This isn’t the kind of cake you make to bring to a fancy pants party where everyone looks at what you brought and declares, “It’s just too pretty to eat!” when what they really mean is, “The cinched waist on this dress is less forgiving than the corset Rose has to wear in Titanic!” No. This is the kind of cake you make when the only opinions you’re worried about are those of your taste buds. This cake’s humble looks are just a disguise for its rich banana flavor and surprisingly fluffy texture that doesn’t sink in even after being in the fridge for a few days (though, real talk: This cake is too good to end up serving fridge time). So, if you’ve declared today something like, “Downton-Abbey-Marathon-That-Requires-Me-To-Never-Change-Out-Of-These-Pajamas Day,” this is the kind of cake your lazy party needs. Invent your own fancy by drizzling your piece(s) of cake with honey. If a little voice in the back of your brain is reprimanding you for taking the easy way out, shove it away with this little gem from a little honey-loving bear named Winnie the Pooh: Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear and not bothering.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To speed up the butter-softening process, cut a stick of butter into dice-sized cubes on a cutting board. In 20 minutes, you should have perfectly soft butter. Try to avoid microwaving your butter (though, for these muffins, doing so would not be the end of the world).
3. Use the wrapper from the stick of butter to grease a 9″ cake or pie pan.
4. Then, add a small spoonful of flour to the pan and shake it around (over a garbage bin) until the flour coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Turn the pan upside down and hit it like a drum to beat off the excess flour. This is an easy skill that will come in handy any time a recipe tells you to “grease and flour” your baking pan.
5. In a small bowl, mash the bananas into a thick pulp using a fork or mashing tool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, butter, milk, egg, baking soda, and vanilla.
7. Add the bananas, using a spatula to gently stir it into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into your cake pan.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking after 18 minutes. Your cake should be risen in the center and have an all-over golden color. Use a toothpick or knife to check the center – it should come out mostly clean, since the bananas will probably stick.
10. Serve with a bit of honey and your favorite Netflix picks.