Friday, May 20, 2011

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.

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7 comments:

  1. A classic combo ~ will make for a great homemade breakfast :)
    US Masala

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  2. love loaf breads, banana flavour is my fav :P
    you baked it well, loved the eggless recipe

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  3. Prefectly baked nutty banana cake looks super delicious..

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  4. wow wonderful and perfectly made banana cake !!

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  5. bananas and nuts in cake..i just love it..yumm..

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  6. you have a lovely blog...I am having a giveaway in my blog..Y dont you check and join that
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-recipe-and-chocolate.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excellent! And egg free, yet it looks so moist! It must be delicious :-).

    Ciao
    Alessandra

    ReplyDelete

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