miso & banana

What’s On Your Plate

Miso paste goes a long way, especially when I use mine mostly to make miso caramel. I have made Dorie Greenspan’s Miso Maple Cake and have wanted to try more bakes with miso. I bought a new tub of white miso paste last week; time to try the Miso & Banana Upside Down Cake on Food52 (adapted recipe below).

The response was split – some of us really loved the savoury gooey caramel on top of the cake, others thought it peculiar and did not enjoy the hint of bean-y-ness. The cake beneath was universally pronounced moist & delicious.

slice of miso & banana upside down cake (also shown in the feature photo)

Wanting more miso cake this week, we decided we would give another Food52 recipe a try: Miso Banana Bread. This bake has a traditional banana cake/bread vibe with just a strong hint of savouriness. Nothing bean-y about this bake.

Miso Banana Bread

Have you tried baking with miso? Which bake do you think you would prefer: a stronger miso vibe in the caramel sauce crowning the Upside Down Cake? or a gentle savoury warmth to the banana bread? Younger Child and I love them both – it will be a hard pick which recipe we will return to.

Food52 Miso & Banana Upside Down Cake (adapted )

•  57g unsalted butter
• 45g shiro (white) miso
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2 ripe but still firm bananas, cut in half lengthwise
• about 3-4 overripe bananas, mashed (about 250g)
• 120g Greek yogurt (original recipe calls for sour cream)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 150g granulated sugar (original recipe calls for 200g)
• 112g olive oil (original recipe calls for canola oil)
• 180g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of 2 x 6-inch round tins (original recipe calls for 1 x 8-inch cake pan) with parchment. Set aside.
2. Heat butter, miso and brown sugar and whisk to combine, until thick and viscous.
3. Pour the caramel into the cake pans and coat the bottom of the pans evenly. Arrange the halved bananas cut-side down.
4. Mix the sour cream, overripe bananas, vanilla, and baking soda.
5. Cream the eggs with granulated sugar in a separate bowl until pale yellow. Slowly stream in the oil and continue to mix until combined.
6. Add the banana mixture to the creamed eggs and stir to combine. Add the flour and salt, then fold gently using a spatula to incorporate.
7. Pour batter over the caramel and cut bananas. Transfer to oven. Bake until cooked through (original baking time was 60min for 1 large cake pan. We checked & rotated the cakes after 30min. We further baked for about another 15min till a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake came out clean).
8. Remove cake from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
9. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before enjoying.

Food52 Miso & Banana Bread

• 3 to 4 (about 250g) overripe bananas, plus on3 more for garnish
• 120g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons shiro (white) miso
• 80g caster sugar (original recipe calls for 100g)
• 70g brown sugar (original recipe calls for 100g)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 210g all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¹/₂ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Peel all the bananas, and mash up all but one with a fork. (That last one is for garnish.)
2. Heat oven to 180°C.
3. Mix the butter, miso, caster sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix. The batter might start to look a little chunky and split at this point.
5. Add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and cinnamon) and mix until a smooth batter forms.
6. Pour the banana bread batter into the lined loaf tin. Then, take that extra banana and slice it in half lengthwise. Place them on top of the batter, cut side up.
7. Bake the banana bread in the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, rotating once 45 minutes into the baking process. To check for doneness, prick it in the middle with a skewer or cake tester; the cake is done when the skewer comes out clean. When done, let it cool in the tin for 30 minutes before digging in.

This post is my contribution to What’s On Your Plate hosted by Debbie at The Widow Badass & Donna at Retirement Reflections.