Banana and Caramel Poke Cake - Keke Maika me te Karamea
Celebrate Matariki with this delicious recipe, created in collaboration with Naomi Toilalo (Whanaukai). With a soft banana cake base, covered with sweet, golden caramel and iced with a lemony cream cheese icing, it’s the perfect sweet treat to share with your friends and whānau.

Tips & Tricks
Slice your cake into quarters - perfect for gifting with aroha!
Ingredients
- Banana Cake - Keke Panana
- 4 hēki (eggs, size 6)
- 3/4 Cup Pams huka one (caster sugar)
- 4 maika nui pirau (large overripe bananas, 450 g peeled bananas)
- 1/2 C Pams huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 1 tsp Pams tote (salt, fine)
- 2 tsp Pams wanira (vanilla)
- 3/4 Cup Pams noni ōriwa (oil)
- 2 tsp Pams pēkana paura (baking powder)
- 1 tsp Pams pēkana houra (baking soda)
- 2 1/2 Cups Pams puehu parāoa noa (plain flour) .
- Caramel - Keke Maika me te Karamea
- 90 g Pams pata (butter)
- 2/3 Cup Pams huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 1/2 tsp tote (Pams salt, fine)
- 200 ml (3/4 + 1 tbsp C) Pams kirīmi (cream)
- Cream Cheese Icing - Pani Reka Kirīmi Tīhi
- 100 g Pams pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- 3/4 C puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- 2 tbsp wai rēmana (lemon juice)
- 250 g kirīmi tīhi (cream cheese, room temperature)
Method
Banana Cake - Keke Panana:
- Line a 20 cm x 30 cm rectangle tin with high sides with baking paper. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius or 140 degrees on fan bake.
- Add the hēki (eggs) and huka one (caster sugar) in to a medium bowl. Whip on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy in colour. Leave to the side.
- Break the maika nui pirau (large overripe bananas) in to a large bowl. Add the huka hāura (brown sugar), tote (salt, fine) and wanira (vanilla).
- Mash all of the ingredients until the maika (bananas) are smooth. Add the noni (oil) and whisk it all together. Do not overmix here, just mix until everything is just combined.
- Add all of the ranunga hēki (egg mixture) and whisk it in until smooth.
- Sift in the puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda). Fold it together gently until just combined.
- Pour it in to the prepared tin and smooth it out.
- Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until it springs back in the middle. As the keke (cake) is baking, make the simple karamea (caramel).
Caramel - Karamea:
- Add the pata (butter), huka hāura (brown sugar) and tote (salt) into a medium pot. Set over medium-high heat. Melt it all. Boil for 3 minutes until all the mixture has combined into a smooth consistency and starts to thicken.
- Pour in the kirīmi (cream) and stir. Once combined, boil this mixture for 5 minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes so the caramel thickens. You can speed up this process by refrigerating the caramel.
- Once the keke (cake) has baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
- Using the end of a wooden spoon (2 cm wide) gently poke deep holes around 2 cm apart all over the cake. Do this gently but twisting the handle side to side to help it move cleanly in and out of the cake.
- When the holes are created, pour the karamea (caramel) all over the cake. Using a spatula, smear it all over the cake making sure it goes into the holes. Allow to cool completely before adding the icing.
Cream Cheese Icing - Pani Reka Kirīmi Tīhi:
- Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), puehu huka (icing sugar), wanira (vanilla) and wai rēmana (lemon juice) in to a large bowl. Whip on high for a 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy in colour.
- Add the room temperature kirīmi tīhi (cream cheese). If it isn't quite at room temperature, gently smooth out the cream cheese on to a plate with your spatula to remove the lumps before whipping. Whip for a minute or until smooth. Don't over whip here or it can split.
- Smear half of the icing all over the keke (cake) and use the rest to pipe decorations all over top.
- Finish it off with shavings of tiakarete (chocolate)!
Ingredients
- Banana Cake - Keke Panana
- 4 hēki (eggs, size 6)
- 3/4 Cup Pams huka one (caster sugar)
- 4 maika nui pirau (large overripe bananas, 450 g peeled bananas)
- 1/2 C Pams huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 1 tsp Pams tote (salt, fine)
- 2 tsp Pams wanira (vanilla)
- 3/4 Cup Pams noni ōriwa (oil)
- 2 tsp Pams pēkana paura (baking powder)
- 1 tsp Pams pēkana houra (baking soda)
- 2 1/2 Cups Pams puehu parāoa noa (plain flour) .
- Caramel - Keke Maika me te Karamea
- 90 g Pams pata (butter)
- 2/3 Cup Pams huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 1/2 tsp tote (Pams salt, fine)
- 200 ml (3/4 + 1 tbsp C) Pams kirīmi (cream)
- Cream Cheese Icing - Pani Reka Kirīmi Tīhi
- 100 g Pams pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- 3/4 C puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- 2 tbsp wai rēmana (lemon juice)
- 250 g kirīmi tīhi (cream cheese, room temperature)