The Crazy Very Best Banana Cake
Adapted from Happy Hooligans
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours plus 1 hour in the freezer
- 1.5 cups very ripe bananas
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 cups cake flour*
- 1.5 teaspoons bicarb soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 170g or 3/4 cup softened butter
- 2 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1.5 cups buttermilk*
For frosting
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 250g/0.5lb. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3.5 cups icing sugar, sifted
*To make 1 cup of cake flour, place 2 tablespoons of cornstarch/cornflour in a measuring jug and top up to the 1 cup level with all purpose flour.
*If you don't have buttermilk, add two teaspoons of lemon juice to 1.5 cups of milk.
You will also need room in your freezer to fit the cake tin. This is always an issue for me since I have so much in the freezer!
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 135C/275F (yes, this isn't a typo, it's a very low temperature). I made this in a 20x20 or 8x8inch square tin. You can also do this in a 9x13inch pan where the cake will be flatter but won't take as long to cook. Mash the bananas with the lemon juice and set aside. Whisk the flour, bicarb and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2 - Beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes and then add the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla. Then on the slowest speed add the flour mixture, bananas and buttermilk in alternating goes. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1.5-2 hours (depending on the pan that you've used).
Step 3 - Once it comes out of the oven, place it straight into the freezer. You can cover it with a folded over tea towel if you are worried about your freezer temperature dropping and spoiling the other items. Place in the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from freezer and cool completely.
Step 4 - While it is in the freezer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then on low speed add the vanilla and the sifted icing sugar until it makes a smooth frosting. When the cake is cool, add the frosting.