Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake

Wow, this cake is extremely moist, full of banana flavour. With the addition of shredded coconuts, this is really rich. On top of this, it is further enhance with a little rum. The smell is heavenly, when the cake is being baked in the oven, you can smell the banana, coconut and rum all at once! I reduced the sugar, but it is still a little bit sweet for me, one slice is enough as I think that this is very filling! If you really love banana, then one slice is definitely not enough. Be sure to share this cake, unless you decide to freeze and have it later. I only bake half the recipe.

It is actually very interesting to see some of the bakers' comments from "Tuesdays with Dorie" on this cake.

"Tuesdays with Dorie" is a group of home bakers who each must have a copy of this book and the bakers each has a turn to choose their selected recipe from this book. Interesting! There are other groups with their own selected books too. It is actually a good idea, at least this will keep you baking from the book instead of leaving it on your bookshelf, waiting until you have the time to try them out! Some of this books can be very expensive.

This was the cake that was picked last week, and since I have the book, and couldn't decide which recipe to do, I thought that I would just follow along.
This banana cake has won the hearts of the bakers! Someone even commented that this cake is light. As for me, I think this cake is definitely not light, it is not heavy either, just as the way Dorie Greenspan describes it best,

"If you make the cake with the ingredients listed first below, you'll get a consistency that isn't heavy but not featherweight either. It has enough substance to chew on, but it's light enough to entice you to go back for a second serving.....or a third."

This cake is way too sweet for me, but on the other hand, it is extremely moist and smells wonderful!

Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake
(adapted from "Baking: From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
Ingredients :
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1-1/2 sticks (12 tbsps) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (or granulated sugar) ( I use about 65gm brown sugar, for half recipe)
3/4 cup sugar (I use 1/4 cup, about 60gm, for half recipe)
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsps dark rum or Malibu coconut rum (optional)
about 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1-1/2 - 1-3/4 cups)
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, regular (stir well before measuring) or "lite" (or whole milk, buttermilk, sour cream or plain yogurt) (I use whole milk)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, preferably toasted (or an equal amount of moist, plump dried fruit, such as currants, raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries, blueberries or halved cherries, or a combination of coconut and dried fruits)

Method :
Getting ready :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter two 9x2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for a couple of minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla and rum. You'll have a beautiful satiny batter. Now lower the speed and add the bananas - the batter will curdle, but that's fine; it will come together as you add the remaining ingredients. Still on low speed, add the dry and liquid ingredients alternately, adding the flour mixture in 3 portions and the coconut milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Mix just until everything is incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the coconut. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cakes are a deep golden brown. They should start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a thin knife inserted into their centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmould and invert onto another rack to cool to room temperature right side up.