Wednesday 17 July 2013

Banana and Pitted Prune Butter Cake


I am not a fan of prunes in spite of it's high content of vitamins and minerals. And of course, we know what prunes are good for, right? I eat lots of vegetables, so I don't need help in that area :)



I bought a packet of Sunsweet Prunes last year because I wanted to try Chef Wan's Prune Cake (that is my next project). But as usual, that packet of prunes sat in my pantry for the longest time. So when my partner brought home a huge comb of bananas (pisang berangan) I had to find ways to use them because they were ripening pretty fast. 



This recipe again comes from Lovely Butter Cakes, a cookbook my partner's son picked for me when the young man was desperately trying to top up another RM20.00 at Popular Bookstore. It was a very good choice and I realised that this is the first time ever that I have baked so many cakes from one book :)



When I spotted Banana and Pitted Prune Butter Cake, it was perfect as I could use the bananas and prunes which were going to expire in a month or two. And this cake did not disappoint. The cake however, took forever to bake. At 45 minutes, the centre was still wobbly even though the cake was already quiet brown. Maybe that's because I baked it in a loaf pan. This cake was supposed to be baked in small liners. Anyhow, I tented the cake with aluminium foil to prevent it from burning. After 1 hour and 5 minutes, the cake was done looking like this :


Overbrowned.
I was quiet worried that it would taste burnt. But after slicing the two ends off and tasting a slice, I was relieved. The yummy sweet bananas was offset by the tangy prunes. I loved it! Though not pretty like the Banana Apricot Cake, it tasted way, way, better. Yes, this cake will definitely be repeated in the future. Hmm...bananas and prunes, you are guaranteed to get up and go the next day!










Banana and Pitted Prune Butter Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from Lovely Butter Cakes (page 35)
My notes and adaptations in red.

Ingredients A
- 240g butter (I whacked the whole 250g slab of butter)
- 150g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 250g bananas, mashed
- 100g prunes (cut to quarters)

Ingredients B (Sifted)
- 150g self raising flour
- 90g plain flour
Note : I used 250g self-raising flour

Topping (I omitted)
- 2 bananas (cut into wedges)
- 5 pitted prunes (cut into halves)

Method :
1. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, egg yolks and flour, gently beat until well combined.
2. Add mashed bananas and pitted prunes, mix well.
(I beat butter and sugar first and then followed by eggs one by one. Then I added bananas and prunes and lastly added flour. I was afraid to follow the book method because I might mess up).
3. Pour the mixture into paper moulds and arrange bananas and prunes on top.
4. Bake in prehaeated oven at 175C for 25 minutes.
(I poured the batter into a lined and buttered loaf pan. Took me 1 hour 5 minutes for the cake to be done)





This post is linked to Cook-Your-Books #2 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

53 comments:

  1. Hi Phong Hong,

    This cake sounds very "powerful" in its fiber contents. It looks very powerful in its taste and buttery texture too :D

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zoe, I loved this cake and was surprised that I could accept the prunes!

      Delete
  2. Looks yummy! Let us exchange, long time I didn't bake a butter cake. That is my all time favourite. I also have a packet of sun sweet prunes in the fridge. May be I should try this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jozelyn, do try this cake or maybe you keep your prunes for my next cake. It is even yummier than this one. Will post soon :)

      Delete
    2. Then I keep my prunes until your next post!

      Delete
  3. Hi Phong Hong,
    This is my kinda cake! It has prunes in them, I love prunes in bakes! And I have this very book which I bought ages ago, but have never tried anything from it yet! Thanks for the reminder!
    Your cake looks lovely and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joyce, this book has very good recipes you should get started! There are a few more in the pipeline that I want to try. Thanks to your event, I am really very motivated!

      Delete
  4. tempting! hihi..bulan puasa ni kurma je banyak kat rumah i..ganti ngan kurma pun jadi jgk kan PH? hihi..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cik Wan, kurma pun best jugak kalau buat kek ni! Cuba lah, tak rugi. Sedap habis :)

      Delete
  5. What a moist and lovely cake with prunes. Looks perfect for my tea break.

    ReplyDelete
  6. wow... kek PH nampak sgt moist! i like banana.. i like prunes as well.. so kalau PH nak kongsi separuh kek tu pun i rela.. hihihi...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MaDiHaA, no problem kita boleh kongsi! PH nak rasa MaDiHaA punya puding pelangi hee..hee...

      Delete
  7. This cake looks moist and buttery, nice to go with my favourite latte..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cecilia, this cake is indeed moist and buttery. I love the combination of banana and prunes :)

      Delete
  8. I have tried your orange/chocolate marble cake and it was fabulous! This is another good looking recipe....got to try this when I have bananas lying around...prunes are not easy to come by my house so maybe I'll substitute with currants:D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeannie, I guess currants would be just as good. Glad you loved the orange choc cake. I must bake it again soon.

      Delete
  9. Hi PH, kek tu nampak sangat lembut, moist dan mula saya bayangkan keenakannya...i love prunes too..!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ummi, kek ni memang sangat moist dan enak sekali. Makan satu keping tak cukup :)

      Delete
  10. Hello, my dear Phong Hong, miss me or not, hehehe! I can't believe that I have stopped blogging for 5 weeks. Anyway, I'm back now & thanks for the visit. Your cake looks very moist there! Banana + Prune, no problem to poo poo, apalah, jessie is so naughty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course I missed you Jessie! Hah! Hah! After eating the cake, next day very smooth....

      Delete
  11. again, looks very soft and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow!Another nice butter cake!!!Love to try this recipe :)Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther, I never realised that prunes could taste so good!

      Delete
  13. Ph !!nak sikit.malam-malam ni Cm dapat makan :)...kek ni nampak lembab.Yum yum

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CM, boleh, boleh! Kek ni sedap lah. Best juga untuk buka puasa.

      Delete
  14. Hi hi PH! So how's your bowels? LOL!

    I miss home baked cake... need to push wife a bit more!! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alvin, my bowels are in tip top shape hah! hah! Oh, you must feature your wife's bakes and share with us :)

      Delete
  15. looks yummy Phong Hong you are very gajen you can bake a birthday cake for your mum and also a cheese cake for me .Deal?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Phong Hong, I really love this version of your banana cake. Love the addition of the prunes. The cake is so amazingly moist and super delicious. I must make this soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elisabeth! This cake actually surprised me because I did not expect to like the prunes. But I am so glad I gave it a chance because I loved the cake!

      Delete
  17. Hi PH! OH my oh my... This loaf cake looks absolutely moist. Though I am not a huge fan of prunes, I definitely will give this a go. Now am off to catch up on my reading. ♥ Jo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jo! Surprisingly the prunes tasted pretty good in the cake. But I won't be eating prunes on their own, only in cakes hee..hee...

      Delete
  18. If I bake this cake, I have to finished by myself as my kids doesn't like prunes. I think I just few slices from here, ok? Hehehe..now I realized you sudah pandai bake cake, good for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hee..hee..thank you, Sonia! I am still learning lah. Very soon must try buns and breads :)

      Delete
  19. Phong hong, nice cake. Pruns i am ok, but not eat too much. before i also bake with prune but a chopped them in small pieces also good taste.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. xing hui, now I like prune cakes. Last time I thought it was horrible. I have changed my mind :)

      Delete
  20. I love prune cakes...steamed ones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, then I must find a steamed prune cake recipe to try!

      Delete
  21. The cake looks beautiful! Interesting combination :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Am not fond of prune on its own. Would take me forever to finish a packet. But I dont mind if its in a cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here. In cake it actually taste very good. But I still won't eat it on its own.

      Delete
  23. I love this cake look absolutely amazing and delicious!xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gloria! Try it, simple but delicious.

      Delete
  24. Oh YUM! This cake looks so inviting & rich! Love the dense texture , great with a cup of kopi or teh tarik oso can ! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kit, I love this cake so much now! Yes, kopi or teh tarik would be great :)

      Delete
  25. Hi Phong Hong, your this cake look awesome. The texture look very moist, great combination. I need to go make coffee already.... you need one? LOL

    Best regards.

    ReplyDelete
  26. hi phong hong, i also made a banana cake today..some really took long to complete, mine also took about 1 hr and 10 mins to bake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lena, I love banana cake! Yah, sometimes so sian waiting for the cake to be done. Keep poking and every time, still got batter stuck there.

      Delete