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My Brave Banana Cake

Posted on November 1, 2020April 29, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on My Brave Banana Cake

How can a banana cake recipe be brave? Well, the baker has to be brave … when she declares that you don’t need weighing scales to make it.

… say what? Yup, you heard right. You can make this moist, tender, amazingly delicious banana cake using just measuring cups and eyeballing.

Now, I’ve been told over and over again that I MUST USE WEIGHING SCALES to bake properly. Because so many people have said it to me, I never questioned its veracity until one fine day, when I stumbled upon some baking recipes that used measuring cups.

Woah.

Measuring cups? Isn’t that shockingly … imprecise?

Intrigued, I started experimenting, first with brownies, then kuih bingka, and then apple crumble cakes, sans weighing machine. To my surprise, they turned out edible, and with a few more attempts, they actually turned out really good. I arrived at this conclusion:

Weighing scales aren’t imperative in baking, as long as you understand 2 important principles.

 

Moist, tender and studded generously with toasted walnuts and chocolate chunks, this is no ordinary banana cake.

1) Know the COOKING RATIO of your dish.

Most, if not all, recipes are governed by a cooking ratio. What’s that? It’s basically the proportion of ingredients in relation to each other. Cooking ratios underlie every dish, not just baked goods. To make porridge, for example, you will need 12 cups of water to every cup of rice or a water:rice ratio of 12:1.

Likewise for baked goods, each type of cake had a specific sugar to flour ratio and fat to flour ratio. I studied dozens of brownie recipes and noticed that for fudgy brownies, you always need 2 parts sugar for every 1 part flour (or sugar: flour ratio of 2:1). For more “cakey” types of baked goods such as cakes, it’s the reverse – 1 part sugar to 2 parts flour. Following this 1:2 sugar-to-flour ratio, I was able to make my banana cake recipe successfully, using only measuring cups.

2) Know the ideal POURING CONSISTENCY of your batter before you pop it into the oven.

Admittedly, judging this correctly does take a bit of practice. I started by watching LOTS of Youtube videos and pausing the clip at the part where the chef starts pouring the batter into the baking pan. From a batter’s pouring consistency, you can tell whether you’ve added too much flour (the batter will be too thick and hard to pour) or you’ve added too much liquids (it will be very runny). It’s really not that difficult to eyeball it. I was intimidated at first but after a while, I got the hang of it – and you will too.

Having said that, here comes the caveat …

This eyeballing method is more suitable for rustic types of cakes.

By “rustic”, I mean cakes where the ingredients themselves are slightly variable in their weight, size, quantity.  In the case of banana cakes, you can’t ensure everyone has the same-size bananas. Same goes for cakes that call for coconut milk, because first santan squeezed from a fresh coconut is thinner than, say, Kara coconut cream. There will always be a degree of variation.

So are you feeling brave? If you are, go forth and try this recipe for one of the easiest and most delicious banana cakes you’ll ever make:)

My Brave Banana Cake

You don't need weighing scales to make this moist, tender banana cake studded with toasted walnuts and chocolate chunks!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine Western

Equipment

  • One 2 x 8 in loaf tin, parchment paper, mixing bowl, small pot

Ingredients
  

  • 3 medium-sized bananas
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 50 g butter
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • A handful chocolate chunks or chips

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter and pour over brown sugar. Beat until sugar is melted, and let cool a bit.
  • In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Mix in butter-sugar mixture, extra virgin olive oil and egg.
  • Fold in flour, salt and baking powder. Do not overbeat. Finally, add chopped walnuts and a handful of chocolate chunks.
  • Pour batter into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper. Bake at 175 C oven for 45 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Keyword cake

Click here to check out another delicious Asian-style banana dessert – pengat pisang!

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Cakes & Sweets Tags:bananas, cake

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Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that go I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that good 😉 #granola #homemade #homemadegranola #cookwithipohbunny #granolarecipe #oats #wholefoods
"How's my burger?" "The flavour is quite good." "How's my burger?"

"The flavour is quite good."

Hubs' feedback stopped there, so I knew something was not right.

Know what I found out? That he and I have fundamentally very different concepts of what a good burger should be.

Having spent many years in the UK and US, his idea of a proper burger is a patty of mostly ground quality meat. Having grown up in Ipoh eating roadside budget burgers, my idea of a good burger is a moist patty that's much more tender inside because it's been stuffed with something called panade.

No, I didn't know what panade was either, until I Googled it up. Panade is bread soaked with milk, which you add to the meat to form a burger. The panade adds that oh so desirable moistness and juiciness to the burger. Yes, it won't taste as meat-dense as the meat-only burger patties that hubs is used to in the UK and US, but that's the taste I am used to. In fact, I find those meat-only burgers in high-end restaurants too beefy and meaty.

Anyway, here's how I made my burger

1. Cut up one slice bread into cubes. Add a 2 tbs milk to soak bread and crumble with fingers until it's mashed up like puree. This is your panade.
2. Dice up half a yellow onion finely. The acidity of the onion tenderises the meat.
3. Mix onion and panade with 250g minced beef ( you can add more if you want a beefier taste), salt, pepper, and enough egg to bind. Add egg slowly because you don't want too much liquid.
4. Shape into patties and panfry on both sides. Serve! :)

#homemadeburger #burger #hamburger #beefpatty #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #foodporn #meatlover #burgerrecipes
Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for my chicken char siew recipe. Either I took a damn good photo, or .. you guys really really want to eat chicken char siew lol.

Ok, I can't take credit for the recipe because I compared and picked bits and pieces off recipes by other people. Most of the ingredients are quite predictable - hoisin sauce, soy sauces, honey/sugar, 5-spice powder - but the one thing taht surprised me was the addition of lam yue or fermented red beancurd. I read that it lends a distinct umami that can't be replicated by other ingredients. Well, I just happened to have a bottle, so I put it in. 

This isn't perfect, but I'm jotting it down for future references.
1) Mix together 2 tbs hoisin sauce, 1 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tbs honey/agave, white sugar to taste, and a pinch of five-spice powder. I didn't measure, just agak2 only so please bear this in mind!
2) Add 1-2 cubes of fermented red beancurd along with a tsp of the sauce it's submerged in. Mix everything together and taste if it's sweet/savoury enough.
3) Marinate your chicken chop in the sauce for several hours.
4) Pan fry on both sides. Done!

Important notes:
1) This is one of the most variable sauces around. By that I mean, some people like it sweet, some less so. I say, just taste the sauce before you marinate your chicken and adjust accordingly. I don't like too sweet so I reduced the sugar.
2) Which may be why my chicken didnt' char siew in the oven, although I tried grilling it at 200 C, basting it with the sauce several times, etc. Maybe not enough sugar to caramelise properly, so i ended up pan-frying the chicken in my nonstick sauce pan. Kau tim!

#Chineserecipes #chickencharsiew #bbqchicken #Ipohbunnyyrecipes #cookwithipohbunny #chickenrecipes #chicken #Malaysianhomecook #Malaysianfoodblogger
Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️ Ser Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️

Seriously. One of the tastiest #vegan dishes you'll eat in your life - and so healthy! A restaurant favourite that can be easily recreated at home with just five ingredients, the crunchy freshness of just-cooked celery goes so well with the creamy cashew.

1. Remove the stringy outer layer of celery stems with a vegetable peeler.

2. Slice diagonally across each stem to get 
3/4 cm thick slices.

3. Heat up 1 tbs oil in non stick pan. Add celery and sear for 1 minute, before browning. Remove from pan. 

4. In same pan, add garlic (and more oil if needed) to saute. Add back celery.

5. Add 1 tbs (vegetarian) oyster sauce and 3-4 tbs water. Stir to mix the liquids.

6. Cover with a lid and steam for a few minutes till your desired doneness. The time will depend on how crunchy you want your celery. Less time, more crunchy. Just eat a piece of the celery to decide.

7. Toss in roasted cashews, stir to mix and dish up!

#veganchinesefood #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #celery #Chinesecooking #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarianrecipes
This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!! 1. S This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!!

1. Slice bittergourd into two length wise. Scoop out white pith and seeds. 
2. Slice bittergourd thinly. Rub with salt and leave aside for 15 min to remove bitterness. Wash off salt.
3. Boil salted duck egg for 10 minutes. Scoop out egg yolk and mash finely.
4. Heat up 1-2 tbs oil and lightly fry bittergourd slices for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
5. In same oil, add chopped garlic and mashed egg yolk. Cook until mixture starts to foam.
6. Add 1/4 cup water (or more) and stir to mix and create a sauce. May be a bit watery at this stage, so add water slowly.
7. Add a pinch of sugar.
8. Now add back bittergourd, toss through, cover with lid and cook over low flame to reduce sauce until it has thickened to your desired consistency. 
9. Serve with white rice :)

Psst if you want my steamed egg recipe, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxFGOKXiJg 

#cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #bittergourd #Chinesecooking #Malaysianhomecook
Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creat Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creative Chef @dan.giusti on @epicurious

Using @kawan_food roti malabar, egg, Zucchini and salt and pepper only.

Quick easy lunch :) 

#vegetarian #vegetariansnacks #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #puffpastry #vegetabletart
I smashed it!! My one and only #fudgybrownie rec I smashed it!!

My one and only #fudgybrownie recipe from now on. 

Cos it works

1/2 stick butter (60g)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
50-60g dark chocolate
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate.
2. Mix in sugar until sugar melts.
3. Whip egg until pale and frothy. Add to cream mixture.
4. Fold in flour, saltand cocoa powder.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Done!!

#brownie #brownierecipe #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #desserts
Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya legendary. At least according to hubby, who got this cake during his biz trip.

One bite of their famous butter cheese cake and I can understand why. Sooo fragrant and moist even after 3 days. Its buttery without being heavy, know what I mean? Good #baking kungfu, this. That addition of cheese gives it a subtle hint of umami that just takes this to another level. When you slice it, it looks like white sandwich bread because the crumb is quite dense, so interesting! 

Gonna eat this very sparingly.

#buttercake #eatcake #cake #kuchingfood #Sarawakfood #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger
I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
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