Description
Vanilla banana walnut cake delivers a harmonious blend of comforting flavors from ripe bananas and toasted walnuts. Rich, moist layers promise a delightful dessert that nourishes both palate and soul.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups (600 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) mashed ripe bananas
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 8 oz (227 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (120 grams) chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup (30 grams) chopped walnuts (for garnish)
- 1 ½ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and meticulously grease a rectangular or two circular baking pans with butter and dust with flour to guarantee effortless cake release.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, creating a homogeneous dry mixture that promises a smooth cake texture.
- Creaming Process: Utilize an electric mixer to whip butter and sugar until the mixture transforms into a pale, voluminous cream, establishing a luxurious foundation for the cake.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Gently incorporate eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition, then infuse vanilla extract to elevate the flavor profile with aromatic complexity.
- Banana and Walnut Incorporation: Thoroughly mash ripe bananas until silky smooth, then fold them into the butter mixture. Introduce chopped walnuts, stirring delicately to distribute them uniformly throughout the batter.
- Batter Refinement: Progressively combine dry ingredients with the wet mixture, alternating with milk to maintain a velvety consistency. Mix minimally to preserve the cake’s tender crumb.
- Baking Procedure: Pour the batter into prepared pans, leveling the surface with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a rectangular pan or 25-30 minutes in round pans, verifying doneness with a clean toothpick test.
- Cooling and Serving: Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature, enabling the structure to stabilize and flavors to meld before serving or frosting.
Notes
- Optimize Banana Ripeness: Choose extremely ripe bananas with deep brown spots for maximum natural sweetness and moisture, enhancing the cake’s flavor profile.
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir batter gently and minimally to maintain a tender, soft crumb, avoiding tough or dense cake texture by preventing gluten overdevelopment.
- Enhance Walnut Preparation: Lightly toast walnuts before chopping to intensify their nutty flavor and prevent them from sinking to the cake’s bottom during baking.
- Moisture Retention Technique: Cover cake with aluminum foil midway through baking if edges brown too quickly, ensuring even cooking and preventing excessive dryness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg