Vintage Recipe: Honey Banana Cake

By Andrea Sabean | Pioneering Today

Sep 30

My grandmother didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but she loved to make banana cake.  Quite often when we went to visit she would have a pan of banana cake, slathered in maple frosting, waiting in the kitchen.

Then I discovered this handwritten recipe for banana cake among my great-grandmother’s recipes.  It seems a love of banana cake just might have been multi-generational!This is my great-grandmother's honey banana cake recipe, passed down through generations. I love old-fashioned recipes because they didn't use processed sugar or flour, making this a real food recipe! Grab this now and start this banana cake tradition in your family. Plus, it just tastes plain fabulous!

Although the original cake would have been made with white flour and brown sugar, my version uses spelt and honey, but could easily be substituted with whole wheat flour.

Banana Tip: Ever have bananas turning overripe before you can get to them? Simple peel and freeze until you’re ready to bake!

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Vintage Honey Banana Cake Recipe

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp arrowroot flour (or cornstarch) (this organic non-GMO cornstarch is half the price we’ve found anywhere else)
  • ½ tsp salt

Beat together the butter and honey until smooth.  Beat in eggs.  Stir in lemon juice, bananas, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until combined.

Pour into greased pan and cook at 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool.

This is my great-grandmother's honey banana cake recipe, passed down through generations. I love old-fashioned recipes because they didn't use processed sugar or flour, making this a real food recipe! Grab this now and start this banana cake tradition in your family. Plus, it just tastes plain fabulous!

Peanut Butter Frosting

Although there is no frosting mentioned on the original recipe, I like to add a little something to my cake, in memory of my grandmother.  Rather than use her maple-flavoured buttercream, I whip up this simple peanut butter frosting.

  • ⅓ cup softened butter
  • ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • pinch of salt

Beat butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Add in honey and salt.  Spread over cake.

This is my great-grandmother's honey banana cake recipe, passed down through generations. I love old-fashioned recipes because they didn't use processed sugar or flour, making this a real food recipe! Grab this now and start this banana cake tradition in your family. Plus, it just tastes plain fabulous!

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Vintage Recipe: Honey Banana Cake
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Peanut Butter Frosting
  • ⅓ cup softened butter
  • ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Beat together the butter and honey until smooth.
  2. Beat in eggs.
  3. Stir in lemon juice, bananas, and vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until combined.
  6. Pour into greased pan and cook at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Frosting Directions
  8. Beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add in honey and salt. Spread over cake.
 

Enjoy!

 

 

About the Author

Andrea is an artisan and teacher trying to live a handmade and homemade lifestyle with her husband in Eastern Canada. She is passionate about growing her own food, cooking healthy meals, using herbs for healing, nurturing creativity, and finding joy and blessings in the every-day moments of life. She writes about all of this, plus her adventures in sewing, crafting, and pattern design at http://www.artisaninthewoods.com/

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