Vietnamese baked banana cake (banh chuoi nuong)
Vietnamese-style baked banana cake packs in loads of ripe bananas, layered through an egg, milk and coconut milk batter, so the inside is soft, moist and almost chewy. The top bakes up deep golden and smells of butter and toasted sesame, and the cake is just as delicious at room temperature as it is chilled.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 5 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr
- Total time
- 2 hr 35 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Bananas
Cake batter
Topping
Pan preparation
Instructions
Step 1
Peel 800 g ripe bananas, halve each one lengthwise and cut into chunks, then toss them with 30 g granulated sugar and let them sit for about 20 minutes. Sugared bananas turn soft and deeply sweet and take on a lovely orange color as they bake. They are ready when they look glossy and wet, with a little syrup pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 180°C, grease a 22 cm round pan with to taste unsalted butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. The butter and parchment keep the caramelized bananas from sticking to the pan. The pan is ready when the sides are evenly coated in a thin layer of butter and the paper fits the bottom snugly.
Step 3
Melt 50 g unsalted butter over low heat, then take it off the heat to cool a little. Butter that is too hot would scramble the eggs in the batter. It is ready when fully melted and the pan feels only slightly warm to the touch.
Step 4
Whisk 100 g eggs with 90 g granulated sugar, then add the melted butter, 180 g coconut milk, 80 g whole milk and 4 g vanilla extract and stir well. Whisking the eggs with the sugar first helps the sugar dissolve and makes a smoother batter. The mixture is ready when it is an even creamy yellow and the sugar no longer feels gritty.
Step 5
Sift 150 g all-purpose flour, 3 g baking powder and a pinch salt into the bowl and whisk just until the flour disappears. Minimal mixing keeps the cake tender instead of chewy from gluten. The batter is ready when it is as loose and creamy as heavy cream, with no specks of dry flour.
Step 6
Cover the bottom of the pan with half the bananas, pour over half the batter, add the rest of the bananas and then the remaining batter, and finally sprinkle 8 g white sesame seeds over the top. Layering spreads the bananas evenly so every slice is full of fruit. The pan is ready when the batter nearly covers the bananas, with just a few pieces peeking through on top.
Step 7
Bake on the middle rack at 180°C for about 55 to 65 minutes. Bananas hold a lot of moisture, so the cake needs a long bake for the batter to cook through and set. It is done when the top is golden brown, the sesame smells toasty and a skewer inserted into the batter in the center comes out with no wet batter.
Step 8
Leave the cake in its pan on a rack for about an hour to cool completely. Banana cake is very soft while hot and only firm enough to slice once cool. It is ready when the sides of the pan are cool and the cake has shrunk slightly away from them.
Step 9
Run a knife around the edge of the pan, turn the cake out, then flip it back so the sesame side faces up and cut it into wedges. Use a sharp knife and wipe it after every cut for clean slices. Each slice is just right when you can clearly see the glossy orange banana layers between the soft golden cake.
Equipment
- Oven
- Round cake pan
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Very ripe silk bananas (chuoi su) give the cake a rich sweetness and a beautiful color, while Cavendish bananas give a softer crumb with less color.
- Chilled overnight in the fridge, the cake turns chewier and more flavorful, and many people prefer it cold rather than warm.
- If the top browns too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over it for the last twenty minutes.
Storage
The cake keeps for one day at room temperature in an airtight container. You can refrigerate it for up to four days and eat it cold straight from the fridge or rewarm it in the oven for about five minutes at 160°C.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The middle of the cake is still wet and gummy.
- The cake was underbaked or the bananas released too much liquid. Pour off some of the banana syrup after macerating and bake for another ten minutes, covering with foil if the top is already dark.
- The bottom of the cake burns black.
- The sugar from the bananas over-caramelized because the pan sat too low. Next time, move the pan up one rack or set an extra tray underneath.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
