BANANA CAKE / PRAJITURA CU BANANE...ENJOY!!

I like to bake , so here is my version af a banana cake .

A slice of Miranda's banana cake

Banana cake is a big favourite in our house hold (as in many other New Zealand homes) and a great way to use up over-ripe bananas.   I've adapted this recipe from my 1982 copy of the Edmonds Cookery Book.   My own version and the Edmonds one are given below.

Miranda's Banana Cake (adapted from the Edmonds one)
105g (4 oz)cooking oil (any mild-tasting oil such as rice bran or grape seed oil is fine)
135g  (5 oz) sugar
2 eggs
about 1/4 teaspoon of salt 
2 to 3 mashed bananas (or 4 to 5 small ones)
75g (3 oz) sultanas
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of bicarb soda (baking soda)
2 tablespoons boiling milk 
225g  (8 oz) self raising flour (or standard flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder mixed in)

a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on the top

Oil , sugar, salt and egg in bowl (for banana cake)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)

Beat oil and sugar together then add eggs, one at a time, beating in between.

Mashed banana ready to add to the oil, sugar and egg mixture (banana cake)

Stir in salt and mashed bananas.

Boiling mild to which baking soda has been added

In a separate container (such as a small saucepan) bring the milk to the boil and add the baking soda. Stir to dissolve the baking soda.   It will froth up quite a bit as you do this.    Stir it into your  mixture.

Measure out your flour and sieve it into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.

Miranda's banana cake mixture in a  baking dish lined with baking paper  ready to go into the oven

Mix well and pour the mixture into a cake tin lined with baking paper (or similar).    I  sprinkled the top lightly with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (recipe below).    I like to do this because it's easy and adds a little bit of sweetness and flavour to the top without  having to ice the cake and you can eat it without having to wait for it to cool.    You, however, may prefer to ice it with a vanilla icing, cream cheese icing (recipe given below) or top with cream...

Bake at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for about 20 to 30  minutes.   To check if it's cooked before removing it from the oven I poke a metal skewer into the middle.   If it comes out gooey, the cake isn't cooked enough and I re-set the timer for a few more minutes.   If it comes out clean, the cake is done!

A slice of still-warm banana cake

This recipe makes a lovely, tasty, moist cake that we all enjoy.   Before it had cooled and the kitchen was still full of the wonderful freshly baked banana cake smell, the first few pieces had been devoured warm.   The rest was eaten cold.    If you haven't tried banana cake, it's really easy to make and tasty to eat.   The flavour is different from that of fresh bananas, so if you don't like them fresh, you may still like this cake (as is the case with one of my kids who scoffed down about a quarter of the cake within an hour of being baked!).   It's also a great way to use up those super-ripe bananas that no-one wants to eat.

Note the following substitutions can be made:

Kelp powder can be used instead of the salt, this is required because I used oil instead of butter (which contains salt)

Some other dried fruit such as cranberries, diced prunes or currants can be used instead of the sultanas,

Ripe bananas are best because they're easier to mash and are sweeter.   Even when they've gone completely brown they're still fine for use in a banana cake.   They can be used fresh or frozen until required.  If you do freeze them, they're easier to peel and mash if you let them thaw first.  I used 5 small, previously frozen bananas to make the cake pictured here.

To prevent my cake from sticking to the cake tin I've used baking paper (also known as parchment paper in some countries) to line my tin.   Another alternative is to wipe your tin with melted butter or oil, shake a small quantity of flour over it and tip out any excess flour.   I don't think either of these things is necessary if your bakeware is made from silicon.

My own preference it to avoid cooking oils packaged in plastic.   I only use those sold in glass containers to avoid any (perceived or real) cross contamination of materials.

ENJOY...AND THANK YOU FOR THE PHOTOS MIRANDA!