How many banana bread/cake recipes do you think exist in the world? A few thousands, a million perhaps! In fact people can be quite senstive to the topic of banana bread because everyone thinks they have the best one, the moistest, easiest and definitely the most reliable one under their belt. My easy banana cake is simple and delicious but the reason I wanted to share is because the addition of one ingredient, tahini, can make such a lovely difference to a recipe.
If you haven’t tried out tahini before this, it’s nothing but ground, hulled sesame seeds. The flavour is unique and nutty. If you are avoiding nuts for any reason in a recipe, a great alternative is tahini. Since it’s a paste and comes in jars, it’s as simple as using a spoon to take it out like peanut butter or Nutella and it’s also healthy.
This easy banana cake has tahini mixed in the cake batter as well as the frosting. A cream cheese frosting is probably the most heavenly frosting that can be added to a banana bread or cake. With the inclusion of tahini, it’s unforgettable. You will want to eat it by the spoon, trust me!
I decorated the cake with banana chips that I bought from my local supermarket. They add colour and a nice crunch to the cake. By all means, make your own banana chips if you can at home. I wanted to keep it really simple.
If you love banana breads, you will love this Banana Raspberry bread or this Banana and Date Cake
Easy Banana Cake with Tahini Frosting
Makes a 7 inch (18 cm) round cake
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (132 g) granulated/caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large, ripe bananas)
2 tbsp hulled tahini
1 & 2/3 cups (208 g) self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
Banana chips (store bought), to decorate
Tahini Cream Cheese frosting
4 oz (115 g) cream cheese (not low-fat), at room temperature
¼ cup (57 g/½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar
1 tbsp tahini
Make the cake : Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) or 350 °F. Grease the base and sides of a 7 inch round pan and line the base with baking paper.
In a large bowl, Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs until combined. Beat in the banana and tahini until well combined. Fold in the flour, then the milk using a large metal spoon until just combined. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of cake comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges using a blunt knife. Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the tahini cream cheese frosting : In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the mixture is evenly mixed. Beat in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until well incorporated. Add the tahini. Mix until combined.
Assemble : Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, using an open star tip and a piping bag, pipe onto the top of the cake. Decorate with banana chips and sugar flowers. Enjoy!
