Banana Butter Cake

Food cost in Malaysia has gone up tremendously; at least by 25%. With the recent removal of the sugar subsidy, our sugar now costs RM1.90/kg when it was used to be RM1.45/kg and not only that, there is always a shortage, with the local stores limiting purchase of 2 kg per customer. With that, all other food cost that are related sugar have also gone up.

Butter has always been an imported item and again the cost has also gone up. We can never buy cakes or pastries that are 100% butter. Somehow, I always felt taste matters! I still make my own butter cakes,simply because it tastes better and I can't buy them from the local bakeries. They have to be pre-ordered from a 'cottage industry' bakery or home-made.

Here, I have a rich Banana Butter Cake recipe to share. It is always a hit especially among the men, and it is full of chunks of banana.

Tips: (1) Use over-ripe bananas;

(2) Living in a tropical country, I would always chill my butter first.

(3) I use canned Golden Churn Butter, unsalted.

(4) Sift flour with Bi-carbonate of soda at least twice, to incoporate them evenly.

(5) Mash bananas COARSELY.

BANANA BUTTER CAKE

(makes 2 loaves of 5"x9")

12 oz butter, chilled and cut into smaller cubes

10 oz caster sugar

2 tbsp condensed milk

2 tbsp evaporated milk

6 grade A eggs

16 oz flour

1 full teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 1/2 cups mashed bananas or 8 medium bananas

1 Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda at least twice.

2 Beat butter with sugar in medium speed until light and fluffy.

3 Beat in the 2 types of milk, alternating with each other, starting with the condensed milk.

4 Increase beater speed and gradually beat eggs, one at a time, until just combined.

5 Fold in flour in two batches.

6 Mix in mashed bananas quickly.

7 Put mixture into two loaf pans of 5" x 9" and bake at moderate oven (180 deg Celsius) for 1 hour.

8. Cool cakes out of pan in a rack.