Grandma’s banana cake recipe is homemade from scratch with ingredients you more than likely you have in your pantry. A simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar finishes it off.
I guess you could say we go through banana phases in my house. Sometimes when I buy them, they get devoured right away.
Other times, I’m looking for ways to use them up before they are way too ripe to use for anything. I hate wasting food.
It’s really hit or miss with my family and bananas. But when they do get too ripe, they are always happy to have some baked goodies.
Grandma’s banana cake is no exception. About that Grandma’s… this recipe is really my Mom’s but since my kids know their Grandmother made it for them, I changed the name. So Mom’s banana cake became Grandma’s.
No harm, no foul.
You would think a cake with such a thick batter would be dense. Not so with this moist banana cake recipe from scratch.
The crumb is soft and tender.
If you’ve read through the recipe, you’ll see it calls for sour milk. You may be thinking…
What’s the difference between sour milk and buttermilk?
At first, you may think sour milk is bad, or spoiled, milk. Maybe you remember your Mom saying, “that milk is sour”. That’s not the type of sour milk used here. In a nutshell, it’s like buttermilk without having to buy a whole carton. Using buttermilk will yield a bit of a different taste in this cake.
Sour milk for this recipe is easily made by adding lemon juice to milk. The exact instructions are in the notes on the recipe.
What if I don’t have cake flour?
This recipe also uses cake flour. I did not have enough in my box so I set out to substitute it.
It’s easy to do and if you bake a lot, you have the ingredients. To substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour you need, well, flour, and cornstarch. The substitution instructions are in the recipe card.
Grandma's banana cake recipe is homemade from scratch with ingredients you more than likely you have in your pantry. A simple dusting of confectioners' sugar finishes it off. #cake #bananaMore Banana Recipes for Overripe Bananas!
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Grandma's Banana Cake
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 ½ cups cake flour (see note on how to substitute if you don't have any!)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sour milk (see notes)
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting cooled banana cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour, like Baker's Joy.
- In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a second bowl beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract, until light and fluffy (approximately 3 - 5 minutes). Then add the egg and the mashed bananas beating to mix.
- To the butter mixture, add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour milk, starting on low, beat until incorporated, then beat on medium-high until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar.
Notes
To make a cake flour substitute: For 1 ½ cups of cake flour measure 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and remove 3 tablespoons. Place in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Using a wire whisk, stirring to combine and fluff. It's ready to use.
To make sour milk: In a ramekin or other small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons 2% milk and ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice. Let stand 10 minutes.
Christie says
I loved bananas so much when I was growing up they used to call me monkey. I had lots of stuffed monkeys, too, to play with. So, you know I have to try this. Looks so good!
Danielle says
This cake is AMAZING!! I couldn’t even wait for it to fully cool and it was fantastic. Great recipe!
Family Around The Table says
Hi Danielle! I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!