If you're clinging to the last few days of summer, while simultaneously excited for the beginning of fall, this Banana Cake with Almond Buttercream is for you! This cake is topped with an almond chocolate buttercream and garnished with champagne grapes, fresh figs, kumquats and sliced almonds to thrill the taste buds.
Tips for Using Bananas in Cakes
Measure by volume, not by bananas
When it comes to making banana cake, I would suggest measuring the bananas by volume/weight instead of the number of bananas. A lot of recipes will mention using a certain number of ripe bananas, but I've found that using a specific unit of measurement helps to get the best most consistent results every single time.
Why do you want to use old bananas?!
Usually, banana cake recipes require the use of ripe or "old" bananas. This is due to a number of reasons!
- Ripe bananas can be used as an egg replacement in baking as they help provide structure as the cake rises
- The soft consistency makes the bananas much easier to mash uniformly
- This makes the bananas incorporate more smoothly into your batter
- Ripe bananas are sweeter and much more full of concentrated flavor as they ripen
When are your bananas considered ripe?
The darker the banana... the better. Once your banana skin has a number of brown freckles and large brown spots you know you're ready for them to be used! Honestly... there's no banana that's "Too ripe" when it comes to banana bread making.
To start the ripening process, allow the bananas to ripen at room temperature. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen, they could be ready in a few days or in a week. If you want to quicken the process, I would suggest placing the bananas in a brown paper bag for a few days and then check in on them!
Never throw away those "old" dark brown bananas! Stick them in the freezer to use the next time you make banana based baked goods - your future self will thank you!
Other Banana Recipes to Consider
- Coconut Banana Muffins
- Banana Bread with a Crunch
- Sourdough Walnut Banana Bread
- Coconut, Rum and Caramelized Banana Bread
Almond Buttercream
Within this recipe, we will be adding melted almond chocolate wafers into our buttercream. It is TRULY so delicious - here's how it's done!
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with the paddle attachment.
- Add approximately half of the powdered sugar and beat again. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the powdered sugar. Continue beating for a few minutes, scraping the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Finally add melted chocolate and continue beating until the frosting is thick and fluffy. Spread across the top of your cake,cooled top with fresh fruit and enjoy!
Assembling your Single Layer Cake
Once you've prepared all the cake components - it's time to assemble your cake! First off, spread the almond buttercream on top of your banana cake.
Utilizing a spoon or an offset spatula, create swirls and swoops to your liking into the buttercream! I used a small spoon to create the swirls you see above.
Add the decoration of your liking on top! I added a couple of different layers of toppings, starting with some chopped champagne grapes, fresh figs, kumquats and sliced almonds sprinkled around the edge. That's it - your single-layer banana cake with almond buttercream is ready and waiting for you!
FLAVORING YOUR BUTTERCREAM WITH CHOCOLATE
Although I am a huge fan of the almond chocolate linked above, you can certainly substitute any chocolate of your choice for this buttercream recipe!
Whether you’re more of a milk chocolate fan, white chocolate fan – or perhaps you’re more adventurous! There are so many chocolate varieties these days, my favorites come from Valrhona (their Inspiration chocolate line is out of this WORLD).
Banana Cake with Almond Buttercream
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachment
- 6 inch Cake Pan for a tall Single Layer Cake
- 8 inch Cake Pan for a shorter Single Layer Cake
- Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
- Bowls
- Spatula
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1.5 (180 g) Ripe Bananas, mashed
- ⅓ Cup (67 g) Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup (55 g) Light Brown Sugar, packed
- ¼ Cup (55 g) Coconut Oil
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- ¼ Cup (58 g) Sour Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cups (125 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
Almond Buttercream
- ½ Cup (71 g) Melted Almond Chocolate, *See note for substitution
- ½ Cup (113 g) Unsalted Butter , Room Temperature
- 1 Cup (120 g) Powdered Sugar
Garnish
- Champagne Grapes, Figs, Kumquats, Almonds
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine all your dry ingredients – flour, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl, give it a whisk and set aside.
- Add the coconut oil and sugars into a large bowl and beat together until well mixed.
- Add the egg, then scrape the bowl making sure ingredients are mixed well. Then add the sour cream, mix and finally add the mashed bananas mixing until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into a greased 6 inch cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. For a shorter single layer cake, you can always instead bake your cake in an 8 inch cake pan for a shorter amount of time. Make sure to check that the cake is fully baked with a toothpick before removing from the oven and allowing to cool completely before assembling.
Almond Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with the paddle attachment.
- Add approximately half of the powdered sugar and beat again. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the powdered sugar. Continue beating for a few minutes, scraping the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Finally add melted chocolate and continue beating until the frosting is thick and fluffy. Spread across the top of your cake,cooled top with fresh fruit and enjoy!
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