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Banana Roll

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Yes, Banana Roll. It’s what happens when you have more “just about to go bad bananas” than you can use. It’s what happens when your freezer is full of frozen bananas. It’s what happens when you find a pack of cream cheese in the fridge. It’s what happens because it’s Manifest Destiny.

Or lucky coincidence.

Banana Roll

 
photo of a slice of Banana Roll
 

Like a Pumpkin Roll

Very similar to the Pumpkin Roll, different flavors, same filling, completely delicious. It looks a little fancy but it’s NOT hard to make. You simply need a few clean dish towels to roll up the cake.

I walk you through the steps in the recipe and it can be done. This cake is, of course, best kept in the freezer and thawed for a few minutes before slicing. If you don’t keep it frozen when you slice it, it will be crushed. Of course, if you smash it a bit, it will still taste just as good, but it won’t be as pretty.

Buy the Bananas

So moral of the story buy too many bananas, eat as many as you like and let the rest get really ripe.

Once they get nice and ripe just pop straight away in the freezer, no freezer bags are needed! Whenever you want to make a banana bread or a cake or even a yeasted bread simply thaw your bananas IN A BOWL for a couple of hours.

They thaw soft and mushy and ready to easily be incorporated into whatever recipe you’re making. You just snip the tip of the banana off and squeeze it into the bowl when it says add bananas!

Roll Cakes are SO simple!

The thing about Roll Cakes, actually a Swiss roll or a Jelly Roll, is that they LOOK difficult. Like you have to be some sort of magician to make it work.

That’s not true!

Cake rolls, are simple to make. You simply bake a thin cake in a jelly roll pan, a pan made specifically for this type of cake. A jelly roll pan is typically 10X15 inch pan.

Once it’s finished baking you turn it out on a clean dish towel and roll it up from the short side and let it cool. Once it’s cool you put the filling in, reroll it and freeze until ready to serve.

I have two other FAB Cake Roll Recipes:

Pumpkin Roll
Yield: 10 servings

Banana Roll

photo of a slice of Banana Roll

I call for using WAXED paper to line your pan because you bake this Banana Roll for such a short amount of time, you CAN PUT IT IN THE OVEN.

If you don't have waxed paper you CAN use parchment paper OR foil, just grease them well.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a potato masher
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. heat oven to 375°
  2. grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, line with wax paper, parchment paper, OR foil
  3. grease and flour that layer
  4. sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar and set aside
  5. stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in small bowl
  6. beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick
  7. beat in mashed bananas
  8. stir in flour mixture
  9. spread evenly into prepared pan
  10. bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the top of cake springs back when touched
  11. immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel
  12. carefully peel off the paper or foil, roll up cake and towel together, starting with the narrow end
  13. cool on wire rack
  14. while it cools make the frosting: beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth,
  15. beat in 2 cups powdered sugar
  16. add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached
  17. then carefully unroll the cooled cake
  18. spread frosting over cake
  19. re-roll the cake then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze
  20. when ready to serve remove from the freezer let sit for 5-10 minutes then slice and serve

Notes

I call for using WAXED paper to line your pan because you bake this Banana Roll for such a short amount of time, you CAN PUT IT IN THE OVEN. If you don't have waxed paper you CAN use parchment paper OR foil, just grease them well.

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laura sampson

About Laura

Laura is on a mission to teach modern family oriented women how to make old-fashioned foods new again. A wife and mom of 3 boys, Laura understands the struggles of trying to serve a home-cooked meal each night. She provides recipes and cooking hacks for busy moms to create dishes they may think take more time or skill than they have to make. Read more...

15 thoughts on “Banana Roll”

  1. This looks delicious and your roll is perfectly sliced. Great tip to freeze it before slicing. I just made a cake roll today, so I'm going to try that!

    Reply
  2. YES Ginger–sheesh I think my brain fell out–but here's the thing…cloves are amazing in this too OR pumpkin pie spice if you like!

    Reply
  3. I just made one of these yesterday and it was delicious! I have enough bananas to make another one. I used part brown sugar to make a caramel(ish) filling. I also used all 3 spices called for. Everyone loved it!
    Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

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