Banana and walnut cake recipe

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The nuts give a lovely twist to this banana and walnut cake, not just in the sponge but in the deliciously creamy nutty frosting.

Banana and walnut cake
  • healthy
Serves10
SkillEasy
Preparation Time25 mins
Cooking Time1 hours 15 mins
Total Time1 hours 35 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories402 Kcal20%
Sugar27.2 g30%
Fat22.0 g31%
Saturated Fat11.4 g57%
Salt0.67 gRow 4 - Cell 2
Protein7.1 g14%
Carbohydrates45.5 g18%
Salt0.67 gRow 7 - Cell 2

Banana and walnut cake makes a great upgrade to a classic banana bread. Topped with a lovely buttercream frosting, it's the ultimate afternoon slice. 

Just like banana bread, this cake is a great way to use up your bananas which are on the turn. The riper, the better. We've baked this cake in a loaf tin format, which makes it really handy to have if guests turn up unexpectedly. It's so easy to just cut off a slice and it's unbeatable with afternoon cuppa. We think you should get 10 slices from this cake, but obviously that depends how generous you are with your cutting (and to be honest, we think there's nothing wrong with being generous). If you don't fancy the sweetness of a frosting over the top you can leave it plain, or serve with a thin spreading of butter or a dollop of thick cream.

Ingredients

  • 175g (6oz) butter, softened
  • 175g (6oz) caster sugar
  • 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 50g (2oz) walnuts, chopped
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed with 10ml (2tsp) lemon juice

For the frosting:

  • 175g (6oz) reduced-fat soft cheese e.g. Philadelphia
  • 50g (2oz) icing sugar
  • Chopped walnuts and mixed spice, to decorate

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Grease and line the base and up two sides of a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with parchment.
  2. Place the butter, sugar, flour, spice, baking powder and eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until thoroughly combined. Fold in the walnuts and mashed bananas.
  3. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Bake for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.
  4. Beat together the soft cheese and icing sugar and spread over the cold loaf. Decorate with the walnuts and mixed spice.

Tips for making banana and walnut cake

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the mixture, adding in any leftover dates or chocolate chips for an extra punch of flavour.

Why is my banana cake with walnuts not cooked in the middle?

This is either due to your oven not being hot enough, or being too hot. If it's too hot, the outside of the cake will cook before the inside has a change to bake. The easiest fix is to buy an oven thermometer (you can pick them up from cook shops for about £5 or less) so you can accurately check the temperature in the oven. If you need to bake it for longer without the outside cooking more, cover with aluminium foil and set the cake lower down in the oven.

Why is my banana cake dense and rubbery?

For banana cake with a light fluffy texture, don't overmix the ingredients. Overmixing affects the levels of gluten in the cake and can leave it feeling rubbery. Mix the ingredients gently until they're just combined.

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Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 12 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies