Banana cake with buttermilk turned out dense

[Sharls92]

Hi all,

I lovingly made a banana cake yesterday, but sadly I'm happy with how it turned out. Although it tastes good, it is quite dense with a denser layer at the bottom (accumulation of liquid/banana perhaps?) . It also took double the time in my oven to cook through. I have linked the recipe below:

The Best Banana Cake I've Ever Had - Sally's Baking Addiction

This is absolutely the best banana cake I've ever had! It's supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor.

sallysbakingaddiction.com

Firstly, could anybody advise on what I could be doing wrong? Secondly, how can I check the temperature of my oven and whether it is hot enough? Thirdly, I would be so grateful if you could direct me your favourite banana cake recipe (the simpler the better). Personally I prefer a butter cake like consistency for all my cakes (I know buttermilk cakes tend to be denser, and I have struggled to bake successfully with the addition of buttermilk before). Thank you in advance
xxx

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi all,

I lovingly made a banana cake yesterday, but sadly I'm happy with how it turned out. Although it tastes good, it is quite dense with a denser layer at the bottom (accumulation of liquid/banana perhaps?) . It also took double the time in my oven to cook through. I have linked the recipe below:

The Best Banana Cake I've Ever Had - Sally's Baking Addiction

This is absolutely the best banana cake I've ever had! It's supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor.

sallysbakingaddiction.com

Firstly, could anybody advise on what I could be doing wrong? Secondly, how can I check the temperature of my oven and whether it is hot enough? Thirdly, I would be so grateful if you could direct me your favourite banana cake recipe (the simpler the better). Personally I prefer a butter cake like consistency for all my cakes (I know buttermilk cakes tend to be denser, and I have struggled to bake successfully with the addition of buttermilk before). Thank you in advance
xxx

1. I would use metal cake pans, not glass. Glass takes a long time to heat, not the best to bake in.

2. Baking with banana is never simple because banana is a high water fruit. I know they don’t look like it, but mash up a ripe banana and heat it over medium high heat. See how much liquid comes out. When you bake with banana, heat the banana, heat it up to draw out the water. Strain the banana over a fine mesh sieve. RESERVE THE LIQUID. REDUCE IT TO HALF. STIR THE LIQUID BACK INTO THE BANANA.

3. Buy an oven thermometer and keep it in your oven.

4. This recipe is written for US products and measurements. I assume you’re in the US. So an American bleached flour like Gold Medal or Pillsbury with 10% - 10.5% protein would be best. An unbleached flour like King Arthur 11.7% with a high protein content will produce a heavy dense cake.

5. Her temperature for creaming butter is wrong. It should be 65°F. This is a really old recipe; she later learns the correct temperature and in new recipes she has the correct temperature for creaming.