There’s nothing quite like the joy of savouring a delicious treat. When I changed my diet, I decided to set aside a cheat day once a month to enjoy a slice of cake that I’ve baked myself. Although I love baking, doing it just for me isn’t as inspiring. So, once a month, I whip up something special for myself and for my friends in the village. They always look forward to my cake, and it’s even more rewarding on a rainy, gloomy day. It’s such a pleasure to share a bit of sweetness and brighten everyone’s day!
I made a banana cake for my cheat day! It is soft, fluffy, spongy, moist, and, of course, sweet.
Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
110 g (1/2 cup) packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
360 g (1 1/2 cups) mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
8 g (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder
2.5 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
1.5 g (1/4 tsp) salt
250 g (1 cup) milk
1 lemon, juiced ( mix with the milk)
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
250 g ground nuts (as preferred).
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
150 g (1/2 cup) condensed milk
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 23 cm (9-inch) round cake pans or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Mix in the mashed bananas.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk/lemon, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Blitz the nuts; I used sunflower, almond, pumpkins, hazel nuts.
Add ground nuts.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the cream cheese:
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, and butter until smooth and creamy.
Beat the double cream separately until stiff, then briefly mix them all.
This banana cake is moist, buttery, and rich with sweet banana flavor,
Perfectly balanced with tangy flavour, paired well with cream cheese.
I enjoyed this delicious treat on my cheat day!
I divided the rest for everyone to enjoy.
Just as the rain slowed, I was on my way to drop off cake slices.
It was getting dark on my back.
It felt wonderful to imagine my neighbors savuoring the cake I made. I hope it brightened their day as much as it did mine.
Food truly brings people together, and sharing a slice of sweetness is a simple yet meaningful way to connect with others.
Have you brightened anyone's day today?
Wishing you a wonderful day,
Mariah 😊💗
Easy to understand recipe, I will try to make it sometime
Sending love and curation Ecency vote. keep giving the best♥️
Thnak you; much appreciated. 😊💗
Wow! That looks every bit as delicious as you describe it. My lovely neighbor made some zucchini bread from zucchinis I grew that were about to get too big and old, with some eggs from a farmer down the road and some walnuts and raisins from the store, that really made my day last week. She has a cleaning job that takes a bit off her rent, and I spoke with the new owner of the property she cleans (I built a fence for him) and he mentioned how happy he was with her work, and hoped she'd stay on. After he left I walked over to where she was working at a toy shop and let her know the good news.
It's not as wonderful a thing as making someone sweet treats, but a little good news never hurt anyone.
I've never learned to bake things, but picked up an Oster breadmaker someone was throwing out last week, and made room for it in my tiny kitchen. I hope to learn how to make corn bread with it, and maybe I can make some nice seedy breads so I can dodge the preservatives in the store bought. You're an inspiration to me, so please keep the recipes and pictures coming. They make me drool after a day digging post holes, patching roofs, or bending nails.
Thanks!
That's wonderful! It sounds like you and your neighbor have such a thoughtful, supportive relationship. How lovely of her to make you bread. And what a great gesture to tell her the good news, I bet that made her day. That breadmaker you found sounds like a great addition to your kitchen. Once you get started with it, you’ll be amazed at how fresh, homemade bread changes everything—cornbread and seedy loaves are great places to start!
Thank you so much for the kind words. I’ll try to keep the recipes and pictures coming, especially knowing they brighten your day after all that hard work. I always admired carpentry; I grew up watching a house being built, and I still remember those who built our family house. You’ve got me thinking of a nice hearty multigrain recipe now. Let me know how your breadmaker adventures go. 😊💗
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