Mid-week cake

BANANA CAKE

• 200g soft brown (dark or light) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g bananas, peeled and mashed
• 280g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 100ml sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.

Grease and line a brownie or loaf tin. I use a silicon brownie “tin” for this, because I don’t need to grease or paper it, it’s easy to get out and it’s easy to clean. Making this a really quick and easy cake to make in the middle of the week, when you want to use up some ripe bananas.

Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat until they are pale. Add in the bananas and mix through.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Finally add in the oil and beat for a good couple of minutes to have it properly blended in.

Pour the mixture into the tin and put in the oven. Depending on what tin you have gone for and how hot your oven is, this can take anything from 30-60 minutes to cook. I find if I do this in a loaf tin, it takes a longer time and I need to cover it in foil towards the end so the top doesn’t burn (I have a fan oven). I bake it in a shallow, square tin and it’s generally done in 30 minutes. Essentially when it’s firm and bouncy, and slightly cracking on the top, then it’s done.

Leave it to cool in the tin for half an hour and then transfer out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Although it is so yummy served warm!

How wonderful is banana cake? It’s simple, sweet and reliable. I have used the recipe in ‘the hummingbird bakery cookbook’  for years. Over time I have made it dairy free, reduced the sugar a little, added in some nutmeg (because I love it) and even thrown chocolate chips in there when I am feeling naughty. It’s so versatile.

I even find comsumption of it to be versatile too. It’s easy to transport so great for picnics or lunch boxes, of course yummy with a cup of tea, you can serve it warmed with ice cream for pudding and I have even been known to eat for breakfast! You could put a lemon icing (zest and juice of one lemon, mixed with 250g sieved icing sugar) on the top to make it more fancy. But for me, it’s just a family cake for us so I keep it plain, then I can wrap it in foil for a school gate snack.