Banana Miso Bundt Cake

Maples Bakery

Photos by Liz Caron

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One thing I really miss is sitting at Maple’s, working on my laptop and watching the busy bakers at work in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the pandemic put an end to this very pleasant pastime. Fortunately, you can still order their exceptional bagels and other baked goods on line, and pick them up at the window.

The sleeper in the baked goods line-up is the banana miso bundt cake. I had my eye on this cake as it sat prettily on top of the bakery case, but did not order it for a long time. The fancy ricotta cookies or hefty sea salt caramel brownies usually called my name loudly instead.

Then, on my birthday in July, my sister surprised me at home with a slice. It was shockingly delicious, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The fine, dense crumb held loads of banana flavor, enhanced by the slight nuttiness of brown butter glaze. The combination of the two textures and complimentary flavors was a sweet surprise on my birthday morning, next to my coffee.

Maple’s owner, Robin Ray, created the cake. “I try to do things like this because I don’t want people to think I’m a one-trick pony,” she tells me, referring to the celebrated bagels. “I read about a miso cake in Bon Appetit, then put my own creative spin on it. I love miso in savory dishes and I thought it would go well with banana.”

Robin uses a mild white miso, called shiro. “It’s very mellow and you can’t quite put your finger on it. The little bit of saltiness adds umami and tames the sweetness of the banana.” She uses the ripest of ripe bananas, and you can see flecks of them in the cake. Sour cream adds another level of moistness to the cake as well.

Maple’s has been offering the cake since last year, but Robin admits it hasn’t been an easy sell. “People hear ‘miso’ and they don’t get it,” she says. “We’re known for basics, and anything a little ‘weird’ is a hard sell. But I’m not letting it go.”