Banana Cake Recipe {Sheet Pan Cake} - Belly Full (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much banana in banana cake? ›

You Use Too Much Banana

Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

Don't overmix

Overmixing your batter causes the formation of gluten creating a dense and rubbery cake. Mix until the ingredients are just mixed in.

Using too much butter makes for a heavier cake with less banana flavor. Using double the amount of butter that the recipe called for left me with a loaf that was dry on the outside and moist on the inside.

Generally you only want to fill the cake pan half to two-thirds full so the batter doesn't pour over the sides. (Unless, of course, the recipe specifically says otherwise.) For heavier batters, such as banana breads and pumpkin bread, two-thirds is fine, says Medrich.

When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

You need to incorporate as much air into the eggs as possible, as this is what levels the cake and will give you a light and fluffy sponge. Set a timer for 7 minutes and allow the electric mixer to do the work before adding any sugar. The eggs should triple in volume and look pale, thick and shiny.

While it's okay if the banana peel is dark brown or even black, if the inside is too, then the fruit is beyond ripe and now on its way to rotten. Another sign that bananas have gone bad is if they start leaking any fluids. When in doubt, just toss the bananas out.

You may be baking at too high a temperature. Home ovens are often not accurate. Try lowering the temperature by 25°F, and bake for a slightly longer time. If you are using a dark colored pan like many non-stick pans it will cause the outside to brown more quickly while the inside stays raw.

Why did my banana cake turn green? ›

Learning 1 – Too much baking soda makes banana bread turn green or blue. Remember your elementary school volcanoes when you mix baking soda and vinegar together for an eruption? In much smaller quantities, the baking soda still has a chemical reaction with acid.

If you're unsure, it's safest to use a 50/50 combination of butter and oil instead of replacing the butter completely. This way you'll get the added moisture from the oil without sacrificing the structural integrity that butter provides.

Let me introduce you to the cake soak.

When you do this, the cake integrates moisture and flavor, and the sweetened liquid helps preserve the cake's freshness, so a slice can taste just as delicious a couple days after baking.

Check your oven to make sure it really is showing the correct temperature that you set it for and another thing is to make sure you only add in the amount of mashed up bananas that the recipe calls for. Sounds like you are not measuring properly to many bananas will make it gummy.

Ripe bananas are not only softer and easier to mash and blend into a batter, but they are also sweeter, which is why baking recipes specifically call for ripe bananas in ingredient lists. As the bananas ripen, the fruit converts starches to sugars, making them sweeter and more flavorful.

Bananas can go from yellow with brown spots to totally black and still be okay to eat and use for baking. In fact, black bananas are some of the best for making banana bread because they have developed more sugar as they sit around and therefore taste sweeter. They may also be moister, which is perfect for baked goods.

Not measuring the flour correctly

If you use too much flour, you'll end up with really dry banana bread, and If you don't use enough flour, your banana bread will be way too wet. The secret lies in how you measure the flour.

Bananas have several potential benefits when used in baking. They can improve the sensory preference of bread, enhancing flavors and textures . Banana peel powder (BPP) can be used as a low-cost substitute for wheat flour in cakes, providing nutritional value and acting as an antimicrobial and antioxidant .