Strawberry Banana Cake with Whipped Cream

This recipe is for a strawberry banana cake. There isn’t much history behind this recipe as it took me three days to develop the recipe and one attempt to which it came out tasting amazing. The cake is made with a blended strawberry reduction and blended bananas which gives the cake a gorgeous texture and together they taste so good.

Initially I was preparing to make a banana cake but at the back of my mind, I also had plans to make a strawberry cake. That morning I had a strawberry and banana smoothie for breakfast and that initiated the idea for a strawberry banana cake. 

At first, I wondered whether the strawberry and banana flavour would cancel each other out but that was definitely not the case. I made sure not to use too many bananas and to use enough strawberries as I know banana flavour is a bit stronger than the flavour of strawberries.

The cake has the perfect combination of the two flavours and the texture is soft and moist. I find that blending the bananas and blending the strawberries before making the strawberry reduction gives the cake a smooth finish.

The cake is then frosted with whipped cream which makes the cake even more delicious and you can opt to use a cream cheese frosting or buttercream if you prefer. This cake even taste amazing without any frosting.

Ingredients for Strawberry Banana Cake with Whipped Cream

For the Cake

• 345g strawberries (hulled)
• 250g self-raising flour 
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 75ml whole milk
• 2 bananas (very ripe)
• 3 drops pink food colouring 
• 75g unsalted butter (very soft at room temperature)
• 210g caster sugar
• 75g vegetable oil
• 1 medium egg yolk (room temperature)
• 65ml sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 medium egg whites (room temperature)

For the whipped cream frosting

• 200ml double cream
• 20g icing sugar
• ½ medium banana (sliced) – for decoration
• 3 strawberries (sliced) – for decoration

How to Make Strawberry Banana Cake with Whipped Cream

Make the strawberry reduction

1.Blend the strawberries then pour the blended strawberries into a saucepan on a low to medium heat. While the strawberries are reducing, ensure you continue to stir. The strawberries will start to bubble and you may see paler pink water on top. Continue stirring until the strawberries have reduced to around half and you can no longer see the pale pink water on top. This should take around 15 minutes but may take longer depending on how much water is in the strawberries. The strawberry sauce should now be thicker. Pour the strawberry sauce into a bowl and set aside to cool completely before use.

2. Once the strawberry reduction has cooled, preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350^oF/180^oC and line a 8 or 9 ich baking tin with baking paper.

Make the cake

3. In a bowl prepare the dry ingredients by adding the self-raising flour, bicarbonate soda and salt then whisk and set aside. Blend together the bananas and milk and if using food colouring, add it to the blended bananas. Set aside.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add the vegetable oil and continue to combine.

5. Add the egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla extract then combine until they are all fully incorporated. Mix in the blended bananas and the strawberry reduction then mix in the dry ingredients.

6. Whisk the egg whites for around 5 minutes or until soft peaks are formed then gently fold them into the cake batter.

7. Once the egg whites are combined, pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for around 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Onced baked allow to cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Make the whipped cream frosting

8. Add the double cream and icing sugar to a stand bowl mixer or mixing bowl and whisk on a medium speed or until stiff peaks are formed. Be careful not to over whip the cream as it will turn into butter. Frost the cake with the whipped cream, decorate with the bananas and strawberries then enjoy.

Recipe Tips

• To get the strawberry flavour into the cake, I make a strawberry reduction which is a thick strawberry sauce. I make this by blending the strawberries and heating them in a saucepan. The water from the strawberries will evaporate leaving a thick strawberry sauce. When making the reduction, you should allow the blended strawberries to reduce to around half of what you initially started with in the saucepan.
• The strawberry reduction should be completely cooled before using.
• The bananas are blended with the milk before being added to the cake, this produces a smoother cake.
• I normally add a few drops of pink food colouring to enhance the colour. This is optional but bear in mind if you don’t use food colouring the cake will be more of a grey colour. I mix the food colouring into the blended bananas to avoid over mixing the cake.
• I whisk my egg white before I add them to the cake, I find it makes the cake lighter and fluffier. This is optional and you can just add the egg whites as they are.
• You can use an 8 or 9-inch baking tin. Ensure it is at least 3 inches deep.
• When making the whipped cream, ensure the double cream and the bowl you are using to whip the cream are very cold, this helps the cream to whip easier. I ususally place the cream and bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before using. This will be particularly important on a hot day.

Nutrition

Calories	Fat	Saturates	Carbs
276kcal	16.0g	7.4g	31.2g
Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
18.6g	1.6g	3.0g	0.19g

Storage

Due to the double cream in the frosting this cake should be stored in the refrigerator and can last for up to 2 days.

Ensure you bring the cake to room temperature before serving from the fridge.

If unfrosted the cake can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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