Banana Pound Cake

This banana pound cake is a simple variation to my classic pound cake. It's wonderfully soft and fluffy and packed with delicious banana flavor.

Banana pound cake loaf

Making this banana pound cake is easy too. The ingredients that go into this cake are exactly the same as that of a pound cake, except that this one has bananas in it and I replaced the white sugar with brown sugar.

The cake is made using the creaming method, in exactly the same way a pound cake is made. Mashed bananas are added into the cake batter right before the cake batter is poured into a loaf pan and baked. To further add the presence of bananas in the cake, I choose to add banana slices on the cake, but this is optional.

This cake can also be baked in a round cake tin. In fact, you can bake 2 layers of this cake (double the recipe below and bake in two 7-inches round cake tins) and frost it with delicious cream cheese frosting for a truly awesome banana birthday cake!

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How to Make Banana Pound Cake

Ingredients

• Self raising flour + baking powder + salt
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Bananas
• Vanilla

Mixing the banana pound cake batter

1. Start by measuring the sugar into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add butter and beat for a good 2 minutes until the mixture turns light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl at 1-minute interval.
3. Next, add the eggs, one at a time. And each time, beat until all the traces of the egg is no longer visible.
4. The vanilla essence should go in next. Beat for a few seconds until it is well combined.

Baking the cake

1. After vanilla, add the rest of the dry ingredients. Sift and fold them into the batter with a spatula. If you wish to mix with a cake mixer, be sure to maintain it at the lowest speed and only mix until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
2. Finally, mash the bananas on a separate plate (save a few slices for the cake top) and fold them into the cake batter.
3. Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf tin. Level the top and arrange the banana slices on.
4. Bake the cake for 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 175 degrees Celsius. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven.

Banana pound cake loaded with bananas

Let the cake rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.

If not serving immediately, wrap the cake with cling wrap while it is still warm and refrigerate. This helps the cake stay soft and moist. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

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Notes

Choosing the bananas

• It is best to use well-ripened (or even overly ripened) bananas. They are a lot more flavorful compared to the not-so-ripened ones.
• I used bananas in both the batter as well as the cake top. For the bananas in the batter, you would need to mash them up. This can be done by peeling the bananas into a large plate and simply using a fork to press and mash them up. The bananas need not be perfectly mashed. It is ok to have a few chucks here and there.
• As for the banana slices on the cake top, these are really optional. You can omit them if you want.

Why are the bananas measured in grams rather than in quantity?

• Measuring bananas by quantity can be a little tricky especially when adding them to baked goods. This is because bananas often vary in size, depending on the variant of the banana. In some places, the variance in size can be double or even triple.
• For consistent results, it is best that the bananas are measured in grams to avoid confusion and ambiguity as to the correct size of the bananas to use.

Can the cake be baked in a round cake tin?

• Yes it can. If you wish to bake this cake in a round cake tin, use a 7 inch round tin. This recipe would make a 7 inch round cake with a height of about 1.5 to 2 inches.

Why is it important to cream the butter and sugar well

• Creaming the butter and sugar is the first step in making this banana pound cake. Well creamed butter and sugar will make soft and fluffy pound cakes.
• For this recipe, it is best that both the ingredients are beaten for at least 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl at the one-minute interval. This will ensure the butter and sugar are thoroughly mixed.

Can you replace brown sugar with white sugar

• Yes, you can. Brown sugar is not as sweet as white sugar. When combined with the bananas, the cake is not overly sweet. Besides, it also adds a molasses-like taste to the banana pound cake which is very befitting for this pound cake.
• Having said that, you can replace the brown sugar with granulated sugar. Use the same amount in your cake if you like your cake really sweet, but if you prefer it to be less sweet, reduce the quantity to 150g.

How to ensure a moist banana pound cake

• The trick for a lovely moist banana pound cake lies in how you cool the cake down after baking and how you store it afterward.
• When cooling the cake on a wire rack, keep it covered with a kitchen towel on it. That way, the cake does not dry up. This is particularly so in dry environments.
• Also, if you do not intend to serve the cake on the same day it is baked, wrap it in cling wrap while it is still warm and refrigerate it. This way, the moisture in the banana cake remains in the cake. Simply bring it to room temperature before serving.

Slices of soft and moist banana pound cake

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Banana Pound Cake Recipe

Here is the full printable version of my banana pound cake recipe.

And that's that. My super soft and fluffy banana pound cake recipe for you.

A yummy slice of banana pound cake

Here are my other recipes you might want to check out:

• Banana Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Fudgy Chocolate Banana Cake - A Perfect Snack Cake
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Old School Butter Pound Cake
• Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake

Happy baking 🙂