Very Moist Banana Cake (Donna Hay)

Before baking this Donna Hay's banana cake, I knew that I will love it...

Prior this bake, I have tasted a banana cake made with this recipe before. The cake was baked by my colleague for our morning tea and we were very happy eating it. The banana cake is different from the loaf ones that I have baked with William Sonoma recipe at here and Martha Stewart recipe at here. It is the smooth kind with cake-like texture, somehow like the one that I baked baked with Hummingbird Bakery recipe at here. Plus, its extra moist pound-cake-like texture and its deep caramel crust make the cake simply irresistible.

After having my first slice, I can't resist helping myself with extra serving and ate the cake with lots of praises. Funny that I can see slight blush in my colleague's face and the modest she kept saying... It's Donna Hay!

My colleague and I love Donna Hay and both of us have a copy of the book, Modern Classics Book Two by Donna Hay for years and still loving this book. I was told that this is one of the must-bake banana cake with smooth and velvety texture due to the addition of sour cream. It is true! Now that I have baked this banana cake, I would highly recommend this recipe too!

This very moist banana cake was baked with the recipe by Donna Hay.

Making the cake batter

We need two bananas to bake this cake.

I was told that the addition of sour cream makes this cake so good!

Baking the cake

Admiring the deep caramel crust of this cake...

with smooth velvety texture... beautiful, isn't it?

Look aside, it tastes really good with or even without any caramel sauce.

Here are the recipes.
(with my modification and notes in blue)

Banana Cake from the book, Modern Classics Book Two by Donna Hay
 
Serves 8-10
125g butter, softened
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
(I used 200g)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup roughly mashed banana
(about 2 bananas)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. 

Gradually add the eggs and beat well.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture. Add the cinnamon, sour cream and banana and stir to combine. 

Spoon the mixture into a greased 26cm (10 in) fluted ring tin. Bake for 40 mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on a wire rack and spread with caramel sauce (or also good on its own).

Homemade Caramel Sauce from My Baking Addiction, adapted from epicurious

Yield 1 cup:
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated until warm
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan (at least 5 cup capacity), stir together the sugar, syrup, and water until the sugar is completely moistened. Place your candy thermometer into the pot taking care that it is tip in immersed into the sugar mixture.
 
Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Stop stirring completely and allow it to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep amber (like the color of Bass Ale) (380°F.). Immediately remove it from the heat and slowly and carefully pour the hot cream into the caramel. It will bubble up furiously.
 
Use a high-temperature heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until smooth, scraping up the thicker part that settles on the bottom. If any lumps develop, return the pan to the heat and stir until they dissolve. Stir in the butter and salt. The mixture will be streaky but become uniform after cooling slightly and stirring. Allow the sauce to cool for 3 mins. Gently stir in the vanilla extract.

Happy Baking
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