Clodagh McKenna’s banana cake with coconut frosting

For a good flavour, make sure you use very ripe fruit. The frosting is light and fluffy, producing delicious coconut flavours.

Clodagh McKenna’s banana cake with coconut frosting. Picture: Dora Kazmierak

I love banana cake. For a good flavour, make sure you use very ripe fruit. The frosting is light and fluffy, producing delicious coconut flavours. You can use this frosting recipe for other sponges and cakes; feel free to add flavours such as orange blossom water.

Banana cake with coconut frosting

110g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

150g light brown soft sugar

2 eggs

300g very ripe bananas, well mashed

4 tablespoons sour cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

190g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the frosting

200g cream cheese, softened

40g unsalted butter, softened

50g icing sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons well-stirred cream of coconut

For the filling

80g butter

2 bananas, sliced

30g raw coconut flakes, toasted, to decorate

Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease a round 25cm cake tin and dust with flour. Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to beat on a high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract; beat until well combined.

Sift in dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Spread cake batter into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until pale golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out of the tin onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place all the ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer or a bowl and use the paddle attachment or electric hand mixer to beat together on a high speed until well combined, light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes.

For the filling, place a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once it has melted, add banana slices and cook until golden brown and caramelised on both sides.

To assemble, slice cooled cake in half horizontally. Spread half the frosting over the bottom half of the cake and arrange caramelised bananas on top, then cover with the top half of the cake. Spread the remaining frosting on the top of the cake and sprinkle with coconut flakes to decorate.

Clodagh McKenna is a Dublin-based chef, restaurateur, author and food columnist. Edited extract from Clodagh’s Suppers (Octopus/Hachette, $39.99). Photography: Dora Kazmierak