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On a vintage plate sits a piece of a banana and caramel poke cake that reveals the gooey caramel that has been poked inside the cake. On top of grated chocolate and cream cheese frosting.
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Banana and Caramel Poke Cake - Keke Panana me te Karamea

A delicious slab cake loaded with banana flavour with homemade caramel poked in to it. Topped with cream cheese frosting.
Course Baking
Cuisine Cake
Keyword banana and caramel cake nz, banana and caramel poke cake nz, banana and caramel poke cake recipe, banana slab cake, te reo Māori
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cool Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 x 20 cm x 30 cm rectangle tin with high sides

Ingredients

Banana Cake - Keke Panana

  • 4 hēki (eggs, size 6)
  • ¾ C (165 g) huka one (caster sugar)
  • 5 (530 g) maika nui pirau (large overripe bananas)
  • ½ C (100 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) tote (salt, fine). I use Himalayan salt here, if you are using iodised table salt, half this amount.
  • 2 teaspoon (10 ml) wanira (vanilla)
  • ½ C (125 ml) noni ōriwa (olive oil or any neutral oil) 
  • 2 ½ teaspoon pēkana paura (baking powder)
  • 1 teaspoon pēkana houra (baking soda)
  • 2 ¾ C (410 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)

The Caramel - Te Karamea

  • ¾ quantity of my easy caramel recipe
  • 90 g pata (butter) 
  • ⅔ C (132 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon I use Himalayan salt here, if you are using iodised table salt, half this amount.
  • 200 ml (¾ C + 1 tbsp) kirīmi (cream)

Cream Cheese Icing - Pani Reka Kirīmi Tīhi

  • 1 quantity of my simple cream cheese frosting
  • 120 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
  • ⅔ C (110 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
  • 2 teaspoon (10 ml) wanira (vanilla)
  • 250 g kirīmi tīhi (cream cheese, room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoon (30 ml) wai rēmana (lemon juice, optional)

Instructions

Preheat the Oven:

  • Preheat the oven to 160 °C bake setting or 150 °C fan bake.
  • Grease a 20 cm x 30 cm rectangle tin with high sides with butter and then line it with baking paper.
    Make sure the tin as close to this size as possible so the cake is thick enough when baked.

Whip the Eggs and Sugar:

  • Add the hēki (eggs) and huka one (caster sugar) in to a medium bowl.
  • Whip on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy in colour. Leave to the side.

Prepare the Bananas:

  • Break the panana nui pirau (large overripe bananas) in to a super large bowl. (This is a big mixture)
  • Add the huka hāura (brown sugar), tote (salt, fine), wanira (vanilla) and noni (oil) to the panana (bananas).
  • Mash all of the ingredients until the panana (bananas) are smooth.

Add the Whipped Eggs:

  • Add all of the ranunga hēki (egg mixture) in to the mashed bananas and fold it in very gently until roughly combined.

Sift in the Dry Ingredients:

  • Add in the pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda) and fold a couple of times.
  • Sift in all of the puehu parāoa (flour).
  • Āta whētuihia (fold it gently) until just combined.
    Do not over-mix here, just mix until everything is just combined.
    Note: If you can see lumps of puehu parāoa (flour) in the butter, use a whisk to gently fold it around 7 times in the bowl and the lumps will break up.

Bake the Cake:

  • Pour the ranunga (mixture) in to the prepared tin and smooth it out.
  • Bake for 45 minutes.
    Once it has baked for 45 minutes and springs back when pressed, turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for five more minutes. This helps gently finish off the baking process of the cake.
  • As the keke (cake) is baking, make the simple karamea (caramel).

Make the Easy Caramel Sauce:

  • Make ¾ quantity of my easy caramel recipe. The ratio's are above on this recipe.
    Note: The ratio's are slightly less but the method is exactly the same.
  • Once it is made, remove the karamea (caramel) from the heat and leave to thicken slightly as the keke (cake) bakes.

Cool the Cake:

  • Once the keke (cake) has baked and has been in the cooling oven for ten minutes, remove it and allow it to cool for 15 minutes in the tin.

Poke Holes in the Cake:

  • Using the end of a wooden spoon (2 cm wide) gently poke deep holes around 2 cm apart all over the cake going ¾'s of the way in to the cake.
  • Do this gently but twisting the handle side to side to help it move cleanly in and out of the cake. (Refer to the video for a visual aid).

Pour the Caramel on to the Cake:

  • When the holes are created, pour the karamea (caramel) all over the cake.
  • Using a spatula, smear it all over the cake making sure it goes into the holes.
  • Allow it to cool completely before adding the icing.
  • The keke (cake) can be wrapped in plastic wrap or baking paper at this stage and will keep in a sealed container in a cool cupboard for up to three days.
  • This is a simple way to develop even more flavour in the cake.
    When you are ready to serve it, whip up the pani reka kirīmi tīhi (cream cheese frosting).

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Spread it on to the Cooled Cake:

  • Smear half of the icing all over the keke (cake) and use the rest to pipe decorations all over top in whatever fashion you want.
    This is just a rough guide and you can take whatever decorating liberty you want here.
  • Finish it off with shavings of tiakarete (chocolate) using a block of chocolate and a potato peeler.

Store the Cake:

  • Store this keke (cake) in a sealed container in a cool place. It will develop in flavour as it sits and in my opinion is even better a few days after it is baked. 
    It will keep well for up 5 days.
  • In the hotter months you can store the decorated and uncut cake it in the refrigerator but bring it room temperature before eating. 
  • Once it is cut, don't keep it in the fridge as the cake will dry out.