moist banana cake

What is the secret to a moist banana cake?

I would say overripe bananas, oil and good quality butter.

I like to use a type of bananas called "pang jio" - they are suitable for consumption by toddlers and are very sweet.

As for oil, I prefer to use a blend of sunflower and canola oil. I used to use peanut oil but I have since made the switch to sunflower and canola oil as I find that although peanut oil makes the cake very fragrant, the aroma can be a tad too strong for some people.

MIL insists that butter be used to bake cakes. She swears that she can tell the difference between a cake made using butter and one using margarine.

I like to buy SCS butter. This brand of butter is very popular amongst locals for use in baking.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
250g butter (softened)
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
5 small overripe bananas (mashed)
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp milk

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and line a 9" square cake pan with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

3. Sift the self-raising flour and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Whisk the butter, sufar and vanilla essence using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well with each addition.

6. Add the mashed bananas and mix well.

7. Add the oil and whisk until the batter is even.

8. Fold in the flour mixture, 1/2 at a time and mix until blended.

9. Stir in the milk to give a soft dropping consistency.

10. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 180 degrees for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

11. Cool on a wire rack.