Folks, do you love bananas and dates? Then this cake is for you. This banana cake has over 3 ripe bananas 🍌🍌🍌!!  The cake is moist from all the bananas and plump dates.

The cake is moist from all the bananas and plump dates, nutty from the loads of chopped almonds, and earthy from the dark brown sugar. All these ingredients turn this into a gourmet tasting banana date cake.

About the recipe

This banana date cake is a recipe I picked up from my friend Padmini when my Dad and I stopped by her place for lunch one afternoon. Padmini had made a delectable south Indian Tamil spread for lunch that was a treat 😋. Here is a look at our lunch menu.

Lunch at Padmini’s

Rasam
Pongal – rice and lentils cooked with salt and whole peppercorns
Eggplant Curry
Vada – lentil fritters
Mixed vegetable chutney spread
Raita
Banana date cake with fresh cut pineapple
Chai

A month later Padmini’s parents came to visit her from Dallas and I invited them over for tea to introduce them to my Dad. This is the teatime menu I prepared when they came over.

A Tea-Time Menu for five

Chili lime flavored almonds. I buy mine from Trader Joe’s.
Simple Quesadilla  I keep the qesadilla stuffing ready in the refrigerator and make the quesadillas after guests arrive.
Banana Date Cake
Fresh cut fruit
Chai

Padmini shared her banana date cake recipe earlier and I made it for our lunchtime dessert.

Banana Date Cake
Adapted from Padmini’s recipe with a few modifications

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas from 2-3 bananas
• 1 cup flour plus 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts such as chopped almonds or pecans
• Slivered almonds for garnish on top of cake

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Place parchment paper on bottom of pan. Set aside.
• Mix brown sugar and butter until well blended. Stir in eggs and blend together. Next add mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla, and beat for 30 seconds.
• In another bowl combine together flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add this to the butter mixture and stir in. Next add chopped nuts and dates until well mixed.
• Pour into pan and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.
• Cool completely before serving.  Decorate with edible flowers from the garden for added color.