Bing's Banana Cake

14 steps · 45 min total

1. 01

   Preheat Oven and Prep Pan

   Preheat your oven to 160°C for a standard oven, or 150°C for a fan-forced oven. It's always a good idea to check your oven's actual temperature with a thermometer if you bake often.

   Grease and line a 10 x 10 x 3 square baking pan or an 11-inch round pan. Grease the pan, then line it with baking paper, and grease the paper again for good measure.

2. 02

   Add Eggs

   Crack 2 large eggs into a large, deep mixing bowl.
3. 03

   Add Sugar

   Add 1 tablespoon sugar to the bowl. If your bananas are extremely ripe, you can reduce the sugar by a tablespoon or two, as ripe bananas add a lot of sweetness.
4. 04

   Add Banana Essence and Bananas

   Stir in 1 teaspoon banana flavoured essence.

   Peel enough very ripe bananas to get 400 g. The stronger they smell, the better. You can cut them into large pieces if they're too long for your mixing bowl.

5. 05

   Whisk Mixture

   Add the bananas to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to maximum speed and whisk for another 14 minutes.
6. 06

   Sieve Flour

   Continue whisking the egg and banana mixture until it's white, stiff, and holds its shape like whipped cream, without dripping. If it's still runny, keep whisking.

   While that's happening, sieve 1 cup flour into a separate bowl.

7. 07

   Add Baking Powder

   Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.
8. 08

   Add Bicarbonate of Soda

   Add 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda to the flour mixture.
9. 09

   Transfer Mixture

   If your mixing bowl is too small for folding, transfer the whisked egg-banana mixture to a larger bowl or pot.
10. 10

    Fold in Flour and Walnuts

    Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg-banana mixture in 3 separate additions. Use large, gentle movements to incorporate the flour without deflating the mixture.

    If you're using them, fold in the optional walnuts now.

11. 11

    Pour Batter

    Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly.
12. 12

    Bake Cake

    Bake in the preheated oven at 160°C (standard) or 150°C (fan-forced) for 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. A cake pick or satay stick inserted into the center should come out clean.
13. 13

    Invert and Cool

    Carefully place a cake base or plate over the baking pan and invert the cake onto it. Peel away the baking paper. Then, use a cooling rack to invert the cake again so it's right-side up.
14. 14

    Cool Cake

    Let the cake cool completely on the cooling rack. If you're in a particularly dry or cold environment, you can drape a clean towel over the cake as it cools to keep it from drying out too quickly. It's best served warm.