[YummyBakes] Banana Bread/Cake

Banana Bread

I remember hating banana cakes when I was young. I had headaches once I ate any banana cakes bought from stores. Until I tasted my mum's homebaked banana cakes with no artificial flavouring, I started to slowly accept it. 

Most of the banana cakes bought from stores contain artificial banana flavouring, which makes me headache and dizzy sometimes. I still don't get it. Bananas are so easy to get yet they want to use artificial flavouring. 

I found this video from Namiko Chen, the famous blogger from the blog Just One Cookbook. The Banana Bread that she made looks yummy. I don't like too sloppy and oily kind of banana cake or bread. I tried out her recipe, with slight modification. It turns out not exactly like a total bread texture, but it is slightly moist and dense kind of cake. Probably is the amount of banana used that affects the texture. 

I baked it for one hour in a baking dish which I bought from Ikea. The original recipe used a 8" x 8" baking dish. I only have a 8" baking pan. I was unsure if my baking dish is big enough to fit all the batter and also unsure what is the difference in using baking pan and a baking dish. Thanks to Mr. Google.. So, I took the risk to use the 8" x 4" baking dish that I have. Thankfully, all the batters are able to fill up the baking dish.

To make this, basic ingredients were used. You will definitely find the ingredients in your baking pantry. It is always preferable to use "Pisang Rastali" in baking. Not sure what it is called in English.

 The ingredients

Makes a 8" x 8" (using baking dish)

Ingredients

200gm all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

115gm butter

90gm sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp corn oil (or other vegetable oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

350gm of bananas

Slices of banana, for decoration

1/2 tbsp butter for greasing

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar till soft and pale in color with a spatula or a balloon whisk.

2. Add in eggs and mix well. Then, add oil and vanilla extract. Combine well.

3. Mash the bananas with a fork and add it in the batter. Mix well.

4. Sift in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Fold with spatula until just combine. No need to over mix. 

5. Grease baking dish with butter. Transfer the batter to the baking dish.

6. Decorate with sliced banana.

7. Bake at 175C for 1 hour. Toothpick inserted in should come out clean and not too wet.