Banana Cake with Coffee and Cardamom

There are two types of people in the world. People who always buy the correct number of bananas, and people like me.

I don’t know if it’s something wrong with my genetics or DNA, but I can never predict how many bananas I need. I’ll be at the market looking at bananas, and I just forget. I forget how often I eat them, and how many I go through in a single week.

So, like most of you (I bet), I get too many. So many, in fact, that there’s a permanent supply of brown, squishy, spotted yellow fruit at the back of my freezer.

And that’s where this banana cake recipe comes in handy.

It’s my go-to recipe for those times when I have too many overripe bananas, and not enough cake. I love regular banana bread, but I find that if I bake it, I end up having it for breakfast waaay too often. And let’s face it, banana bread is just cake wearing a not very convincing disguise.

I spike my banana cake with a few different things.

Adding coffee helps subdue the sweetness in the cake, and the cardamom makes it hum with a current of spice. It’s the perfect companion to that afternoon cup of tea!

You can find my spiced banana and coffee cake recipe below.

How to Make Banana and Coffee Cake

This recipe needs 2 to 3 bananas. And they need to be as spotty as possible. So spotty that they vaguely resemble a cheetah.

The riper a banana gets, the sweeter it becomes. The starch in green bananas breaks down as it turns to yellow (and then to brown), turning into simple sugar. It makes the cake sweet and moist, in way that a green banana never will!

I quickly mash them with the back of a fork. You don’t need to be too precise, as they will get more mashed in the food processor. You can use the same processor to mash the bananas as you use to combine the cake batter (no cleaning required!).

I use brown sugar because I love the way it brings out the darker flavours of the coffee and baking spices. Use a gentle hand when it comes to the spice. Half a teaspoon of each is more than enough to give the cake that aromatic edge you’re looking for.

I use natural yoghurt to help activate the baking soda in the recipe, but you can use the same amount of buttermilk as a replace if you want. If you don’t have any, you can make your own buttermilk at home!

Lastly, make sure to get the espresso down to room temperature. The first time I made the icing for this cake, I chucked the coffee in way too quickly! The icing split, and went super runny. (It still tasted divine though!).

If you don’t have espresso (I get that my espresso machine is a symptom of my addiction), you can sub it for 1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of boiling water.

If you like this cake, why not try my Spanish orange and almond cake?

Spiced Banana Cake with Coffee and Cardamom

Print Recipe

Banana Cake with Coffee and Cardamom

This banana cake recipe is spiked with coffee and cardamom for extra flair! You'll love its simple prep, its moist texture, and the backbone of spice.

Course

Dessert

Keyword

cake

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Servings

slices

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 large bananas (about 250 grams when peeled)
• 150 grams unsalted butter
• 150 grams brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 shot espresso (cooled)
• 60 mL plain yoghurt
• 225 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom

Icing

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 175 grams icing sugar
• 60 grams cream cheese
• 1 shot espresso (cooled)
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 ripe banana (for decoration)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds (for decoration)

Course Dessert Keyword cake Prep Time 20 mins Cook Time 40 mins Servings slices Ingredients Cake 2 large bananas (about 250 grams when peeled) 150 grams unsalted butter 150 grams brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 shot espresso (cooled) 60 mL plain yoghurt 225 grams all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cardamom Icing 100 grams unsalted butter 175 grams icing sugar 60 grams cream cheese 1 shot espresso (cooled) 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1 ripe banana (for decoration) 1/3 cup slivered almonds (for decoration)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) springform cake tin.
2. Peel the bananas, and roughly mash them with a back of a fork. Place in a food processor and process to a paste. Remove from processor and set aside in a separate bowl.
3. Add the butter and sugar to the same processor you used for the banana, and cream together. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla, and shot of espresso. Process until smooth, add the bananas, and process again. It will be a bit lumpy, but that's okay!
5. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices one at a time, alternating with the yoghurt and blend until just combined.
6. Remove the batter from the food processor and pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and place the tin on a wire rack to cool. (I usually put it in the fridge to help cool completely after about 40 minutes on the rack).
8. While the cake is cooling, prepare the icing. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a food processor until smooth and well-combined. Add the icing sugar, espresso, and cardamom and process again until smooth.
9. Once the cake is cool, decorate with the icing, a sliced ripe banana, and the slivered almonds.