Banana Cake Aloha Oe

Aloha Oe means ‘farewell to thee’ in Hawaiian, and this cake is a sweet send-off worth remembering. It’s the kind of vintage layer cake your great-aunt would make for a tropical-themed bridge night, leaning into bananas twice over: in the cake batter and again in the frosting.

The use of cake flour is what gives this cake its signature softness. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose, which means less gluten, which means a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. Don’t substitute regular flour without adjusting, the texture will go tough.

Lemon juice in the frosting isn’t just there for flavor, it keeps the mashed banana from browning and turning the frosting gray as it sits.

Pro Tips

• Use truly ripe bananas with deep brown speckles, both for the cake and the frosting. Underripe bananas read flat and starchy.
• Cream the shortening and sugar a full 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. This is the only aeration step in this cake, so don’t shortcut.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well between each, otherwise the batter can break and the texture suffers.
• Cool layers fully before frosting. Banana frosting is soft, and warm cake will turn it to a slip-and-slide.
• Frost shortly before serving, the banana frosting darkens slightly within 24 hours.

Variations

• Add a half cup of toasted coconut to the batter for an even more tropical leaning.
• Stir crushed pineapple, well drained, into the frosting for a hummingbird-style finish.
• Use cream cheese frosting instead of banana frosting for sharper tang against the sweet cake.