Today is my second oldest brother's 23rd birthday. A few years ago I decided to establish a birthday tradition for him by baking his favourite baked treat, aka banana cake. I've always used Dorie's Banana Bundt cake recipe from her Baking: From my home to yours recipe book because a) it is simple and straightforward; b) it tastes delicious; c) it works every time.
After breakfast I got straight to baking this wonderful cake.
As you may have noticed, the cake is a tad brown. I made the dumb choice of taking a quick nap AND shower while the cake was cooking in the oven. You see, banana cakes and loaves take FOREVER to cook due to the moisture from the banana (the recipe needed the cake to cook 65+ minutes) so I thought it would be okay for me to run some other errands. Well, probably made a bad mistake doing so.
It's a tad brown but I think it is a small imperfection that makes this batch unique. It has a toasty, caramel-like and banana taste and aroma, and a crunchy-ish crust, deep, dark brown hue. I loved it, my brother loved it, everyone loved it!
Usually I would glaze the cake with chocolate ganache frosting because my brother had gatherings for his past birthdays, so the ganache served as an embellishment to the cake to appeal to the party guests. Donna Hay's recipe is always a safe bet! The cake then becomes indulgent and incredibly rich and sweet, because the banana cake itself is already sweet so the chocolate topping adds a real KAPOW! But personally, I like my food simple and for the sweetness level to be kept to the minimum, so the cake is already perfect by itself in my opinion :)
A real shout out to my brother. 23 years of age! Goodness me. You're ridiculously silly, hilarious, fun- loving but also very very cautious, detail-oriented and conservative. You love all things monochrome, anime and carb-loaded. You have made me angry, sad, frustrated, happy and loved. You are a person like no other. I am very very blessed to have you by my side for the past 18 years, and for the many years to come. Please make wise choices in your life and wish you all the best for the future.
RATING
INSTRUCTIONS : 9/10
Clearly written. Easy to follow. Only issue for me was the units used (e.g. sticks and ounces for the butter instead of grams/cups what I am used to using)
LOOK OF FINAL PRODUCT: 8/10 - I burnt it slightly which made the inside a tad too brown for my liking. My fault though, not the recipe!
TASTE: 10/10
TEXTURE: 8/10
OVERALL RATING:
G RATING- 9/10
E RATING - 10/10 - Fam loved the final product and have for the past 4 years of me making it.
+++++
Classic Banana Bundt Cake (Dorie Greenspan recipe from 'Baking: From my kitchen to yours')
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
- 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/2-1 3/4 cups)
- 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half of the dry ingredients (don’t be disturbed when the batter curdles), all of the sour cream and then the rest of the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes—if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool completely.
Makes 14 servings.
