To call a banana loaf cake the best banana loaf cake it has to have four qualities:
- Soft
- Moist
- Fluffy
- Jam Packed full of banana flavour
Did you know my banana loaf cake has all 4 qualities plus its so easy to make.
I mean so easy. All you have to do is throw everything into a bowl give it a quick mix and you are done! Not a lot of washing up and hardly any effort but the best banana loaf cake as a reward at the end.
What Kind Of Banana Do I Need?
You probably already know that the blacker your banana is the riper it is which equals a sweeter banana.
I don’t like bananas that are too yellow. When they start to brighten and gain their black spots I leave them for the rest of my family. I like my bananas a greeny yellow when they are a little hard to peel but still peel perfectly. Not the kind you have to tug at and bits of peel break off. I’ve had a few of them and ended up with a furry tongue and a nasty taste in my mouth, so I’ve become very particular with my banana’s because there is a fine line to the perfect banana. A little weird I know but when banana’s are too ripe they have a fermented kind of taste and their texture is too soft for my liking.
But, for the best banana loaf cake you need banana’s that are really soft because they create a moist sponge. They also have to be really ripe, or how I like to call it ‘fermented as possible’ to give the most intense banana flavour.
So those bananas you have rotting away in your fruit bowl, are perfect to make the best banana loaf cake.
How To Make The Best Banana Loaf Cake
This is the best bit, all you have to do is put all your ingredients in a bowl and give everything a good whisk. The hardest part is weighing all your ingredients.
Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature so when you add your batter to the oven all your ingredient start reacting at the same time and you end up with the moistest, fluffiest, best banana loaf cake you’ve ever had.
How to make a banana loaf cake with a cream cheese frosting video
The Dish
I use a glass loaf dish to bake my banana loaf cake. My previous loaf tin was non-stick and some of the coating was coming off. I thought I would try a glass one so I wouldn’t have to deal with the non-stick coming off again. I have been pleasantly surprised that nothing has stuck to my dish. But the best bit is you can put it in the dish washer unlike non-stick pans.
The loaf dish I use is 28cm but if your tin is smaller or bigger don’t worry. Your banana loaf cake will be a little shorter and higher or a little longer and shorter.
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The Best Topping For A Banana Loaf Cake
To get the best flavour out of any food, be it sweet or savoury it needs to have something to compliment it. This is the exact reason why a cream cheese frosting is frequently used on top of a banana loaf cake.
The coolness and thickness of a cream cheese frosting wakes up the banana flavour and showcases the moistness of the banana loaf cake.
Knowing this, and you knowing me. I am not just going to add a standard cream cheese frosting to my banana cake. My food is always about the flavour and balancing everything to satisfy the taste buds. So I’ve pimped up my banana loaf cake with a golden cream cheese frosting, salted caramel and caramelised bananas to take it to the next level.
Golden Cream Cheese Frosting
The addition of golden icing sugar to my cream cheese sets it miles apart from the standard cream cheese frosting. The golden icing sugar gives a caramelly, toffee like flavour. It’s not in your face caramel but a subtle hint that compliments the banana flavour from the cake and caramelised bananas and it also balances the sweetness of the salted caramel, making it taste less sweet.
There is a precise order to making the perfect golden cream cheese frosting. Make sure to start with your cream cheese first so you get it all nice and fluffy. Then add your icing sugar and make sure it is all well incorporated. Finally add your double cream. I add my double cream last because if you whip cream too long it will thicken and you may end up with butter. This is why I add everything in this order so we can end up with the silkiest, lightest cream cheese frosting.
Salted Caramel
The creamiest, silkiest, caramelist, ooeyiest, gooeyiest salted caramel compliments the golden cream cheese frosting perfectly. It brings out the toffee-like flavour from the cream cheese frosting and the coolness of the frosting brings down the sweetness of the salted caramel making every bite a perfect union of flavours. Click here for the only salted caramel recipe you will ever need.
Caramelised Bananas
You can add fresh sliced bananas on top of your banana loaf cake. But I like to add as much flavour to my food as possible, so I caramelise my bananas in a little oil. I use either olive oil or coconut oil to a pan and sauté them on each side until the edges brown and then I place them on top of my banana cake and the banana flavour you get is out of this world. Trust me don’t skip this step. These caramelised bananas are a game changer.
How To Construct The Best Banana Loaf Cake
- Slice your banana loaf cake to your preferred thickness. I suggest cutting it with a breadknife so you get nice clean cut slices.
- Spread over your golden cream cheese frosting. As much or as little as you like. I suggest as much (“,)
- Drizzle over your salted caramel
- Add your fresh banana or caramelised banana slices on top
- Drizzle over some more salted caramel. Optional
- Dig in!
Ingredients
Banana Loaf Cake
- 2 ripe bananas
- 160 g caster sugar
- 200 g self raising flour
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g butter
- 2 eggs
Golden Cream Cheese Frosting
- 280 g cream cheese
- 140 g golden icing sugar
- 460 ml double cream
Salted Caramel
Caramelised Banana Pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 large bananas
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- Hand whisk or Standmixer
- Spatula
- 28 cm Glass loaf dish
- Saucepan
- Greaseproof baking paper
- Frying pan
- 1 Cooling rack
Instructions
Banana Loaf Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180'C
- Put all your ingredients into a bowl and whisk until everything is incorporated and you have a nice smooth batter
- Grease your dish/pan with a little butter and line with baking paper
- Add your batter to your loaf dish and smooth the top with your spatula
- Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or when you insert a skewer into your banana loaf cake and it comes out clean
- Let it cool in your loaf dish for 10 minutes then take your banana loaf cake out and leave it to cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before you slice into it
Golden Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whisk 280g cream cheese until it's light and fluffy
- Add 140g icing sugar and whisk everything together until combined
- Add 460ml double cream and whisk until it's thick enough that you can hold your cream upside down on a spoon and it doesn't fall. Check the video below to see the exact consistency
Salted Caramel
- Click here for the recipe
Caramelised Bananas
- Heat your oil in your pan.
- When it is hot add your banana slices and sauté them on each side until the edges brown
Pimp Up Time
- Slice your banana loaf cake to your preferred thickness
- Spread over your golden cream cheese frosting. As much or as little as you like. I suggest as much (",)
- Drizzle over your salted caramel
- Add your fresh banana slices or caramelised banana slices on top
- Drizzle over some more salted caramel. Optional
- Dig in!
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