Simply the Best Banana Cake

Memories are funny things, and I always find that my mind is especially focused on them during exam times whether its trying to recall the area of forest cut down each year in the Amazon Basin or it’s the conclusion of my literature essay. I find the brain pretty spectacular in its ability to store so much information but not always the right kind, as the lyrics to my new favorite song isn’t the most helpful thing to remember in a math exam. But for some reason certain memories stay with us, and this recipe is definitely one of them. 

Easy, basic and a little bit ugly isn’t usually something I would look for in a cake, but ever since an old family friend shared the recipe, the ‘Simply the Best banana cake’ became a family favorite which I will always remember.  

The reason I love this beautiful little mess of a cake is two-fold. Firstly it's one of those cakes which is versatile, you can change the recipe depending on what its needed for, add nuts when you’re feeling healthy, or chocolate chips for an afternoon tea, and even coat it in frosting for a birthday/event. Secondly it’s a bit of a slap-dash cake, as it only has 6 ingredients and the method is simple,which sometimes is just what you need at the end of the day.

Simply the Best Banana Cake

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ Cups Self-Raising flour, sifted

1 t baking soda, sifted

1 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

2 ½ cups mashed banana (about 4 bananas)

1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil

* In this one I added 1 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

I use the ‘Perfect Chocolate Buttercream’ recipe from Iambaker here. Although I add ½ cup chocolate chips and cream to make a ganache, once that is cool, mix it into the frosting for a more chocolaty taste.

Introduced to me by my friend Georgia,  with or without milk this tea is a personal favorite

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C then grease and line a 20cm round tin.

2. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, eggs, banana and oil.

3. Mix gently to a smooth batter and add nuts

4. Pour into the cake in and bake for 1½ hours.

5. If you feel like fancying this cake up then slice in half and ice with chocolate frosting.

6. Take a generous slice because it’s Monday and you deserve cake.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Some people claim that there is nothing worse than leaving an argument with a significant other unfinished, and the anguish you feel at letting someone have such an influence over your emotions for the day.  So you can imagine my surprise when I realized the relationship I have with my kitchen is no exception to this rule.

I can't count the number of days that have been spent in frustration as I allow the result of a cupcake mixture that has been lovingly measured, sifted and whisked dictate my emotional stability for the day. I can confidently say without a doubt, that the consistency of a batch of Russian fudge can literally make or break my week.

In fact it has reached the point where my family and friends are no longer surprised to come home and occasionally see me lying down on the kitchen floor, covered in a mixture of flour and defeat while a slightly overcooked tray of brownies sits on the counter.

(Slightly un-pretty batch, attempt #1)

So today just happened to be one of those days, I had it all planned out to the minute, but as per usual halfway through the day the study schedule was in the bin and I was in the kitchen with a picture of perfectly frosted cupcakes in my head. 

Although upon realizing that the beautiful chocolate frosting I had made wasn't going to hold shape, I did what logical person in my situation would do. I covered them with a generous heaping of grated toblerone chocolate and called it a day, again proving that chocolate can fix almost any problem.

Now I present to you my go-to chocolate cake recipe from Annabel Langbein, which also makes great cupcakes. It uses 1 bowl and literally takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and while I am not a coffee person it gives the cake a richer, less sweet taste instead of adding more cacao powder.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

       3 cups self-raising flour

       2 cups sugar

       1½ tsp vanilla extract

       ¾ cup cocoa powder

       2 tsp baking soda, sifted

       200g butter, softened

       1 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt (buttermilk also works)

       3 large eggs

       1 cup boiling hot coffee

Heat oven to 160°C. Grease the sides and line the base of a 30cm round cake tin or 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Place all ingredients in a bowl or food processor and mix or blitz until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared tin or tins and smooth top. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. If not using at once, the cake will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge.

To ice, use this fantastic frosting from the "I am baker" blog here!