banana orange cake with yogurt glaze

This cake reminds me of home. Not only has my mom been making it for years, but it also makes regular appearances at our family gatherings. It is lighter in colour and less dense than banana bread. The orange zest in the cake brightens up the banana flavour, as does the citrusy yogurt glaze drizzled over it. This cake is sweet (but not too sweet) and perfect as either a casual dessert or a mid-afternoon snack.



banana orange cake
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana  (approximately three small to medium bananas)
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp vinegar)

yogurt glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp orange juice
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a nine inch cake pan.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add one egg and beat until it is properly incorporated before adding the second one.  Add vanilla, mashed bananas and orange rind.  Mix well.
In a second bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda.  (I will admit – I cheat here. I put the flour on top of the banana mixture.  I mix the baking powder and baking soda into the flour before incorporating it all together. I do this because I strongly dislike doing dishes). Begin folding in the flour, then add the buttermilk. Keep folding until you’ve gotten the flour bits out, but do not overmix!

Pour the batter into your greased pan, and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing it from the pan.

For the glaze, mix the icing sugar, orange juice, orange zest and yogurt together.  As this isn’t a thick butter icing, go ahead and glaze the cake while it is still warm.  Enjoy!