Helen Goh’s toasty and interesting new take on banana cake

This loaf came about from wanting something in the spirit of banana bread but with a little more definition. Ripe bananas bring a delicious sweetness, but they can sometimes tip a cake towards one-note comfort, so I’ve added coffee and toasted walnuts to pull in the opposite direction: the coffee sharpening and deepening the flavour, and the walnuts adding gentle bitterness and texture. Alongside browned butter and malt, the result is darker, toastier and, I think, more interesting than a classic banana loaf.

Despite the relatively long ingredient list, the batter comes together in a single large saucepan, making it surprisingly easy to prepare.

The coffee icing is optional, but adds a little luxury and gives the final scattering of toasted walnuts something to cling to.

Ingredients

For the cake

150g unsalted butter
2 tsp espresso grounds
250g banana flesh (from about 3 medium ripe bananas)
90g light brown sugar
40g dark brown sugar
40g malted milk powder (e.g. Horlicks)
100g full-fat Greek yoghurt or sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
230g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
100g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

For the espresso icing

120g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp (20ml) cooled, strong espresso coffee
15g unsalted butter, very soft
pinch of fine sea salt

Method

Step 1- Grease and line the base and sides of a standard loaf tin (about 20cm x 10cm) with baking paper.
Step 2- Place the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, it will foam and sputter before settling down. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the milk solids at the bottom turn deep golden-brown and the butter smells nutty (about 5 minutes in total). Remove from the heat immediately (butter can go from browned to burnt quite quickly), stir in the espresso powder and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Step 3- Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional). Mash the bananas, then add to the browned butter along with both sugars and the malted milk powder. Whisk to combine, then add the yoghurt (or sour cream), followed by the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and combined.
Step 4- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost combined. Fold through 80g of the walnuts, reserving the remaining 20g for the top.
Step 5- Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. If the top is

colouring too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Step 6- For the icing,whisk together the icing sugar, espresso, softened butter and salt in a mixing bowl until smooth and thickly pourable.
Step 7- Spoon the icing over the loaf while still slightly warm, allowing it to drip a little down the sides. Scatter with the reserved walnuts before the icing sets.

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Helen Goh’s toasty and interesting new take on banana cake

Ingredients

For the cake

For the espresso icing

Method

Step 1- Grease and line the base and sides of a standard loaf tin (about 20cm x 10cm) with baking paper.

Step 3- Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional). Mash the bananas, then add to the browned butter along with both sugars and the malted milk powder. Whisk to combine, then add the yoghurt (or sour cream), followed by the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and combined.

Step 4- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost combined. Fold through 80g of the walnuts, reserving the remaining 20g for the top.

Step 5- Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. If the top is

Step 6- For the icing,whisk together the icing sugar, espresso, softened butter and salt in a mixing bowl until smooth and thickly pourable.

Step 7- Spoon the icing over the loaf while still slightly warm, allowing it to drip a little down the sides. Scatter with the reserved walnuts before the icing sets.