Bolo de banana is the cake Portuguese households make when the fruit bowl gets ahead of them: soft, cinnamon-warm and intensely banana-flavored, the honorable end that overripe bananas deserve.
The sour cream (or yogurt) is the moisture insurance, and truly ripe bananas — the spottier the better — are the flavor. Under-ripe bananas make polite cake; black-speckled ones make memorable cake.
It needs no frosting: a slice with afternoon coffee is the traditional serving suggestion, though whipped cream, a scoop of ice cream, or toasted slices with butter the next morning are all endorsed.
Banana Cake Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 40 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~344 per serving
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round pan (or line with parchment).
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, then the mashed bananas and sour cream.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined — do not overmix. Add the nuts, if using.
- Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then finish on a wire rack.
Recipe Notes
- Freeze overripe bananas as they appear; thaw and mash straight into this batter.
- A handful of chocolate chips is a crowd-pleasing addition.
- For the Portuguese café version, top with caramelized banana slices before baking.
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