Tuesdays with Dorie: Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake
July 20, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 29 Comments
I think about the two years we spent in Australia everyday, sometimes for bizarre reasons. For example, when I looked at the recipe for this week’s TWD pick, the first thing that popped into my mind was that when we first moved to Sydney, the country was just beginning to recover from a banana shortage. I let my little trip down memory lane steer me in a particular direction while making this cake…it is called “Lots of Ways Banana Cake” afterall, so I didn’t really feel like I was overstepping any bounds by adding macadamias, wattleseed and chocolate to the bananas and coconut already in the mix.
While I could have chosen to go the layered and frosted route with this cake, that wasn’t what I was in the mood for. I just wanted an unfussy snack cake, so I baked half a recipe in an 8″ square pan and left it at that. (It only took 25 minutes to bake, instead of the 45 I was expecting.) It was delicious– soft, and full of things that taste great together!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Kimberly’s post on Only Creative Opportunities. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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a whisk and a spoon 
I love a good banana loaf/cake without the frosting 🙂
Comment by Fiona— July 20, 2010 #
Looks great!
Comment by monicakdiaz— July 20, 2010 #
Lovely picture! I really like the good, unfussy banana cakes/loaves/breads, like the one you have made.
I remember the banana shortage! Cafes were charging extra if you wanted bananas on your pancakes, and they were retailing for $12/kg!! Crazy times.
xox Sarah
Comment by Sarah— July 20, 2010 #
Wattleseed? Hm-m-m. Something like flax seed maybe? I like your cake and the simple route your chose. Think I would have liked it better that way myself.
Comment by Romaine— July 20, 2010 #
wattleseed is from australia, and has kind of a chocolate/coffee flavor to it. it’s usually used ground, and more like a spice than a whole seed.
Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— July 20, 2010 #
I have never heard of wattleseed but it sounds wonderful! This was my farewell post with TWD after almost two years of baking along. Hope you’ll stop by and say goodbye!
Comment by Amanda— July 20, 2010 #
Can’t beat banana and chocolate! Your addition of wattleseed is interesting, I’ve never heard of that before. You learn something new everyday. 🙂
Comment by cath1991— July 20, 2010 #
Your cake looks wonderful! Thanks for baking with me this week!
Comment by Kimberly— July 20, 2010 #
Simple, classic, and beautiful. This would be perfect for late-night noshing.
Comment by Valerie— July 20, 2010 #
I was feeling like a snack cake too (with chocolate chips). Would love the chance to live in Australia- bet it was amazing
Comment by spike— July 20, 2010 #
Sometimes, simple is best. With all of your delicious additions, your cake sounds absolutely perfect on its own.
Comment by Linda— July 20, 2010 #
nice pic! it looks like being caught red handed slicing off large chunks of cake – just like at my place.
Comment by Tia @ buttercreambarbie— July 20, 2010 #
What a great route to take baking this cake. Love your add-in ingredients . . . except I have never heard of wattleseed. I will be Googling shortly to find out what they look like =). Great photo!
Comment by Shandy— July 20, 2010 #
Okay Stephane, once again …. broadening our horizons, going to google whattleseeds, maybe like a little nut? Finding out. Yep, a sort of ‘nana brownie. I love chocolate chips with ‘nana stuff. Well, just love chocolate. Nicely done and thank you for showing us a simple snack cake.
AmyRuth
Comment by AmyRuth— July 20, 2010 #
Yum…it just looks so tempting.
Comment by pamela— July 20, 2010 #
A banana shortage…omigosh, my family would starve!
Comment by Mary— July 20, 2010 #
Snack cakes are always a winner. I like the addition of macadamias.
Comment by cindy harris— July 20, 2010 #
Simple is good. I’ve heard of wattleseeds before, although I’ve never tasted them. Did you bring them with you from Australia, or do you have a supply source?
Comment by Judy— July 20, 2010 #
I brought them from Australia, although I think amazon has a couple sellers.
Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— July 21, 2010 #
This unfussy cake looks perfect to me 🙂
Comment by Eliana— July 20, 2010 #
It looks perfect–I’d be cutting another piece every time I walked by! Love the addition of macadamia and wattleseed. I have some and am never sure what to use them in other than pavlovas.
Comment by Mary— July 20, 2010 #
Funny, when I looked at this recipe I thought about the rum cake I ate in the Caribbean so I added that to mine! Your version sounds amazing. Wattleseed sounds gorgeous.
Comment by eggscreamandhoney— July 21, 2010 #
Your cake looks amazing! It really does look like the perfect snack cake!
Comment by Lauryn— July 21, 2010 #
A banana shortage would have a serious impact on my daily food intake. I love that you added wattleseed. I have been meaning to buy some to experiment with, but have yet to get around to it.
Comment by Carol Peterman— July 21, 2010 #
Snack cake is wonderful idea. Made mini bundts but next time maybe a snack cake. I loved it plain and with powdered sugar.
Comment by teaandscones— July 21, 2010 #
I thought simple was the way to go on this one, yours looks perfect. I’m so curious about wattleseeds now!
Comment by Margot— July 21, 2010 #
Your way looks like a good way…very inviting. I knew if I didn’t slather some frosting on it, guys here would not eat it, so I went that way.
Comment by Kayte— July 22, 2010 #
I’ve never heard of wattleseed but the flavor profile sounds interesting. I’ll have to look into where I can purchase it in the US. Thanks for sharing something new (to me at least) 🙂
Comment by Allison— July 27, 2010 #
Wattleseed, huh? And this is why I love food blogs – otherwise, I would never have known that wattleseed existed.
Comment by Bridget— July 31, 2010 #