Chai Spiced Banana Chocolate Cake
Chai Spiced Banana Chocolate Cake - This Chai Spiced Banana Cake is easy to make, is studded with chocolate chips and made with leftover bananas. If you are a chai lover be that Masala Chai or a Chai Latte, then you will love this great recipe for a classic banana cake recipe with a chai twist. It is the perfect sweet treat to have with a cup of your favourite hot drink (warm chai for me!), during the Autumn and Winter months.
Ingredients
- 3 large Bananas Very ripe and lightly mashed
- 125 g Butter Salted
- 215 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract Or Essence or Vanilla Bean Paste
- 200 g Plain Flour All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Chai Spice Powder Or add 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder, 1 teaspoon Ginger Powder, ¼ teaspoon Cloves, ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder, ¼ teaspoon All Spice
- 20 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- Pinch Salt See notes
- 200 g Milk Chocolate Chips or Milk Chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180 C/350 F.
- Lightly grease a loaf tin with Butter and then line with parchment paper/baking paper.
- Start by mashing the ripe banana in a large mixing bowl using a fork.
- Add Butter to a pot or saucepan. Stir till melted. Continue to stir the Butter over medium low heat, until the Butter becomes nutty and golden. This will take 5 - 7 minutes. Remove to a bowl and leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
- Add Light Brown Sugar and mix in.
- Stir in mashed Banana.
- Add the Egg and Vanilla. Then whisk in.
- Fold in the Flour, Chai Spices, Cocoa Powder and Bicarbonate of Soda. Do not over mix!
- Stir in most of the Chocolate Chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Lightly tap the cake tin on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 1 hour. Insert a skewer into the middle to check if it is fully cooked. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 - 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
How to ripen bananas quickly
If you have Bananas that are taking forever to ripen, here is how you can ripen them up quickly. Place Bananas on a baking tray and bake at180 c/350 f/Gas Mark 4 for 15 -20 minutes. If you have frozen Bananas, remove from the freezer and leave them out for 30 minutes before using. Discard any Water that has seeped from them.How to serve Banana Loaf Cake
This is the perfect snack to have just with a fork at this time of year or you can serve warm banana bread with a hot drink such as Tea, Coffee or even Hot Chocolate. You can also have it dusted with icing sugar, with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, some Heavy/Double Cream or a drizzle of Caramel Sauce or Maple Syrup.Variations
This banana bread/cake is easily adaptable: Why not try adding: Add Nuts - Such as Pecans, Walnuts, Hazel nuts.Add Raisins - I like to soak them in Chai or Tea for 20 minutes before hand.
Add some Demerara Sugar - (Turbinado Sugar) to the top before baking.
Add other Spices - Use Pumpkin/Gingerbread Spice instead.
Tips and Tricks
Add Milk if the mixture is very thick If the mixture is thick, add a couple of tablespoons of Milk, Buttermilk, Sour Cream or Plain Yoghurt. Use room temperature Eggs To quickly get room temp eggs place them in a bowl with warm water for about 10 minutes. Fold in the Dry Ingredients When stirring in the dry ingredients, GENTLY mix the batter just until combined.Storage
This Cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days or up to a week in the fridge. How to Freeze Cover the cake tightly with 2 layers of cling film and 1 layer of foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature or thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. You can freeze it in slices or as a whole.Faqs
Why is my Banana Bread/Cake dense?
Banana cake should be dense but there is such a thing as too dense. There are 3 main reasons why your banana cake/bread may be too dense: 1. Over mixing - This creates more gluten, which means a more chewy and dense cake. 2. Old Eggs - Use fresh Eggs as old eggs also create a denser cake. 3. Stick to the exact measurements - Too much liquid = too much moisture = dense heavy cake.Why did my Banana Cake sink in the middle?
This is most likely due to under baking. Banana cake can vary in cooking times by a full 10 minutes.- Make sure the top is firm to the touch and that a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- If the cake is looking really brown but is still not cooked in the middle, cover the top with some foil and bake a little longer.
- Make sure that you are using the correct amount of banana as too much will increase the moisture and make it difficult for the bread to cook through properly.
- Measure your baking powder/bicarbonate of soda carefully. Too much of these can cause the cake to rise and then sink as it cools.
Nutrition
Calories: 453kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 197mgPotassium: 300mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 290IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
