
| BANANA CAKE |
| 3 medium bananas, ripe if possible (approx. 400g / 14oz) |
| 300g / 10oz self-raising flour |
| 150g / 5oz soft butter |
| 150g / 5oz Demerara sugar |
| 2 medium eggs (at room temperature) |
| 80g / 3oz walnuts or sultanas |
| 2 teaspoons lemon juice |
| 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil |
| CAKE TOPPING |
| 125g / 4½oz full fat soft cheese |
| 75 g / 2½oz butter |
| 200g / 7 oz icing (confectioners) sugar |
| Half a teaspoon of vanilla essence |
The butter must be soft. The best way to achieve this is to measure out the butter an hour or so before it is needed and leave it at room temperature. If this is not possible, break up the butter with a fork and beat it for a minute or so. If all else fails, put it in a bowl and float the bowl in warm water.
Turn the oven on, setting it to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 (170°C / 325°F for fan assisted ovens).
Next, grease the loaf tin with margarine or butter, and line the tin with greaseproof baking paper. It's not essential to cover 100% of the tin but make sure that it lays as flat as possible on the inside of the tin.
Recipe by David Marks.
Our Banana Cake Recipe gives you a fruity and moist cake that all the family will like. We show you how to top it off with a creamy delicious topping. And of course we lead you through the process with step by step pictures.
Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork until they are really mushy. It's easier if the bananas are ripe but not essential.
Chop up the walnuts reasonably finely (click picture on right to enlarge). Sultanas can be used as an alternative if you have a nut allergy.
Mixing with a fork in a figure of eight shape will help to incorporate air into the cake mix.
Now the magic touch! Add the two tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil and mix thoroughly again in a figure of eight with a fork. The oil will keep the cake moist.
After that time take it out and test that it is cooked by piercing the cake with a fork and if it comes out clean it's cooked. If not cook for another 5 minutes and retest (see below).
When you remove the cake out from the oven, take it out of the tin and place it on a wire rack or something similar. This will stop the cake sweating and getting damp - it really does make a difference.
Allow the cake an hour or so to cool down before icing it.
Answer: Thanks for pointing that out. The recipe has been updated - the size (measured at the top) is 25cm by 11cm and 6½cm deep.