Mary Berry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
This mouthwatering dessert brings together the sweetness of ripe bananas, a hint of warm cinnamon, and the tanginess of cream cheese icing. With its moist texture and heavenly flavours, this Mary Berry Banana Cake is a surefire crowd-pleaser that will leave everyone asking for seconds.
Equipment
- 2 450g (1lb) loaf tins 18.5 cm x 9 cm x 6 cm (roughly 7 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches)
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Grater (for lemon zest)
- 1 Fork (for mashing bananas)
- 1 Electric mixer or whisk (for the icing)
- 1 Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
- 100 g (4 oz) of butter, cubed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 225 g (8 oz) light muscovado sugar
- 1 lemon grated zest
- 2 small peeled bananas mashed with a fork
- 2 eggs beaten
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 100 g (4 oz) butter, softened
- 150 g (5 oz) full-fat cream cheese
- 150 g (5 oz) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 pinch a pinch of ground cinnamon
- 10 slices banana chips or banana to decorate
Instructions
- Grease two 450g (1lb) loaf tins and line their bases with a strip of baking paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) / 160°C fan (320°F) / Gas 4.
- Place the flour into a mixing bowl and add the butter.
- Incorporate the butter into the flour using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (you can also use a food processor).
- Add the cinnamon, sugar, and lemon zest to the mixture and stir well.
- Combine the mashed bananas with the flour mixture, and then add the beaten egg.
- Thoroughly mix the ingredients until well combined, then divide the batter between the prepared loaf tins and level the surface.
- Bake for about 30–35 minutes or until the cakes are golden and have risen
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out.
- Remove the baking paper, and move to a wire rack.
To make the icing
- Beat the butter until smooth.
- Gradually beat in the cream cheese until well combined
- Add the sifted icing sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Beat well until smooth.
- Cover the cakes with cream cheese frosting.
- Decorate with banana slices or chips.
Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Use ripe, spotty bananas for maximum sweetness and flavour. If you have a ripe banana, you can freeze it with the flesh to use for banana cake later.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before applying the cream cheese icing to prevent melting.
- For added spice, add a dash of nutmeg or allspice to the cake batter.
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are softened to room temperature before preparing the icing for a smooth texture.
- Experiment with different fruit chips or chopped nuts as alternative cake toppings.
- Freeze one loaf for another time for up to 2 months, wrapped in greaseproof paper, though the cake keeps well in a cake tin for up to 1 week.
- Leave the cake plain or ice it with this cream cheese frosting.