This delicious Banana Traybake is easy to make all in one bowl. Delicious fluffy banana sponge with cream cheese and caramel frosting. Perfect for sharing!
200g(7/8 cup) unsalted softened butter or margarine (Stork)
3large eggs
200g(7oz) ripe bananas / 2 mediummashed well or liquidized
2tspvanilla extractor vanilla bean paste
2tbspmilk
For the Frosting
500g(2 cups) mascarponeor full fat cream cheese
60ml¼ cup) cold creamdouble / heavy cream
240g(2 cups) icing sugarpowdered sugar
3tbspcaramelor Dulce de Leche
2tspvanilla paste or extract
To decorate
caramelto drizzle
3white chocolate curls
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Mist a rectangular cake tin with cake release or grease with softened butter and dust with flour shaking out any excess. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
Put the flour and sugar in large bowl. Add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix together using a balloon whisk.
Add the softened butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas.
Start beating together on low speed setting using a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer using paddle attachment).
Increase the speed to maximum once the ingredients have been incorporated. Beat for a minute then stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat again until the batter is completely smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Check the cake is done by inserting a skewer in the middle - it should come out clean, the cake should be well risen, golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin.
Make the Frosting
Measure the mascarpone (or full-fat cream cheese), sifted icing sugar, vanilla and caramel into a mixing bowl. Drizzle a little of the cream into the bowl and start whisking on low speed to combine the ingredients.
Gradually increase the speed to medium and continue adding the cream until the frosting holds peaks.
Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake and drizzle with extra caramel Sprinkle with white chocolate curls or mixed nuts, slice and enjoy!
This cake is so easy that even novice bakers will find it a easy. Even so there’s a few things you need to know to achieve lemony perfection!
Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter eggs and milk should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.
To prevent your cakes sticking to the pans, properly grease the cake tin with a little softened butter and then sprinkle with flour shaking out any excess. I prefer to use a cake release spray for most of my baking.
Oven temperatures can vary so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! - to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.