One bowl banana cake

I like recipes that don't call for fuss. I especially love recipes that don't require me to cream butter & sugar - because that means I need to be organized and take the butter out early so that it comes to the requisite room temperature, and sometimes that's just too much organization for me.

So when I came across a recipe for banana cake, which must be one of my favorite cakes of all time, that didn't require creaming of butter and didn't require a mixer, I was ecstatic! I had found the original recipe on the Best Recipes website and after reading all the feedback and comments, modified it a little. I've now baked this cake twice in the past week and it has turned out perfect both times. It has definitely been elevated into favorites territory for me!
 

Ingredients

125g butter, cubed
3/4 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large bananas, ripe and mashed
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius
2. Grease and line a loaf pan or a round cake tin.
3. In a medium saucepan, place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract and heat over low heat until the butter melts.
4. Remove from heat and add the bananas and egg, stirring with a wooden spoon until all combined.
5. Add the flour and milk and mix until all combined.
6. Pour into the cake tin and bake in oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool for 15 minutes in tin before turning out onto rack to cool completely.

I love this recipe as it is so easy and requires very little cleaning up! A no fail, super easy banana cake recipe that turns out perfect every time - what isn't there to love about this?!?

The second time I made this cake I added some frozen blueberries into the batter and that turned out really well. If you're planning to do the same, take the time to toss the blueberries into a spoonful of flour first - this prevents the blueberries from leaking colour into the cake and also from them sinking down to the bottom when in the oven. When Lent is over and I'm free to eat chocolate once again, I would probably make a banana choc chip cake. Coconut and walnuts would also be fantastic, or add some crushed pineapple and turn it into a hummingbird cake!

I always love discovering recipes that are super easy and work every single time. This now rounds out my no fail, universally loved dessert repertoire of tiramisu, coconut sour cream cake and now this!

thesuzchef x