Sail away on a delightful afternoon with treat accented in sweet pisang emas
I always find it a pleasure to welcome my sister, Lisa Hyslop, home from New Zealand.
Her visits are a lively blend of laughter, stories from Christchurch and most importantly, cake.
This time, she has given an American classic a Malaysian spin, combining the mellow sweetness of pisang emas with the rich aroma of coffee in a soft, nutty crumb.
A distinctive feature of this recipe is the use of pisang emas in place of the Cavendish variety more commonly found in New Zealand.
Banana coffee cake pairs beautifully with a cup of joe. — Photos: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
The result is a cake with greater depth and natural sweetness, thanks to the intense flavour of these small, golden bananas.
For an American, the term coffee cake is typically a sweet bread or cake served with coffee, not made with it.
Elsewhere in the world, coffee cake is understood to be flavoured with coffee, usually instant coffee granules.
Speaking of coffee, did you know that instant coffee was invented in New Zealand?
Modern instant coffee as we know it was created by David Strang of Invercargill in 1889.
He sold it under the rather quaint name “Strang’s Soluble Coffee Powder”, made using a patented dry hot-air process. More than a century later, this invention continues to enrich recipes such as ours.
One advantage of instant coffee, beyond the obvious time-saving convenience, is its ability to froth when beaten with fats or liquids, introducing additional air into the batter.
Creaming, stirring and folding lead to a perfectly baked cake. After a skewer test for doneness, turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
This effect is not dissimilar to the Dalgona trend, and it enhances volume during the creaming stage.
Lisa, ever the experimental baker, discovered that adding a small amount of oil to the butter helps create a more tender crumb.
The texture turns out soft, moist and pleasantly springy.
She also notes that for convenience, salted butter may be used in place of unsalted butter and salt, and self-raising flour may be substituted for the sifted all-purpose flour and leavening agents.
Whether served warm in the afternoon or enjoyed the next morning as a breakfast indulgence, this banana walnut coffee cake is a welcome addition to any baking repertoire.
And indeed, it pairs beautifully with coffee, instant or otherwise.
Banana walnut coffee cake
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter
50g cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee granules
3 medium eggs
650g ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 raw sugar
240g all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder, sifted
½ tsp baking soda, sifted
¼ tsp salt, sifted
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp icing sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease and line a bundt tin with baking parchment.
Cream the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the mashed bananas and chopped walnuts, then fold in the sifted dry ingredients gently.
Gradually mix in the milk.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool for about an hour.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with coffee for an afternoon treat.
