Martha Stewart Banana Cake

Martha Stewart banana cake is a tender, fluffy snacking cake with ripe bananas, buttermilk and a brown sugar crumb topping that comes together in 1 hour 20 minutes. This make-ahead easy dessert fits entertaining, potluck days and after-school snack time, since one 9x13 pan feeds 12 people.

Mash the bananas until they are very ripe and soft, because the riper they are, the sweeter and more banana-flavored the cake turns out. Use pale yellow bananas and the cake tastes flat instead of rich.

Martha's cake comes from Lucinda Scala Quinn, who grew up on it, and it uses both baking powder and baking soda, so it bakes tall and fluffy even though the batter looks shallow. The hand-squeezed butter, flour and brown sugar crumb on top gives it a bakery-style crunch without any mixer.

Martha Stewart Banana Cake

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

290

kcal

A soft, moist crumb studded with banana sits under a crisp brown sugar topping squeezed together by hand. After a full cool-down it slices into neat squares that hold up well for snacking.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  

• 3/4 cup sugar
  

• 1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
  

• 1/2 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or milk
  

• 2 eggs
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
  

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  

• 1/4 cup butter (½ stick)
  

Directions

• Preheat and mix dry: Preheat the oven to 300°F, then grease a 9x13x2-inch pan. Whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter: Pour in 1/2 cup melted butter. Stir until the mixture looks evenly moist.
• Add the first buttermilk: Add 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and stir until it combines. The batter will start to loosen up.
• Mix eggs and buttermilk: Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk with the 2 eggs in a separate bowl. Then blend that into the flour mixture until no dry streaks remain.
• Add bananas and vanilla: Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and the mashed bananas, about 1 cup. Beat for 1 minute, then scrape the batter into the greased pan.
• Make the crumb topping: Squeeze 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter together with your hands. Then crumble it evenly over the batter.
• Bake and cool: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake completely before slicing so the crumb sets.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set, Checkered Chef cooling racks, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

What can I use if I don't have buttermilk?

Stir some yogurt into whole milk to make 1/2 cup of liquid, or add a little vinegar to whole milk to make sour milk. Either one still gives the baking soda the acid it needs to lift the cake.

How long does banana cake keep?

Store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months once it has cooled completely.

How do I freeze banana cake without a mess?

Cut the cooled cake into squares before wrapping them. That way you can defrost only as many pieces as you need, and the portions take up less freezer space than a whole 9x13 pan.

My bananas aren't ripe enough. What do I do?

Poke holes in the unpeeled bananas with a fork, set them on a microwave-safe plate and heat in 30-second bursts until they turn soft. Leave them on the counter instead of the fridge when you want them to ripen naturally, since cold slows ripening.

What is the most common mistake with this cake?

Using bananas that are not ripe enough is the big one, because the cake ends up bland and less sweet. Overripe bananas that you have frozen work great, so keep a few in the freezer for baking days.