You've never come across a banana cake as light and fluffy as my Banana Cream Cake, sandwiched with layers of caramel and cacao nibs.
Happy birthday to me!
When the excesses of Christmas are over, the new year becomes a time for lighter meals, the avoidance of alcohol and setting virtuous aims and goals for the coming year. It's all very noble but if, like me, you have a birthday in January it's not much fun.
Usually while everyone is going to the gym and cutting out booze, I'm desperate to go out on the town for cake and cocktails in celebration of becoming another year older and wiser.
In the past I've tried to swap regular butter and sugar laden cakes for beetroot brownies our courgette muffins but they always fall short of expectations.
This year I accepted that I should be reigning things in but there was no way I was missing out on having a proper birthday cake. To make myself feel slightly better about the situation I baked this light and fluffy Banana Cream Cake. It may still have been laced with sugar and fat but at least its bouncy, airy texture made me feel like I was eating air!
The technique
This Banana Cream Cake really does have a wonderful cloud like texture and couldn't be further from its stodgy cousin, Banana Bread.
The trick is to whip the eggs on a really high speed for a good 5 - 10 minutes. It sounds excessive but you end up with a batter that is full of tiny air bubbles. The batter ends up with a texture not dissimilar to a chiffon cake.
When you come to adding in the flour you really do have to fold it ever so gently. You want to make sure that all of those air bubbles you have just whipped in to the batter stay there! If you are too heavy handed you will undo all of the hard work you've just put in.
Last but not least, swapping rich butter for vegetable oil means the batter doesn't get weighed down with heavy fats.
Baking with bananas
I think the reason many banana flavoured bakes end up being so heavy is because of the banana. Whether you use ripe or over ripe bananas they have a cloying texture which, when left in lumps, never really breaks down. Instead the cake around the pieces of fruit just become sticky and moist with the bananas natural sugars and juices.
The difference with this cake is that the banana gets whisked to oblivion with the eggs! By the end of it you can just see flecks of banana as opposed to big chunks. It creates a really light and pillow-y batter with the flavour (but not texture) of banana running throughout.
It just goes to show that when baking with banana you don't have to settle for something heavy and stodgy. Give this Banana Cream Cake a try and you seriously won't look back.
Flavours of banoffee pie
As much as I love banana on its own, it tastes even better when paired with chocolate, caramel and cream.
You want to be careful not to overpower the banana and so I only spread a small amount of caramel between each layer. Cacoa nibs get sprinkled on top of this caramel meaning you have a really nice bitter crunch with every mouth full.
Last but not least, I've swapped my signature buttercream for a sweetened whipped cream which makes it even lighter on the palate.
The recipe
This cake has not one, not two, but four layers. It's a beautiful, tall cake which really makes a statement!
Light and Fluffy Banana Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 6 eggs medium
- 275 grams caster sugar
- 400 grams banana ripe, cut into small pieces
- 300 grams self-raising flour
- 200 millilitres vegetable oil
For between the layers
- 200 grams caramel or dulche de leche
- 75 grams cacoa nibs or dark chocolate chips
For the icing
- 350 millilitres double cream
- 200 grams full fat cream cheese
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 1 handful banana chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 degree C.
- Grease and line 4 6" round cake tins with grease proof paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and banana at a high speed until it has trebled in size and become light and pillow-y like a cloud. (See Note 1)
- Sieve half of the flour into the bowl and gently fold into the mixture trying not to destroy the air bubbles.
- Repeat with the remaining flour.
- Gently add in the oil (about a quarter at a time) and mix well until fully incorporated.
- Carefully spoon into the tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 - 45 mins (see Note 2).
- Place on a wire wrack to cool before starting to assemble.
- When building the cake, spread a couple of spoons of caramel on to the cake before sprinkling over some of the cacoa nibs.
- Stack each sponge and repeat.
- To make the whipped cream frosting take two bowls: in the first bowl whisk up the double cream until it has formed stiff peaks; in the second bowl beat together the cream cheese and sugar until fully combined and smooth.
- Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese.
- Place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to help stabilise.
- Cover the cake with the whipped cream frosting and smooth the sides and top.
- Pipe swirls on top and around the base of the cake.
- Place a banana chip on top of each swirl, crowing the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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Katie Bryson says
What an extravaganza of a birthday cake!!!! I absolutely love how light and fluffy this is despite being a banana cake which like you say are normally so stodgy. I'm bookmarking this for sure! Hope you had a lovely birthday xxx
Claire Jessiman says
Now this is my kind of cake! I love a banana and toffee muffin and this is like one of those gone large!
Happy Birthday! xx
Ceri Jones says
Happy birthday Emma. I'd happily drink cocktails and eat cake with you in January! This cake looks delightful, and thanks for the advice on whipping the eggs and the bananas to oblivion. Banana cakes are indeed always so heavy! x
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
Even if your birthday is in January, you should ALWAYS have birthday cake!! This banana cream cake looks so incredibly delicious!! I want to make it asap even though my birthday is months away!
Emily says
Wow, I'd love this for a birthday cake, it looks so delicious!
Traci says
After taking just one look of this, I'm pretty sure I need to make this cake. I love everything about it…and those gold candles are so cool! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Emma Walton says
My pleasure Traci, the candles are pretty cheap on Amazon! You can purchase them through the links under the recipe 🙂
Jacqueline Meldrum says
That looks heavenly and a happy birthday to you indeed. There is something about that combination of bananas and cream, isn't there? Shared!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Jacqueline! Its definitely one of my favourite flavour combinations.
Ginny says
This is just gorgeous and you deserve such a beautiful cake. My husband would love this so much!
Emma Walton says
You should make it for him for his birthday. I'm sure he'd love it!
Jessica Levinson says
Hope you had a wonderful birthday! This cake is certainly a gorgeous one to celebrate with!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Jessica!
Angela says
I love the sound of this cake! Definitely want to make it but I don’t have 4 tins but I do have 2 deep 6” tins.. do you think the recipe would work using these if I just cook the sponges for longer? x
Emma Walton says
Hi Angela you would probably get better results cooking in two batches. I do this all the time! Makes life a bit easier if you dont have the space to cool down all 4 layers at once too 🙂 hope that helps!
Angela says
Okie dokes that’s great! I shall give it a go in a few weeks! Thank you x
Beth says
What a fantastic idea to whip the eggs and bananas so long! I totally want to try this!! Thanks or the inspiration, and Happy Birthday!
Maggie @ Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Wow! I could really use a slice of this cake right now. Pinning for later.
Jill says
I love how you decorated this cake - and the cake stand - and the candles! I'm not sure I've ever tried a banana cake but now I want to!
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake says
This banana cream cake looks so tasty! I can't wait to make it!
Pam Greer says
What a gorgeous cake!! Thanks for all the tips on how to keep it light! I can't believe you made your own birthday cake!