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Banana Chai Cake

This loaf is perfect for todays Dusshera celebration. With simple ingredeints and a bowl this banana cake can be made in under an hour. Delicious on its own but even better to share with family, neighbors and friends during the festive season. 

Dusshera has always been a celebration at home. Back in Bombay we used to have Puja at home followed by a little prayer service with the family, bless our home and car as it was customary to do so. Then it was time to eat some Prasad (blessed food – ideally sweet) and have some chai. I remember eating this banana halwa or pudding and having a small cup of chai. It was the best combination in the world for me. I used to wait for this very moment. To savor the sweetness from the pudding while the spice of the masala and ginger in the chai was a balanced combination with every mouthful.

So, what is Dusshera? The word Dusshera comes from Sanskrit, “Dash” & “Hara”, meaning ‘to defeat the sun’. The festival denotes good over evil and light over darkness. In mythology it states that on this day the Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura after 9 days of battle. Which is why Dugra Puja is conducted today. That is a brief understating of the festival. Now let us take about this cake. 

To make this cake we need two bowls, one for the dry ingredients and another for the entire cake batter. I used a whisk here but you can use a wooden spoon/fork to mix the batter together. It doesn’t take time to come together and depending on the type of cake tin you use it would be ready in 40-45 mins. With basic equipment like this, it makes for a great beginner recipe to baking and very delicious as well. 

The ingredients are pretty straightforward and I must admit that there aren’t many substitutes but I will suggest a few that work well in this recipe. Let us look at them below:

Eggless – If you want to make this cake eggless, replace the 2 eggs with 2 flaxseed powder eggs (4 tbsp flaxseed powder with 8 tbsp water). Or you can use 30ml yogurt per egg as a replacement. 

Buttermilk – If you don’t find or have buttermilk at home you can use milk and 1 tsp lemon juice that has been stirred together. 

Gluten free – I have used all purpose flour here you can use gluten free flour mix or a combination of almond flour and coconut flour in 50:50 ratio.

Oil – I used olive oil here as I love the flavor but you can use coconut oil or canola oil as well. 

Masala chai powder – You can find my Masala chai powder recipe here. But you can just as well use a combination of cinnamon, cardamom and clove powder in equal quantities. 

Banana – It is a banana cake so you need to use banana but you can use any bananas you like. They must be ripe. You can peel and put the bananas in a microwave for a 1-2 to ripen them up if they are too firm. Or throw them in the oven for 10-15 mins with the skin on. I have measured out the banana here so the size of the bananas don’t matter just ensure you have enough as per the measurement. 

Almonds – I love the flavor of almonds with this cake so don’t skimp on them, if you prefer any other nuts use them instead. 

Ginger – I have used fresh ginger so I get the juice and a ginger paste in my cake batter. Which adds to the masala chai flavor in the cake.

Sugar – the recipe calls for light brown sugar and Demerara sugar. I like the caramel flavor the light brown sugar gives and the crunch that Demerara sugar gives on the top of the cake. 

Once the cake has been baked, you need to let it cool down before slicing. It will last for a day at room temperature in an airtight container. However if you are storing it longer I would suggest storing it in the fridge. It can last in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can freezer slices in zip lock bags as well. They will freeze well for up to 2 weeks. When ready to eat, warm up in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoy. 

This cake embodies the flavors of the banana pudding/halwa and masala chai that I remember having while growing up. It is lovely to share with your neighbors and friends as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. 

You can watch how I made it here and now that we have covered the details, let us get baking. Happy Dusshera Ninjas!

Banana Chai Cake

This loaf is perfect for todays Dusshera celebration. With simple ingredeints and a bowl this banana cake can be made in under an hour. Delicious on its own but even better to share with family, neighbors and friends during the festive season.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Cake, Celebration, Dessert, High Tea, Sweet tooth, tea time
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • 9inch Loaf tin

Ingredients
  

  • 250 gm Flour
  • 10 gm Baking powder
  • 5 gm Baking soda
  • 2 Tea bags 30gm
  • 15 gm Masala chai powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 45 ml Olive oil
  • 160 gm Light brown sugar
  • 5 ml Vanilla
  • 250 gm Banana mashed
  • 15 gm Ginger grated
  • 150 gm Buttermilk
  • 30 gm Demerara sugar
  • 30 gm Almonds chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a 9inch loaf tin with a little oil and baking paper.
  • In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, tea powder, masala chai powder and salt. Stir to combine, set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk to break them up. Add the oil and whisk again.
  • Add the sugar and vanilla. Whisk again. Add the banana and whisk well to ensure no lumps. Add the ginger and whisk.
  • Add half of the dry mixture whisk briefly. Add the buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk well. Ensuring no lumps.
  • Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle the top with the Demerara sugar and then the chopped almonds.
  • Bake in the middle rack for 50 mins until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. It might take longer depending on the size of your tin.
  • Let it cool in the tin for 10 mins, remove and leave to cool on a wirer rack. Once cooled, slice and serve.

Notes

  • The cake is done when a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. This might take a little longer depending on the size of tin and moisture of the banana. Hence use the tooth pick as a guideline to know when the cake is done.
  • Make your buttermilk at home by mixing milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice together.
  • Find my home made masala chai powder blend recipe here.
  • You can bake this cake in any tin, doesn’t have to be a loaf tin.
  • You can dust the cake with icing sugar for a pretty looking effect.

4 thoughts on “Banana Chai Cake”

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