Old family recipes are a passion of mine. It’s why I started this blog to begin with, and my Great Grandmother Lillian was a wonderful cook and an even better baker. She was a a sweet woman who loved feeding people (and the dog under the table). I have such wonderful memories of her when I was younger that seem to always revolve around food. I loved when we took her grocery shopping and she would use her handheld counter to keep track of the money she was spending. She would always have a tin of breadsticks in her drawer for me when I would come to visit and in that same drawer she would keep all the packets of condiments and crackers she would take every time we would go to a restaurant. She loved emptying out a bowl of sugar packets in her purse!

It was her cooking, though, that everyone really remembers. There are loads of stories about her wonderful creations and her Banana Cake is no exception. I love this cake because it’s a mix between a Banana Bread but lighter and sweeter like a Cake. My favorite part is that she pushes the ripe banana through a mesh strainer so you get a thick puree but not large clumps of banana to ensure that the banana flavor is mixed throughout. This part can take a little work and I call it the arm workout before the cake.

You can go ahead and use the recipe she wrote and make it in the oven. I found that in a square 8 x 8 baking dish it actually takes more like 50 – 55 mins. She doesn’t say to grease the pan, but I always do. Also, make sure you use very ripe Bananas. The blacker the better. You can quickly ripen a Banana more by placing it foil and placing it unpeeled in the Air Fryer for 10 mins on 275° F.

Air Fryer Grandma Lillian’s Banana Cake

Recipe by Lana Horruitiner-Perez adapted from Great Grandma Lillian’s recipe

• 3 Bananas, very ripe (you want them to be black)
• 1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs, well beaten
• 4 Tbl Buttermilk, (if you don’t have buttermilk you can use 4 Tbl Whole Milk and 1 tsp lemon juice)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Chopped Walnuts

Equipment: Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer, 8 x 8 Cake Pan, foil

---

Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and place a few pieces of Banana in the strainer. Using a spatula, push and mash the Banana through the strainer. Continue with the other 2 Bananas.

In a stand mixer, place 1/2 cup Butter and 1 1/2 cup Sugar and cream together on low using the paddle attachment. Mix together until lighter in color and creamy.

Add 2 well beaten Eggs and 1 cup of the strained Banana. Mix until well incorporated for a few seconds.

Dissolve the 1 tsp Baking Soda into the 4 Tbl Buttermmilk. Add to the mixture.

Sift the 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder, and 1/8 ts Salt together. With the mixer on LOW add the Flour mixture in 3 parts. Mix until fully incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and mix any streaks of Flour that remain.

Add 1 cup Chopped Walnuts and fold into the mixture.

Grease an 8 x 8 Cake Pan with Baking Pam or butter. Pour the Cake mixture into the Pan and even out the top with a spatula.

Instructions for Vortex Plus

Place the slotted tray upside down on the floor of the Vortex Plus.

Press “AIR FRY” and set Temperature to 320° F and the Time to 40 minutes.

Press “START” and allow to preheat. Once it is done preheating and beeps, add the Cake Pan and close the door. The Vortex Plus will start by itself.

After 25 mins cover the Cake with foil to keep from over browning.

Instructions for Omni/Omni Plus

Place the rack in the lower position. DO NOT USE THE BALCK DRIP TRAY.

Press “BAKE” and adjust Temperature to 320° F and the Time to 40 mins. With the Omni Plus, it doesn’t matter which Preset you choose.

Press “START” and allow to preheat. Once it is done preheating add the Cake Pan and close the door.

After 25 mins cover the Cake with foil to keep from over browning.

Check doneness at about 35 mins with a toothpick. Once it is done and comes out clean, remove the Cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool for 10 mins.

After 10 mins use a paring knife to go around the edges and loosen the sides. Invert the Cake onto a plate and the flip back onto the cooling rack so it is top side up. Allow to cool completely for about 1 hour.

 Cut and serve.

It will keep for about a week if covered. Buen Provecho! 

Please rate this recipe using the Stars in the recipe box below! Thanks.