorts of variations and made all the mistakes! Like -

forgetting the baking powder and/or bicarbonate of soda,
not being able to get hold of buttermilk, then Googling you can use sour cream,
making homemade buttermilk after watching @my_attempts_at_things stories on Instagram and wondering why the F I had never made it before
using bananas that were not ripe enough,
not having enough time to allow the cake to cool before pouring over the chocolate topping,
making without chocolate topping to try and make it healthier, to be told it’s rubbish without it,
realising ahead of time there isn’t time to do the chocolate topping so decide to improvise and put the chocolate directly into the cake,
swapped the chocolate for dates and chopped pecans,
adapted the recipe using gluten free flour,
adapted the recipe using Stevia (sugar substitute),
adapted to make a breastfeeding snack.

So after over a decade of making this cake, below is the method I’ve come to use. The original was quite different, but changing it didn’t seem to change the outcome for me. This time I attempted the recipe using coconut sugar, after I saw it at the supermarket. After a little research you can apparently use the same quantities, but it will make your cake mix darker. For some reason in my mind I was worried about over sweetening so I only used 250g. Also keep an eye on the bake towards the end the darker colour makes it harder to tell if it’s burning.

Ingredients

300g Caster sugar

170g Butter or margarine

2 Eggs

240g Self raising flour

1½tsp Baking powder

1¼tsp Bicarbonate of soda

170ml Buttermilk

3 Ripe bananas

200g Chocolate, plus a knob of butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare two 8" sponge tins, 1 large tin or 2 loaf tins.
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Gently mix in the eggs
Add remaining dry ingredients and stir through
Add the buttermilk and mix until smooth.
Mash the bananas and add to the mix.*
Pour into the tins and bake for 45-50 minutes on the middle shelf, I usually check at 45 minutes depending on the size of tins I’m using.
When cooked remove from the oven, cool on a rack with a clean tea towel over the top to maintain a moist cake.

Once cooled melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, add a knob of butter and mix thoroughly.
Transfer the cake on to your preferred serving plate or cake stand and slowly pour over the chocolate topping covering all the sides too.
You can leave to set at room temperature or put in the fridge to speed it up.
Store the cake in a tin or tupperware in a cool place or the fridge. Also freezes well if you cut into portions beforehand, nice if you ping and serve with ice cream.

*If you want to add the chocolate to the mix, chop it up and add with the mashed bananas.

*I used to use the stand mixer, but during Lockdown I baked this with my daughter and it’s more fun (and messy) with just a bowl and wooden spoon.*

*Loaf tin version with chocolate chips in the cake and using coconut sugar instead of regular caster sugar.*

Gluten Free:

Use 200g of gluten free flour, I used Freee by Doves Farm white self raising flour.

Reduced sugar:

200g Stevia

For lactation snack add:

2tbsp Flaxseed

4tbsp Brewer’s yeast

Increase buttermilk to 284ml

You need the extra buttermilk to help with the extra dry ingredients. The Brewer’s yeast has a strong smell but don’t worry it doesn’t affect the taste of the cake. I mix these with the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda before adding to the main mix.

I baked this for myself and for friends who were breastfeeding. A nice wedge with a tea or coffee (decaf obvs) is a good feeding snack, especially if your bundle of joy has kept you up all night!