Banana Walnut Cake (Eggless)

Back to some baking!! The banana-walnut combination is what I always describe as sterling for cakes. The sweetness of the banana is set off perfectly by the oily nuttiness of the walnut. Needless to say, Banana-Walnut Cake ranks as one of the favourites in our home. I developed this recipe for an eggless cake many years ago when I wanted to stop adding eggs to my bakes. Though I still bake with egg whites, I like to avoid them wherever I can. This cake comes out so soft, spongy, and moist, you will never know that it was made without eggs!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup All-Purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used atta)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 very ripe large banana
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use demerara)
1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp milk
50 ml buttermilk (yogurt or ricotta will do fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Peel and mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
2. Pour in the vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Whip.
3. Next, add the butter and sugar, and blend them in well.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Using a large serving spoon, add spoonfuls of the sifted flour mix to the banana mix.
6. As it begins to thicken, alternate by adding a teaspoon of olive oil, then milk to keep the batter moist.
7. Continue until you get a smooth cake batter. 
8. Finally spoon in the walnuts.
9. Pour the prepared batter into a cake tin that has been oiled and floured, or lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake in a 350F oven for 35-45 minutes until the cake looks golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in its pan for 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
12. Slice and enjoy!!

This cake improves on sitting. Ideally you can store it in the refrigerator for a day, then bring to room temperature, slice and eat.

Vegan substitute: Try vegetable shortening in place of butter, and soy milk and yogurt in place of regular milk and yogurt.

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2011. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.