No bananarama here, just banana-love
I have a confession.
I don’t like bananas.
It’s a bit strange really - I adore banana in things that utilize the flavour (tarts, cakes, smoothies etc) but I cannot bring myself to grab a ‘nana, peel back the yellow skin and take a bite. There’s something about that thick, sticky texture that makes me think that it’s akin to eating a mouthful of clag paste.
* Note for international readers - clag paste is this horrid non-toxic glueing paste often found in kindergarden and primary school classrooms to be used for crafting projects. For some reason, kids seem to like the idea of eating this glue for fun, and so the phrase “like eating clag” is one that most Australians will comprehend.
Now, since I adore bananas but cannot eat them as is, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes that I can use them in so I can enjoy that slightly cloying sweetness and rich scent. When I came across this post by my fellow Australian food blogger Jules of Stone Soup, I knew that it was one I had to try.
This cake really is everything that you’d hope for in something that’s meant to celebrate this most interesting of fruit. Dense, moist and soft, when it’s baking it fills the kitchen with the most heavenly banana-y aroma, and you’ll fall in love from the first bite. Mind you, when the recipe says supermoist, it’s not kidding, so be prepared for it and don’t think that just because it’s a very wet cake, that it’s undercooked (only assume that if your cake refuses to hold it’s shape and falls apart when you’ve pulled it out of the tin!).
This is also another recipe for those of you whom cook for coeliacs can bookmark, as it doesn’t have a single smidge of flour and relies instead on almond meal to hold it together - though you’ll have to make sure that any banana-lovers aren’t nearby or you could very well have a battle royale on your hands, with the cake stuck in the middle!
Because I rarely leave well enough as it is, I’ve made a few amendments to the recipe that I think slightly enhance the banana-ness of the cake, hopefully the banana lovers among you will love it as much as my brother and me 
Super Moist Banana & Almond Cake (adapted from here)
Ingredients
250g almond meal
2 eggs
50g brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
250g overripe bananas, peeled (approx 3 medium-sized fruit)
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Icing sugar, to serve
Natural yoghurt or creme fraiche, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Grease a 22cm fluted tart tin with removable base. Take a large square of baking paper and moisten (give the whole thing a quick dip in some water, then carefully wring it out), then use it to line the tart tin (base and sides).
2. Beat eggs and sugar for 10 mins or until pale and fluffy, then stir through the ground almonds and baking powder. Use a fork to mash the bananas, then stir in the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour this into the almond mixture then stir to just combine.
3. Pour into tin and sprinkle over sliced almonds to cover the surface. Bake 45 mins to an hour or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in tin on a wire rack till completely cooled.
4. Just before serving, dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with creme fraiche (if you want to be naughty) or natural yoghurt (if you want to be good) or just enjoy as is
Technorati Tags: bananas, coeliacs, celiacs, fruit, cake, recipes, sweets, dessert, baking
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Comments
Jerry Oh, that looks amazing! I can almost smell it.
Drool factor — 10
btw, bananas are a nut, not a fruit 
Kat mmm, banana cake, looks lovely! I wonder why children love to eat glue though, in elementary everyone used to try eating “elmer’s glue” (a brand that we use in school).
Ellie Truffle - I’d definitely recommend it if you’re a banana fan Glad you like the photos!
Jerry - Hehe, cheers I was intruiged by you’re saying that banana was a nut and not a fruit, but I can’t find anything to support this, all I’ve found says that bananas are fruit and the banana ‘tree’ itself is actually a herb:
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutother/banana
http://www.abgc.org.au/pages/general/faq.asp
Kat - Thanks hon I think perhaps clag might be our version of your elmers glue, perhaps they put something in it to make it tasty to kids? 
Lisa Wow does that cake look moist! I’m am the self proclaimed number one fan of bananas in ALL OF THE UNIVERSE 
and so I will be making this cake.. oh YES I will. 
Brilynn Very nice presentation! A flourless banana cake sounds amazing! I’ve been doing lots of banana desserts lately, I love them.
Kalyn Ellie, the cake is just lovely. But what really good me to click through from Bloglines is the idea that kids all over the world eat that white paste! It’s true here too, although it’s not used in schools as much as it used to be. But I do remember when I first started teaching (this was years ago!) that kids would dip a finger into it and eat it all the time!
The paste I’m talking about is most definitely not Elmer’s glue though. It’s a type of white paste that comes in a jar, sometimes called “library paste” here in Utah.
Tanna My goodness, this is a mind blowing recipe and photos. Beeeeautiful banana cake!!!! This is a fantastic post.
Yes, Kalyn’s got it…I’ve always called it library paste! Clag might be sound more like it tastes.
ann Hi, my name’s Ann, and I dislike banana’s too, unless they’re very, very green, which is also weird. Oh well. I bet I’d like this cake however. It sounds delightful.
Ivonne Finally! I no longer feel like a strange puppy! I’m not a banana person either. I can handle them in baked goods but on their own … it’s just not my thing.
I loved your post and your cake is stunning!
Chris This looks so tasty! It looks like it took a long time, with all the almonds placed just so.
Ellie Lisa - LOL, well m’dear, the banana-lover in you should have fun with this cake Hope you like it!
Brilynn - Cheers I was a bit sceptical of it’s flourless status too, but once you make it, it’s easy to see why this is such a good idea
Kalyn - Ooh, white paste in a jar sounds exactly like our clag! I wonder what the attraction is that makes kids want to eat this?
Trini - Thanks hon I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who has trouble with the texture of raw bananas!
Tanna - Aww shucks, cheers hon I think clag could also be used to describe the sensation of eating the stuff…not that I’d know! *looks innocent and whistles*
Ann - Hi there, thanks for stopping by I’ve heard that green/unripe bananas are similar to plantains, so I guess that’d be entirely different to eating them when they’ve softened and gone yellow?
Ivonne - Hehehe, another one for our ranks! And here I was thinking I was the only person who got weirded out by the texture of uncooked bananas!
Chris - Cheers hon! The almond arrangement did take a little while, but I was bored and waiting for the oven to heat up, so I thought I might as well
Ari (Baking and Books) First off, this banana almond cake looks wonderful! I want a slice.
Second, I have to tell you: I don’t like bananas either. At least, not RIPE bananas. I love to eat them when they are green but once they are yellow? Yuck. That’s when baking comes in!
jules hey ellie
glad you liked the cake… yours looks really lovely.
and glad I’m not the only one with banana issues…although did have some banana fritter last night that was delicious so am getting closer to giving a raw one a go
neil An adaption of an adaption, it’s a good thing we food bloggers aren’t astonauts…I’ll just adapt the trip computer, oops. I’ve got my adaptions ready as well, think I’ll have a shot using cooked quince, though I will definitely make your cake first.
Ellie Ari - Hehehe, thanks hon I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten a green banana? I think I’m gonna have to see what all of this is about!
Jules - Thanks sunshine By the looks of things, quite a few people have banana-y issues! Hrm, banana fritters are yet another thing that I’ve never tried, but shall have to give that a go
Neil - Hehehe! We may have crashed the spaceship, but at least we’d enjoy a good meal while we’re going down! I’ve never used quince before, so I’ll keep an eye out for your post!
Mindy Beautiful cake, but where did you get the patience to arrange the sliced almonds so perfectly???
peabody You and my brother should hang out. He also hates peas but loves pea soup.
You cake looks like it would be super moist with the banana and almond.
Ellie Mindy - LOL, I forgot to preheat the oven before starting the cake, so I figured that I might as well do something remotely productive while waiting for it to heat up Otherwise, I doubt I would’ve bothered!
Peabody - Hehehe, I adore cooked banana and loooove the smell and flavour of them, it’s just the texture I can’t handle! I’m glad that your brother at least likes his pea soup
Patricia Scarpin Ellie, who wouldn’t love to have a cake like this? What a beautiful effect the almonds give!
Cris Oh Ellie, you have a sweet tooth that has been driving us insane with all these delicious recipes and “eating-like” photos (I think I made that up, your pictures really make us hungry!!!).
Coffee & Vanilla It sounds like great recipe, almonds and bananans… yummy (!)
Have a great day,
Margot
Ellie Patricia - Thank you sweetie
Cris - LOL! THanks for your compliments hon
Margot - Thanks for stopping by!
What a stunning photo and brilliant recipe. It looks incredibly tempting.