In May 2023 I hosted a workshop in the incredibly beautiful and picturesque Empordá, Spain, together with my friends Yago, Carolina and Olivia. We did some of my favorite activities of all time during this workshop – natural dyeing of silk scarves with textile artist Aurore Pélisson and raku glazing and firing with cermic artist Caterina Roma. I thought I’d finally share some of the photos and videos from the workshop, and also a recipe!
This banana cake is a favorite of mine from one of my books (originally published in 2014, where does time go?). I did struggle a bit with the oven (you couldn’t see the temperature), but that’s part of the workshop experience I suppose. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
This cake can be made 1-2 days ahead as long as it’s wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in a airtight container.
Recipe from my book “Sweet food & photography”.
Ingredients
Banana cake
- 420 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 225 g (2 sticks) softened butter
- 425 g (barely 2 cups) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 250 mL (1 cup) sour cream
- 4 ripe bananas (600-650 g), mashed
Butterscotch sauce
- 120 g (2/3 cup) light brown muscovado sugar or brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 50 g (1/2 stick) butter
- 1/4 cup (100 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. bourbon or whiskey, can be omitted
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 10 cup (barely 2 1/2 liter) bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture. Add the sour cream and mashed bananas and stir until batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake on the lower rack for about 65-70 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Keep an eye on the cake so it doesn’t brown too much on top. If it does, cover the pan loosely with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper (make sure to not seal it, the cake needs room to breathe and rise!). Let the cake cool in its pan for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Butterscotch sauce
- Combine sugar and butter in a saucepan. Put pan over medium high heat and stir until everything has melted. Add cream and let come to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in salt and bourbon. Let cool slightly, then drizzle half of the sauce over the cake. The remaining half can be served on the side in case anyone wants more sauce.. which they will. Enjoy!
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