Banana Chiffon Cake

David came up Saturday. He drove instead of taking the train because he wanted to bring food. He brought a cooler full of things from his restaurant kitchen — a duck confit, a wheel of imported cheese, a loaf of his own sourdough, two bottles of wine. He brought them not for us. He brought them for Mami. He said, "Ma, I want her to taste what I am cooking now. While she can." I said, "Mijo." He said, "I know. It might be too much. We will give her a little." We drove to Mami's apartment together Saturday afternoon.

Mami was awake. She was in her chair. She saw David and her face — her face did the thing it does, the brightening, the recognition. She said, "Davidito." He kneeled. He held her hand. He said, "Mami, I brought you food. From my kitchen in Brooklyn." She said, "What did you bring me?" He said, "Duck. With sauce." She said, "Eat duck? I am Puerto Rican." He laughed. He laughed loud. He said, "Mami, just a taste. To say you tasted what your grandson cooks." She said, "Okay. A taste." He cut a small piece. He held it on a fork. She opened her mouth. She tasted. She chewed slowly. She said, "Davidito. It is good." He said, "Mami, thank you." She said, "Now bring me arroz." So we made her a plate of arroz blanco and habichuelas, which was already prepared in her fridge, and she ate her usual food and was content. The duck was a gesture. The arroz was the meal.

David sat with her for two hours. He told her about the restaurant. About the team. About a sauce he was working on. She listened with her eyes mostly closed. She said at one point, "Mijo, you tell me good stories." He said, "Mami, I am telling you about my work." She said, "It is the same thing. Stories about work."

Sunday David made dinner. He did the cooking and I sat. It was very strange. He made arroz con pollo — "Mom, your way, I promise" — and habichuelas and tostones, and I watched him from the kitchen counter with a glass of wine in my hand and Eduardo's hand on my shoulder. The food was excellent. I told him so. I said, "Mijo, it is excellent." He said, "Ma, close." I said, "Mijo, no. It is excellent." He smiled. He said, "Ma, that is the highest you have ever rated me." I said, "Mijo, this is the meal where I rate you correctly." He hugged me. He stayed Sunday night. He drove back to Brooklyn Monday morning. Wepa.

David did the cooking that Sunday — all of it, the arroz, the habichuelas, the tostones — and I sat at the counter with my wine and tried not to give advice. But I needed one small thing to do with my hands, something that was mine. I made this banana chiffon cake in the morning before he arrived, because Mami has always loved bananas in any form, and because a woman should not be completely without a task in her own kitchen. I brought it out after dinner and did not mention that I had made it, and nobody asked, and that was exactly right.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/3 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 7–8 large eggs), room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 325°F. Do not grease your tube pan — the batter needs to grip the sides as it rises. Set the pan aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Combine the wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Add the oil, egg yolks, mashed banana, cold water, and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes.
Whip the egg whites. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. The whites should hold their shape and look glossy but not dry.
Fold gently. Add about one-third of the beaten egg whites to the batter and stir to lighten. Then pour the batter over the remaining whites and fold carefully with a wide spatula, turning the bowl as you go, until no white streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Bake. Pour the batter into the ungreased tube pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325°F for 50–55 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool upside down. Immediately invert the pan over a bottle or the pan’s own feet. Let the cake hang and cool completely, at least 1 hour, before removing from the pan. This step keeps the cake light and tall.
Release and serve. Run a thin knife around the edges and center tube to release. Slide onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar or serve plain — it does not need anything else.

Nutrition (per serving)

Banana Chiffon Cake — The Dessert I Made While David Cooked Everything Else