Baking

Half Wholemeal Banana Cake recipe

Name: Half Wholemeal Banana Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 100g caster sugar; 50g butter (room temperature, I use salted); 4 very ripe bananas (about 370g without peel); 60ml light olive oil (or vegetable oil); 2 eggs, beaten; 1 tsp vanilla extract (I use paste); 125g plain wholemeal flour; 100g self-raising flour (I use extra fine); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 75g walnuts, chopped (optional); 1-3 bananas (can be ripe or unripe); 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional); 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey, optional); 20cm square baking tin (mine is loose bottomed)

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A cake that uses up to seven bananas. It contains half wholemeal flour for extra fibre.

Prep25m
Cook50m
Total1h 15m

bananas cake fibre square-cake

Square banana cake made with half wholemeal flour

If you’ve got two ripe bananas that need using up, Nigella’s Chocolate Banana Muffins are a great choice. Or her Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread. Four bananas? Banana Bread with Wholemeal Flour. What if you have five, six, or even seven bananas that are practically black and need using right now.

I bought far too many for Frozen Banana Chocolate Pudding and ended up with a glut, hence Half Wholemeal Banana Cake. The batter alone takes four bananas and three can be used to decorate (see notes).

You don’t have to use wholemeal flour, but if fibre is a consideration, go for it*. This is a forgiving cake thanks to the sheer volume of bananas. I use plain wholemeal but have had good results with wholemeal bread flour too.

I learned from Samin Nosrat that oil, rather than butter, makes for a lighter cake. I want butter in this cake though so there’s a mix of both.

★ ★ ★

* I’ve been obsessed with fibre since learning about its importance in overall health.

Notes

If you only have one banana to decorate with, cut it into coins as Just One Cookbook does.

Decorative bananas will turn brown after a few days. I brush them with lemon juice and maple syrup before baking but this doesn’t stop discoloration.

Use 225g of self-raising flour if you don’t have wholemeal flour and leave out the bicarbonate of soda.

I like the texture that chopped walnuts add but they’re completely optional.

Recipe credit

Loosely inspired by Just One CookBook's Banana Bread.

Recipe

Half Wholemeal Banana Cake

Prep25m
Cook50m
Total1h 15m

Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

Banana cake

100g caster sugar
50g butter (room temperature, I use salted)
4 very ripe bananas (about 370g without peel)
60ml light olive oil (or vegetable oil)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use paste)
125g plain wholemeal flour
100g self-raising flour (I use extra fine)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g walnuts, chopped (optional)

To decorate

1-3 bananas (can be ripe or unripe)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey, optional)

You will need

20cm square baking tin (mine is loose bottomed)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. I use Catherine Fulvio’s method.
Cake: Add 100g of caster sugar and 50g of room temperature butter to a large bowl. Cream together until combined.
Mash 4 overripe bananas until glossy (around 370g without peel but this doesn’t have to be precise). Add to the sugar and butter mixture.
Add 60ml of light olive or vegetable oil, 2 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl. I use a handheld mixer to combine but a wooden spoon is fine.
Mix 125g of plain wholemeal flour, 100g of self-raising flour (I use extra fine), 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Add a quarter of the flour to the wet ingredients and mix. Continue until all the flour has been added.
If using chopped walnuts (75g), stir them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
Decorate: Slice fresh bananas into coins or lengthways depending on their number - see notes. Distribute over the batter and optionally brush with 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
Bake for 45-55 minutes depending on your oven. I check after 35 minutes and loosely cover the tin with foil. In my fan assisted oven the cake takes 50-55 minutes to cook through. Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin. Store the cake in the fridge for up to 2 days or slice and freeze it.