The Accra Banana Peanut Cake is not a national “historical dessert” of Ghana (whose capital is Accra), rather it is a modern adaptation: probably created by students or emigrants, or by international cuisine enthusiasts, but it has all the typical characteristics of West Africa.
Bananas, like plantains, are very common in West Africa, so combining the natural sweet taste of bananas with the crunchiness of peanuts is a logical evolution from a culinary point of view.
In contexts of diaspora or “modern” cuisine, recipes often hybridize: local ingredients + tradition → new version of the dessert.
Among the holiday rituals, in Ghana, after the Christmas Eve mass and carols, children receive “chocolates, cookies, or new clothes” as gifts, before the family lunch.
In many lists of “Christmas foods in Ghana” — that is, traditional dishes / commonly prepared during Christmas — there are main dishes like rice with sauce and chicken, spiced rice (Jollof Rice), stews, fufu, meat or fish dishes.
Among the typical (not exclusively Christmas) Ghanaian sweets or snacks there are preparations based on peanuts and sugar like Nkatie Cake — a sort of “peanut brittle/peanut candy bar” very common as a snack, and among these is also the banana and peanut cake also known as Accra Banana Peanut Cake.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: African
- Seasonality: Christmas, All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 10 oz butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 8 ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup peanuts (unsalted, chopped)
- to taste ground cinnamon
Tools
- 1 Baking pan 9×13
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Grease and flour a baking pan (9 x 13 inches) or prepare an appropriate rectangular cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix the softened butter + sugar until creamy. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
4. In a third bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until coarsely pureed. Add the chopped peanuts.5. Alternately add to the butter-egg mixture: a bit of sifted flour, then a bit of banana + peanuts — continue alternating until you finish the ingredients, mixing gently. Do not overwork the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the surface with a spatula.
7. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool, sprinkle with cinnamon, and then cut into squares. It keeps for a few days (important to cover well or store in a closed container).
