Banana Poppy Seed Cake

Submitted by Kittencalrecipezazz

"A banana cake that is perfect in flavor, delicate and so moist, this cake is so moist it is great even without any frosting, but if you should decide to frost it my recipe#90142 goes well on it --- I have made this cake many times without the poppy seeds and it is still wonderful!"

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 1 (13x9-inch) cake

ingredients

• 2 1⁄4 cups cake flour
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk, room temperature
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 3⁄4 cup butter, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 3⁄4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1⁄3 cup poppy seed

directions

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan (set oven rack to second-lowest position).
3. In a bowl sift both flours, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
4. In another small bowl mix the buttermilk with the mashed banana; set aside.
5. Cream the butter, oil, both sugars and vanilla together until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
6. Add in the eggs, one at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
7. Add in the banana/buttermilk mixture; beat until combined.
8. Add in the poppy seeds.
9. Add in the flour mixture to the creamed mixture with a wooden spoon ONLY until combined (do not over mix!).
10. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan.
11. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until cake test done.
12. Frost with favorite cream cheese frosting or dust with powdered sugar.

Reviews

[a Canadian cook]

This is a winner! Definitely one of the best, if not the best, banana cakes I've ever made, or eaten. I made it in a bundt pan and covered it with a thick caramel frosting instead of a cream cheese frosting. The cake is very moist; the crumb is dense but light, and melts in your mouth. I added 1/2 tsp. cardamom, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to the dry ingredients. I also used a blend of light and dark brown sugars, and reduced the poppyseeds to 1/4 cup, which seemed to be plenty. My bananas were very large and very ripe. The cake tested done at 45 minutes and may have been done a few minutes sooner. I poked deep holes in the top of the cake and brushed it with about a cup of rum/butter glaze before removing it from the pan. When the cake was completely cooled I covered it with a thick caramel frosting.

 

[evelynathens]

I had some VERY ripe bananas to use up and this recipe did very nicely. Rather than make a cake, I made muffins - exactly 24, and they're delicious. Delicate, and with a tender crumb and the nice, spicy crunch of poppy seeds. Next time, I think I'll add a little lemon zest for a little extra flavour boost. Very good cake.

 

[rosemere]

Excellent! I will use this cake for special times with a poppy seed frosting. Thanks, Kittencal.

 

[Michelle Berteig]

This is a terrific cake and will go into my favorites folder. I used 2 sticks (1 cup) butter and 2 T. oil. I made the recommended cream cheese frosting to go with it, but frankly the cake doesn't need it and I would leave it unfrosted. Will definitely make this one again!

 

[Heather U.]

This is a great recipe-- very very close to one I used to make in college but lost some time ago. Based on a prior review, I added about 1 tsp lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice, plus I used 1 c of butter rather than part oil. I only had 1/4 c poppy seeds, and that seemed sufficient. Very tasty even without frosting! Plus it fit perfectly in my 15x10" sheet pan (25 minutes to bake). Thanks for the recipe!