Not only are the steps of this recipe flexible, the quantity of each ingredient can vary. You do not have to measure each cup with scientific precision.
The recipe entered here is a variation of the Banana Cake recipe on Breadtopia's blog. I heartily encourage you to go to that blog to see the original recipe. Breadtopia is a wonderful teacher and his recipe is a winner. Try his recipe at least once before you try the recipe that follows.
Both Breadtopia's Banana Cake and any cake made following the steps I give here will look and feel like a fruitcake. It will not be dry and airy. It will be solid and substantial. Delicate, bubbly or fluffy are not words to properly describe the results of this recipe.
The recipe will be presented in one set of steps from A to Z. At the end of almost every line of text there will be a bracketed number. The number refers to a footnote which will appear below the recipe. The footnote will suggest alternative methods or ingredients to the text in the original recipe. In following the recipe any one line can be changed or every line can be changed. Once you get the general idea, almost nothing you do within the boundries suggested on this web page can destroy your cake.
Since I live with a wonderful woman who does not eat eggs, this recipe is eggless. And it has a minimal amount of sugar.
In addition, the principles I am trying to establish are that 1) baking recipes can be varied, they do not have to be a single recipe repeated a million times and 2) the ingredients DO NOT have to be measured exactly. I have varied the quantity of each and every ingredient by a significant percent and the results are still delightful. That idea might open some eyes.
Universal Cake Recipe
In a medium size mixing bowl mix
1/3 of a stick of unsalted butter [1]
1/4 cup sugar [2]
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda [3]
1/2 teaspoon salt [4]
1/2 teaspoon each of 1) ground nutmeg 2) cinnamon and 3) allspice [5]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract [6]
Mix the ingredients thoroughly [7]. Add
2-3 bananas [8]
1/4 cup honey [9]
2 cups whole wheat flour or combination of other flour to equal 2 cups [10]
1/2 cup walnuts [11]
1/2 cup chopped dates [12]
1/2 cup yogurt [13]
Mix roughly. That is, mix but not to a uniform consistency. If there are small lumps, no problem.
Place the mixture into a cake or bread baking pan -- I recommend a silicon pan.
Let sit uncovered for 20 minutes. At some time in the middle of this resting period start heating the oven to 350 degrees. [14]
After 20 minutes, place pan in oven and cover gently, such as with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. [15]
Remove from oven. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan onto a rack and let cool completely.
Footnotes
[1] The original recipe uses a full stick of butter. Butter has milkfat, so it usually imparts a rich taste. I've tried using less butter and have hit on 1/3 a stick of butter as a reasonable compromise. If you want to, try different amounts. I always use unsalted butter. If salted butter is what you have and/or like, go for it.
Recently I have started substituting grape seed oil for butter. I use about a third cup of grape seed oil and no butter.
[2] The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of brown sugar. I use half that amount and have never gotten around to trying brown sugar. I've only used white sugar. Actually, I've added less than 1/4 cup of sugar many times. I don't usually measure the sugar exactly.
Recently I have started substituting Karo syrup or molasses for the sugar. I use about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of either liquid.
[3] I've never actually varied the amount of baking soda. For some obsessive reason I've always followed the original recipe and used 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
[4] 1/2 teaspoon of salt is such a simple direction I've never varied it. I use kosher salt. I'm sure other forms of salt work.
[5] The original recipe uses slightly different amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg. It does not call for any allspice. I add various amounts of the three spices as the mood strikes me, from 1/2 teaspoon on up. The allspice is a residue from my favorite Jamaican bun recipe. Experiment with combinations of these and similar spices -- such as ginger -- to your taste.
[6]Making your own vanilla extract is amazingly simple. Cut 2 or 3 beans of vanilla into 2-3 inch pieces after you scraped the soft insides of the beans. Put all parts of the beans into a pint beer bottle (after you've done other things with the beer and washed the bottle). Add vodka till the bottle is almost full. Seal the bottle very well. Let it sit in a cool, dark place for 4 months (some people suggest 1 to 5 months. Your choice). At the end of this time you have a nice vanilla extract.
[7] To mix the dry ingredients with the stick of butter I use a potato masher. I've never tried to mix these ingredients with an electric appliance.
[8] The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of ripe bananas. I settle for any number of bananas that look close to that amount. The amount of ripeness of the bananas is up to your taste. The bananas not only add their distinctive taste, they also bind the final ingredients together moderately well. Keeping the ingredients bound together is usually the job of eggs in a baking recipe. Since the Love of My Life does not eat eggs, I do not use eggs and happily settle for bananas.
You can also use 1 or 2 bananas for their binding power and other kinds of fruit for a different taste. We have cooked apples (with and without their skins) and/or pears until soft while still retaining their shapes, then added this compote to the recipe as a substitute for part of the banana quota. Other fruit seems possible. I just haven't tried them all. Raisins, dates and other dried fruit can be added, also. Whether or not you soak the dried fruit before adding to the dough is up to you.
[9] I've never actually measured the amount of honey I put into the mixture. It's too much bother. Measuring honey means having to wash an extra, sticky measuring container. Eyeball the amount of honey you use and stop whenever you think you reach 1/4 cup. The original recipe claims you can substitute sugar for the honey. It seems to me molasses and/or Karo syrup could also work as a substitute for all or part of the amount of honey.
[10] The original recipe calls for 2 cups of whole wheat flour. I have used a zillion variations on this theme. I usually use 1 cup of whole wheat flour -- but whole wheat flour may not be necessary at all. For the other cup I have used several variations. I sometimes add 1/2 cup of my favorite pancake flour and 1/2 cup of oats. Sometimes I've added 1/2 cup of a prepared cake mix (such as chocolate cake or brownie) from a box instead of another half cup of stuff. There are a gazillion possibilities here for other kinds of cake-type flour that can be added in 1/2 cup or higher quantities. The final total amount of flour should equal 2 cups.
[11] Walnuts are good. Some other nuts, like almonds, should also work. Peanuts don't seem right to me, but I could be wrong about that.
[12] Chopped dates can be used either in addition to the other fruit ingredients or as a substitute for the other fruit ingredients. For its binding power I always use at least one banana.
[13] Yogurt adds enough liquidity to make the entire cake dough moist. I've never actually measured the amount of yogurt I use. Amounts other than 1/2 cup might also work.
[14] Technically this cake is a kind of 'quick bread', which does not require thorough mixing. Little surprise lumps add a nice flavor. If not enough liquid is used the final product may seem like a crumb cake, which is fine if you like crumb cake. I usually continue to use a potato masher until the bananas are broken into small units, then I switch to an ordinary spoon as a mixer. I've never tried any electric appliances as a mixer.
I recommend a silicon cake or bread baking pan. Traditional metal cake or bread baking pans are fine once they are buttered.
I've pre-heated the oven for as few as five minutes before putting the cake dough in the oven. Your oven might be different, so choose pre-heating times that work for you.
[15] The original recipe suggests 50 minutes baking time. Maybe their quicker time is due to their more thorough pre-heating. Or maybe the size and shape of their pan accounts for the difference. In any case, I'm satisfied with the results I get using my technique. It's your choice.
One day I will add photos here.
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