Description
Ina Garten’s banana cake delights dessert enthusiasts with its moist crumb and rich flavor profile. Elegant yet simple, this classic cake offers comfort and indulgence for friends and family gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 bananas (very ripe, mashed)
- 2 eggs (extra-large, room temperature)
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese (room temperature)
- 6 tbsps (85 g or ¾ stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) confectioners’ sugar (sifted, ½ pound)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup walnuts (coarsely chopped, optional)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (for cake)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (for frosting)
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Walnut halves (for decorating, optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan with flour, ensuring complete coverage.
- Banana Mixture: Blend ripe mashed bananas with granulated and brown sugars using an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and consistent.
- Wet Ingredients Integration: Slowly incorporate vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and orange zest into the banana mixture, maintaining low-speed mixing for uniform texture.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl to eliminate potential lumps and ensure even distribution.
- Batter Assembly: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring minimally to prevent overmixing and maintain a light, tender cake texture. Fold in chopped walnuts if desired.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake develops a golden-brown exterior.
- Cooling Stage: Allow cake to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- Frosting Preparation: Blend softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract in an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting reaches a creamy consistency.
- Final Assembly: Once cake has cooled completely, generously spread cream cheese frosting across the top. Optionally garnish with whole walnut halves for an elegant presentation.
Notes
- Perfect Banana Selection: Use extremely ripe, nearly black bananas with brown speckles for maximum sweetness and intense banana flavor.
- Mixing Technique Matters: Avoid overmixing batter to prevent a tough, dense cake texture; mix just until ingredients are combined for tender crumb.
- Temperature Control: Allow ingredients like eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese to reach room temperature before mixing to ensure smooth, even incorporation.
- Frosting Consistency Tip: Chill cream cheese frosting for 15-20 minutes before spreading to achieve a firmer, more spreadable consistency that won’t slide off the cake.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg