Amazing Banana Bread Snack Cake

I found myself with some overripe bananas and wanted to do something with them in the baking department. I had exactly enough to make a small batch recipe of this Banana Bread Cake Recipe that I had found on a blog called Together as Family.

It looked delicious and to be honest I did not and could not use a full sized cake, so I just cut everything in half and made an 8-inch square cake rather than a 9 by 13-inch cake.

I also opted for a plain vanilla buttercream frosting than a cream cheese frosting. I am probably one of the few people around that don't really enjoy cream cheese frosting all that much!

 

Cakes like this are a fabulous way of using up overripe bananas.  When I was married and living in the U.K. I could never keep bananas in the house long enough for them to really ripen. My husband used to eat them all up. I found that I used to have to hide a couple if I was wanting to make banana bread or some such.

Now I am all on my own, I can never keep them in the house without them getting overripe! I hate waste and so often end up baking them into breads and/or cakes.  I do usually try to small batch most of my bakes these days as well, as I just can't eat up a full batch of anything all by myself!

Ahh, the travails of living on your own! I have two cats but they don't eat human food like a dog might. Human food is not great for either one in any case!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AMAZING BANANA BREAD SNACK CAKE

These are pretty simple ingredients and some might question why I share them with you like this, but there are some people who are only new to baking and might need a bit of a longer explanation when it comes to ingredients. I hope we can all be nice and respectful of their journey!

For the cake:

• 1/4 cup (57g) salted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup (60g) full fat sour cream
• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• pinch salt
• 2 medium bananas, overripe, peeled and mashed

For the frosting and finishing:

• 1 1/2 cups (190g) sifted icing sugar
• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 TBS heavy cream or milk
• chopped toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top (4 or 5 walnuts)

 

I used two smallish bananas, altogether they made about 1/2 cup of mashed banana. To mash the banana I use my immersion blender which gets them nice and smooth. You can also use a fork, but will have a lumpier finish if you do.

The "secret ingredient" to this recipe is the sour cream. Using full fat gives you a lovely rich batter that is incredibly moist.

A large egg in North America is the equivalent of a medium egg in the U.K. , although to be honest I have never noticed the slight difference in size to make much of a difference.

I use only salted butter in my home.  I cannot afford to keep in both salted and unsalted butters. If I worry about the salt in a recipe because of the butter, then I just cut back on any regular salt required, or leave it out altogether.

I try to use the best quality ingredients that I can afford to buy of everything.  Unbleached organic flour. Organic granulated sugar (I buy it by the large bag at Costco.) Free range, organic eggs.

To toast my walnuts, I turned the oven off after I removed the cake from the oven, threw the nuts onto a baking tray and put them into the residual heat of the oven. I left them for about 8 minutes or so and they were perfect!

 

HOW TO MAKE AMAZING BANANA BREAD SNACK CAKE

You will need an electric mixer for this, or else you will need to really beat it well with a wooden spoon. I opt for the mixer myself! It makes short work of it!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan and dust lightly with flour, or line with baking paper. Sift the flour, soda and salt together to combine.

Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.

 

Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until thoroughly combined and creamy.

Add the flour mixture, on low speed, beating only to just combine. Fold in the mashed bananas, again making sure they are thoroughly combined.

Spread the batter in the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the butter together in a bowl with the icing sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth and fluffy! Spread this on top of the cake and garnish with toasted walnuts.

 

This was a really rich and dense banana cake, with a texture very similar to banana bread. It was very delicious as well. The original cake had a cream cheese frosting, I opted for a simple vanilla buttercream frosting in its place.  This was perfect! 

The toasted walnuts I sprinkled on top were an optional extra. I love the combination of walnuts and banana and thought they went quite well!  You could top with a few fresh banana slices in their place or even toasted pecans if you wanted to.  Note however, fresh banana slices should only be added just prior to serving.

Here are some other snacking cakes that you and your family might also enjoy! I know we sure do!

LUCIOUS LEMON SNACKING CAKE - This Lemon Snacking Cake Recipe is a bit different than most cake recipes in that it is mixed and baked and served all in the same pan. Yes, you heard that right! The batter is  mixed right in the pan. The cake bakes in the pan. The cake is frosted in the pan (once cooled). And finally, the cake is served from that same pan. I also store this cake in the pan. Add to that the fact that it is delicious and this spells winner all round! 

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER SNACK CAKE -   This is a particularly lovely cake. Nice and moist with a beautiful crumb due to the buttermilk in the cake batter. Flavored beautifully with peanut butter and brown sugar. The brown sugar also adds to the moist crumb of this cake. The salted caramel frosting on the top is its crowning glory.  It is very similar to the old school Penuche frosting. It is fudgy and rich and if a fabulous match for this sweet and salty cake! 

Yield: 9

Author: Marie Rayner

Amazing Banana Bread Snack Cake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

A rich and deliciously moist banana cake which is delicious unfrosted and eaten out of hand, but add a simple buttercream frosting and some toasted nuts on top and it is phenomenal! A great way to use up overripe bananas!

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1/4 cup (57g) salted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup (60g) full fat sour cream
• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• pinch salt
• 2 medium bananas, overripe, peeled and mashed

For the frosting and finishing:

• 1 1/2 cups (190g) sifted icing sugar
• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 TBS heavy cream or milk
• chopped toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top (4 or 5 walnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan and dust lightly with flour, or line with baking paper. Sift the flour, soda and salt together to combine.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.
3. Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until thoroughly combined and creamy.
4. Add the flour mixture, on low speed, beating only to just combine. Fold in the mashed bananas, again making sure they are thoroughly combined.
5. Spread the batter in the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
7. For the frosting beat the butter together in a bowl with the icing sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth and fluffy! Spread this on top of the cake and garnish with toasted walnuts.

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