"Old School" Banana Cake

"Old School" Banana Cake is an excellent breakfast or afternoon tea cake that consists of only a handful of ingredients but so tasty you cannot stop at one slice.

"Old School" Banana Cake - you might be wondering why I called this banana cake "old school". When I was a little girl, I remember always passing by the traditional local confectioneries and bakeries, while on the way to the markets with my Godmother. They had all sorts of breads, cakes & tarts and I loved every one of them. It was always a treat if my Godmother stopped to get me a slice of cake of my choice.

These confectioneries often baked cakes of different flavors in loaf pans and sold them either by the slice or by the loaf. They had butter cakes, marble cakes, pandan cakes and one of my all time favorites, banana cake.

That was 30 years ago. Fast forward to 2016, Singapore is now considered a highly developed first world city-state. And these traditonal confectioneries seem to be a dying trade, giving way to hipster cafes and French pattiseries. I suppose that is almost inevitable. As society grows and develops, so would their palates.
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The recipe is really easy with a few simple ingredients. But the flavor often brings back memories of my childhood and reminds me of home.

​"Old School" Banana Cake
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 Bananas (ripe and peeled, approx. 8 oz)
2 tsp Lime Juice
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Fine Granulated Sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 cups Self-Rising Flour

Cooking Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease the insides of a loaf pan (approx. 8" x 3 7/8")
3. Mash the bananas and stir in the lime juice to prevent it from browning. Set aside.
4. Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add eggs, one at a time while beating the mixture. Ensure it is well mixed.
6. Lightly fold in the baking powder and half of the flour with a spatula without over-mixing. Just ensure flour is well incorporated into the mixture.
7. Fold in the mashed bananas, ensuring that it is well mixed but not over-stirred. Fold in the remaining flour.
8. Pour mixture out into the loaf pan and run the spatula or a butter knife down the middle, hollowing it out a little, to prevent it from rising to a dome.
9. Bake for 50 to 60 min or until golden brown and when a  skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake. You may place a piece of foil over the the cake while baking the last 15 min to prevent it from burning.
10. Cool cake in the pan for 10 to 15 min before turning it out to cool on a wire rack.