Not gonna lie, I chose the ingredients for this cake based on the fact that I liked the alliteration of 'blueberry banana buckwheat'; so it's a good job that they turned out to be delicious together! I'd had a bag of buckwheat flour sat in the cupboard for a while that I had been meaning to bake with, and a couple of over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl just begging to be made into cake. The resulting banana buckwheat cake was delicious as is, but I couldn't resist fancying it up a bit with the addition of vanilla mascarpone cream, jam and fruit. As mentioned above, I chose blueberries purely for the alliteration, and they worked perfectly, but strawberries, raspberries or a combination of the three would all also work just as well.
The combination of the buckwheat flour and banana makes for a very moist cake, it is not a light fluffy sponge but it does have a nice texture and is full of flavour. A bonus to using buckwheat flour is that this cake is gluten-free (so long as you use GF baking powder and make sure that the flour you use is certified gluten-free). I baked the cake in two deep 15cm (6in) round tins, and then split each layer in half to make a four layer cake. You could also bake the cake in two 18-20cm (7-8in) tins to make a two layer cake, though bear in mind that they will probably cook a little quicker. I sandwiched the layers together with blueberry jam, though you can use any flavour you like, and a delicious vanilla mascarpone cream frosting, which works perfectly as it is not too sweet and is so quick and easy to make.
This blueberry banana buckwheat layer cake would make a fantastic end-of-summer (sob!) celebration cake; or seeing as bananas are available all year round you can simply vary the fruit on top according to what's in season. I think that the sponge would also work well with the addition of a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to give it a bit more of an Autumn/Winter flavour; in which case I would probably swap the jam for caramel... I'm going to have to make another one to try that combination now!
Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 220 g (7.75 oz) softened butter
- 220 g (7.75 oz) caster sugar
- 220 g (7.75 oz) buckwheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 medium very ripe bananas - about 260g mashed
Mascarpone Cream:
- 250 g (9oz) full fat mascarpone
- 80 g (3oz) icing sugar sifted
- 150 ml (½ + ⅛ cup) double or whipping cream (heavy cream)
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
To Decorate:
- 1 jar blueberry jam
- fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease two deep 15cm/6in round tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
- Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy. In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Whisk the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each one and beating well after each addition.
- Fold in the rest of the flour with a spatula then fold in the vanilla extract and mashed banana. Divide the mixture between the tins, level and bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Mix together the mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl. Add the cream and vanilla paste and whisk with an electric mixer until smooth and the mixture forms stiff peaks, be careful not to overmix. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle and refrigerate until needed.
- Trim the tops of the cakes to level them then split each cake in half using a cake wire or sharp serrated knife. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving platter, spread over a couple of spoonfuls of blueberry jam then pipe dollops of the mascarpone cream on top; top with another cake layer and repeat until you have used all four layers. Spread jam over the top of the cake and pipe on the mascarpone cream, top with a couple of handfuls of fresh blueberries.
- Best served on the day it is made and keep refrigerated.
Notes
If you are making this as a gluten-free cake, make sure that the buckwheat flour you use is certified gluten-free, and that the baking powder is also a GF variety.
I am sharing this with Fiesta Friday hosted by Cooking With Aunt Juju, Foodie FriDIY, Foodie Friends Friday and Friday Features
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
Ooh wow! That look so inviting with all of that fruit, absolutely stunning. Infact, as coincidence would have it I picked up a bag of buckwheat flour this morning to have a play with so I'm heartened to see that it makes a lovely cake without the need for any other fancy ingredients.
Angela x
Caroline | carolinescooking
What a stunning cake! This is the second time this week I have seen a buckwheat recipe that's really tempted me - someone is obviously trying to tell me something! Looks fantastic
judigraber
What do you know I just bought some buckwheat flour and I was going to make bread. Your cake sounds so much better, especially with two favorite fruits; bananas and blueberries. Then with that mascarpone filling - yum! Perfect dessert to bring to Fiesta Friday - thanks for coming to the party.
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
What a showstopper, a perfect end of summer cake. I love buckwheat flour but I've never used it in a cake. I like the idea of a bit of texture to the sponge and adding cinnamon for a winter bake. Popping over from Fiesta Friday
hannahhossack
Thanks Sarah 🙂 This was my first time using buckwheat flour in a cake, it worked so well I'll definitely start using it more often!
Jess@CookingisMySport
This looks absolutely fantastic. I love the combination of blueberries and banana, and the buckwheat flour must really add something special to the texture/flavor of the cake. Thanks for sharing 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Jess 🙂 The buckwheat has a mildly nutty flavour which is really delicious, it does make for a slightly denser cake than regular flour but the texture is lovely.
Ai @Ai made it for you
What a beautiful naked cake! I've never used buckwheat flour, and I've only had it in the form of soba noodles and galettes. Your cake sounds delicious! Happy Fiesta Friday!
hannahhossack
Thank you! I've haven't done much baking with buckwheat before, but it worked so well in this cake that I will definitely be using it more often 🙂
Sally hossack
Stunning
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed
Oh my! That is one beautiful looking cake! I would love to sit down to a slice of that 🙂
Matt
The cake looks lovely, I've never made a cake with buckwheat flour before. With those flavours, I'm sure it is brilliant!
Debbie
This is amazing! Wow!
Johanne Lamarche
Stunning masterpiece and pretty healthy as far as cake goes with the addition of buckwheat flour, bananas and blueberries. Mascarpone icing is the punctuation mark for me. Did you save me a slice??
Miranda
I love your method of choosing ingredients! This cake is magnificent!