Recipe: Dulce and banana cake (2024)

FAQs

Why is my banana cake not moist? ›

If you use a yellow (or even worse a green) banana in your cake not only will it not have as much flavour it will be significantly drier. It's important to make sure your bananas are well mashed. If they aren't broken down well enough less moisture is released from the fruit, effecting the texture of your cake.

Dulce de leche cake is usually a vanilla cake with a frosting and or filling that incorporates dulce de leche. This cake has a browned butter batter and the layers are enrobed in a dulce de leche frosting.

The difference in bread and cake is the type of leavening which is used. Bread uses a “Live” leavening known as yeast, while cake uses a “Chemical” based leavening known as baking powder.

Peel and mash the bananas in a separate bowl with the back of a fork, then whisk in the melted butter, sugar, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and whisk until just combined. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet. So, it's a good idea to always stick to the recipe's instructions. But why is this such a problem?

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.

“The difference between condensed milk and dulce de leche is the caramelization of the sugars that are both added and part of milk,” Sibley says. “Typically, condensed milk remains white and has a lighter consistency and taste than dulce de leche.

Caramel and dulce de leche might look and taste somewhat similar, but they are actually pretty different. While caramel is made from slowly simmering water and sugar until it caramelizes, dulce de leche is made from simmering milk and sugar super slowly until it turns into a creamy, caramelized substance.

Use ripe bananas to add moisture. One mashed banana can replace one egg in cakes and pancakes.

Bananas can also be a substitute for butter and oil in recipes. If using bananas for butter, replace in equal amounts. You can substitute 3/4 cup of mashed banana for 1 cup of oil in baked goods such as muffins, cakes, and bread, but you'll need to use a low-gluten flour and reduce the baking time.

What can I use instead of banana in banana cake? ›

You can use applesauce. Replace one banana with 1/2 cup of applesauce. Don't use more than 1 cup of applesauce, though, because the mixture will be too wet. Canned pumpkin works, also.

Long ago, bakers learned that the addition of vinegar to baked goods helped them rise and kept the baked goods fluffy and moist. Apparently, the vinegar reacts with the baking soda in a recipe to produce carbon dioxide, a gas that enhances the rise.

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.

Using too much baking soda or baking powder is one of the most frequent mistakes made by bakers. Be aware that using too much baking soda or baking powder will cause cakes to rise above their intended height, which can cause a big mess in the oven as well as a metallic, bitter taste.

When your banana bread appears dry after baking, place a coat of simple syrup on top to prevent it from going dry. You can use a simple syrup with half water and half can moisten, and it will be a dry sponge if a thin coating is added to it.

When it comes to banana bread, moisture is key, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference in getting the perfect banana bread consistency. 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.

What to do if you've used too many bananas. If you must add an extra banana into your batter, there are ways to prevent the bread from turning mushy. Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time.

If you have too much flour in a recipe and not enough fat, like butter or oil, your cake is going to be dry and hard. For best results, I would encourage you to use a scale when baking, but if you don't have a scale, then just make sure you're using measuring cups correctly.