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Photograph of Banana Cake with Lemon Icing

Banana Cake with Lemon Icing

Moist, sweet, fluffy sponge cake bursting with banana flavour and topped with a delicious lemon water icing. The slight tang from the lemon complements the sweet banana and the slightly crispy icing brings a wonderful texture contrast to the soft, light sponge. Makes 9, 12 or 16

Course afternoon tea, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat
Keyword banana, cake, lemon icing, Sponge
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the banana cake:

  • 130g unsalted butter
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 180g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 200g very ripe bananas (roughly 2 medium sized bananas)

For the icing:

  • 200g icing sugar
  • 7 - 8 teaspoons lemon juice (I use 7½)

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Make the cake: mash the bananas

  4. Measure all the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything in directly.

  5. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. This should take less than a minute. All done.

  6. Tip into your lined baking tin and level the surface, ensuring the cake goes into all the corners.

  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes until cooked. It is cooked when:

    – the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains

    – a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    – the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin/dish.

  8. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then, using the greaseproof paper over-hang, transfer to a cooling rack.

  9. Make the Lemon Icing: when the cake has cooled completely, make the icing.

  10. Weigh the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add 7 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Add more slowly, as needed.

  11. Mix to a thick paste. Beat vigorously ensuring that there are no lumps.

  12. Leave the cake in the baking paper and slot back into the tin – this hep to keep the shape of the icing. Pour the icing on top.

  13. Spread to level over the surface and liberally scatter with sprinkles.

  14. Leave the icing to set for a couple of hours and then slice into squares. You can cut into 9, 12 or 16!

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl
  • electric whisk
  • 20cm/8inch square tin lined with baking parchment
  • cooling rack

Room Temperature Butter:

It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the other ingredients.