Banoffee Pie is an absolute classic. Banoffee is such a cool flavour. Sweet, but fruity. It makes a great cake! This Banoffee Loaf Cake is a great twist on classic banana bread.
*This post may contain affiliate links to products I find useful when making this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
I really really love bananas. I also love banana flavoured things (especially milkshake) even though they never really taste like bananas (see also, coffee is yummy, coffee-flavoured things are revolting!)
Baking with bananas is great. Mashed up they’ve got such a cool texture, that always works well and leaves you with a sweet and sticky sponge.
Adding caramel just makes things even better.
This Banoffee Cake Recipe with carnation caramel is basically just a twist (and a topping) on all those basic banana bread recipes that we all baked so often in 2020! I make very similar banoffee cupcakes too!
What Flavour is Banoffee?
Banoffee is like the original food portmanteau..of the putting two words together variety. Not the big suitcase thing!
In this case, banana and toffee. Banoffee. Beautiful.
I make Banana Bread with Carnation Caramel to get that lovely banoffee flavour without any fuss. It’s a super simple family cake, perfect for easy puddings or afternoon treats.
Do You Have to Use Old Bananas for Banoffee Cake?
Old bananas are better when you are Baking Banoffee Banana Bread, or most other things really.
The softer they are, the easier they are to mash, and the sweeter the flavours are.
I wouldn’t use still green or underripe bananas for my banoffee loaf, and really the older the better, but as long as they are ripe and yellow they’ll work.
I typically make my Banoffee Loaf Recipe when I’ve got bananas to use up, so they are always fairly overripe.
Although, I am that person that will only eat a banana for about an hour of its life when there is neither green nor brown.
How to Make Caramel Buttercream?
A Carnation Caramel Banana Cake is super super simple. Because of the carnation.
You can of course make your own caramel sauce for both your Banoffee Cake and your caramel icing.
But, Carnation Caramel Buttercream is so easy!
I basically make a basic buttercream, with butter and icing sugar, but I substitute half of the butter for caramel sauce.
How to Store Banoffee Cake
This Banana and Caramel Loaf is super moist, which means that it stays nice and soft for 3-4 days.
When I make a Banoffee Sponge Cake I store it in my glass cake stand. But, any sealed or covered tub is fine. You don’t need to keep it in the fridge.
Making Banoffee Cupcakes
If you prefer you could make Carnation Banoffee Cupcakes. Instead of pouring all of the mixture into a loaf tin, spoon it into cake cases, in a muffin tin. Filling about 2/3s of the way up, or follow this slightly different (smaller!) recipe.
Bake for around 15 minutes until cooked through. Leave to cool and then pipe or spoon on the caramel frosting.
Making a Round Banoffee Cake
You could also use this recipe to make a round banana cake.
Follow this Banoffee Cake Easy Recipe, but spoon into 2 small sandwich tins.
Bake for 20-30 minutes (check after 20, and then every few minutes after if needed) leave to cool, and use the buttercream to sandwich together and cover.
Everything You Need to Make a Banoffee Loaf Cake
This recipe uses Basic Banoffee Cake Ingredients. You don’t need anything fancy or unusual.
Then, to bake your Sticky Banana Loaf you’ll need a mixing bowl and a loaf tin. Mine is 8 inches by 4 inches (affiliate link). Adjust the bake time if yours is bigger or smaller.
Tips for Baking Banoffee Cake
- Don’t top with bananas unless you are eating straight away. Use grated chocolate, or dried banana chips instead. Or drizzle with toffee sauce.
- I use Carnation caramel for this Recipe for Banoffee Loaf. But, any caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought is fine.
- If your buttercream is too thick, add a splash of milk. If it’s too thin, either leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes to set or add a tiny bit of cornflour. But, avoid adding too much, as it will give you a chalky after taste.
Other Alternatives to Banana Bread
I love good old banana bread. These are some of my favourite variations:
Banoffee Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 175 g Butter or Margarine
- 175 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Medium Bananas (Mashed up)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 3 Eggs
- 190 g Self Raising Flour
- 3 tablespoons Carnation Caramel
For the Buttercream:
- 150 g Icing Sugar
- 75 g Carnation Caramel
- 75 g Butter (at room temperature)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a loaf tin.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, combining each well before adding the next.
- Add the bananas and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and fold together.
- Pour half into the loaf tin.
- Use a small spoon to dot some bits of caramel into the batter.
- Add the rest of the cake mix and spread evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour, checking after 50 minutes.
- Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Icing:
- When the cake is completely cool, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add the caramel and mix.
- Sift in the icing sugar and mix until even.
- Spread or pipe on to the cake.
- Decorate with banana chips, or fresh banana slices if eating immediately.
Notes
- I use a tin that’s 8” x 5”.
- You could also decorate with chocolate flakes or shavings, or just leave plain.
- You can use newly ripe (but not green) bananas, but like when making banana bread, it’ll have a stronger, sweeter flavour if your bananas are past their best.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
