Let me start by saying – this cake is famous. It is in fact, a bit of a celebrity.
During my little stint at the Good Market (Yes, I’ve had a tiny little stall there, just for the heck of it for like a very few weeks and I still can’t believe I did it), I introduced this spiced banana cake, which for some reason, became very popular among the crowd. It sold so well that I still have people hounding me for it wherever I go (yes YOU. I’m talking about you).
So this banana cake is not your ordinary banana cake. It has been referred to as the Food of Gods, the wonder food, the amazing cake, the only way I will eat banana, etc by those who had tasted it and it tastes pretty good, if I may say so myself. Combining all Sri Lankan spices, local ambul banana ( a sour type of banana available in Sri Lanka) and wholemeal flour, it is healthy, as well as so darn delicious.
It’s spicy, it’s sweet but not too sweet and it’s perfect for Christmas what with its spicy notes reminiscent of the season and is ideal, especially if you are tired of the same old fruit cake year after year. I’ve decided to share my secret recipe albeit a little reluctantly. But you know, it’s the season of sharing and caring, so let this be your gift this year from me to you.
- Yield: 10 servings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Banana cake
Ingredients
- Butter - 200g
- Brown sugar - 1 cup
- Wholemeal flour - 1 ½ cups (You can also use regular flour, but I prefer wholemeal because it’s healthier)
- Baking powder - ½ tsp
- Banana - 3 cups, ripe, mashed (I prefer Ambul, but any banana with a slight sourness would do)
- Cinnamon - 1 tblsp, powdered
- Clove - 1 ½ tsp, powdered
- Nutmeg - 1 tsp, powdered
- Cashews - 1 cup
- Eggs - 4
Instructions
- Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Beat until the sugar dissolves.
- Add in the spices. Beat well. Add the banana. Combine.
- Add the flour and the baking powder. Once combined, stir in the cashews.
- In a preheated over (375 F) bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Look at that texture
Dense, pudding-like texture dotted with crunchy cashews. The cake is sweet and caramelly, with the delightful sourness of the bananas balancing it all, accentuated with the aromatic spices, sensual and necessary. The cashews are crunchy and provide a creamy sweetness of their own, what with the nuttiness of the flour coming in with its own unique earthiness, titillating, teasing the senses. This cake is not overly sweet and will provide a lovely respite from all those rich Christmas goodies, laden with sweetness and the calories.
Christmas will be a little different this year.
Baking tips
- My choice of banana for this recipe is ambul. You can of course, choose a slightly sour banana for optimum results.
- Cashews are optional. You can also substitute with pecans or walnuts. Trust this would be lovely as well.
- You can actually control the sweetness by adding as more or less of brown sugar as needed.
- Don’t let the cake go dry in the oven. Usually 15 minutes will do but some ovens take longer.
