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A piece of frosted poppy seed cake on a blue and white tea towel in front of the rest of the sliced cake.

Banana Poppyseed Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Banana and Poppyseed Cake is a classic recipe that combines banana cake with little pops of seeds, to make the most delectable accompaniment to your afternoon cuppa! Topped with a delicious vanilla frosting, you'll find it hard to stop at one piece!
5 from 6 votes
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Course: sweet
Cuisine: Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 serves
Calories: 381kcal

Equipment

  • Beaters, stand-mixer or Thermomix
  • Oven

Ingredients

For The Cake

  • 125 g butter softened to room temp
  • 220 g caster sugar (1 cup)
  • 45 g brown sugar (¼ cup)
  • 2 tbs vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 ml sour cream
  • 300 g mashed banana ~(1 cup) or 3 small/medium bananas
  • 70 g poppy seeds (½ cup)
  • 300 g plain flour (2 cups)
  • 2 tsp baking powder

For The Icing

  • 375 g icing mixture (3 cups)
  • 75 g butter softened
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1-2 tbs milk

Instructions

Conventional Method

    For The Cake

    • Preheat oven to 180° celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line a 30cm x 22cm rectangular baking tin with baking paper. Set aside until needed.
    • Place the butter, caster sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or handheld beaters until pale and fluffy.
    • Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition.
    • Add the sour cream, mashed banana and poppy seeds and fold through.
    • Sift over the plain flour and baking powder and fold through until combined.
    • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin nd bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
    • Allow the cake to cool in the baking tin for 30 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

    For The Frosting

    • To make the vanilla frosting, sift the icing mixture into a bowl. Add the butter, vanilla extract and 1 tbs milk and beat with a stand mixer or handheld beaters until creamy.
    • Add the remaining 1 tbs milk (if needed) and beat until pale and fluffy.
    • Spread frosting over cooled cake and cut into slices.

    Thermomix Method

      For The Cake

      • Preheat oven to 180° celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line a 30cm x 22cm rectangular baking tin with baking paper. Set aside until needed.
      • Place the plain flour and baking powder into the Thermomix bowl. Sift using 1 sec, Turbo Function, 5-10 times, then set aside in a separate bowl.
      • Place the butter, caster sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract into the Thermomix bowl. Cream for 30 seconds,Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat for a further 30 seconds.
      • Reduce to Speed 2, and with the blades still turning, add the eggs one at at a time. Once combined, mix for 15 seconds, Speed 4.
      • Add the sour cream and mashed banana and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 4.
      • Add the plain flour, baking powder and poppy seeds and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5.
      • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
      • Allow the cake to cool in the baking tin for 30 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

      For The Frosting

      • To make the vanilla frosting, place the icing mixture into the Thermomix bowl. Sift using 1 sec, Turbo Function, 5 times. Add the butter, vanilla extract and 1 tbs milk and combine for 10 seconds, Speed 5.
      • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 5 seconds, Speed 5, adding the 2nd tablespoon of milk if the frosting is too thick.
      • Spread frosting over cooled cake and cut into slices.

      Video

      Notes

      Recipe Notes and Tips
      For a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius and keep a close eye on your cake during the baking time.
      Ripe, soft bananas are the best ones to use in baking recipes as they add much more flavour as well as their own sweetness.
      Pure icing sugar produces a slightly firmer texture, but can easily be substituted for icing sugar mixture in this recipe.
      Store the cake in an airtight container  in the fridge for up to 4 days. I prefer to freeze the cake before frosting, as it defrosts better, without compromising the texture of the frosting.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1.4mg