Easy Peasy Banana Cake

This recipe is a firm favourite in our house! I initially got the recipe from an Australian cookbook I was given for a 7th birthday present! I can't tell you the book as I no longer have it. If you like banana cake you have to try this! It's so quick to make - a mere 5 minutes, and there's so little washing up too! 

Ingredients
60g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 cup self raising flour
2 ripe bananas, mashed [the original recipe states 1 banana, but I prefer it with 2]

(makes 1 x 20cm cake)



1. Preheat oven to GM4 / 180C / 350F. Grease well a 20cm tin and dust over the inside of the tin with a little flour.

2. Gently melt the butter in a big pan over low heat - dont let it boil!

3. Take off the heat and add sugar, egg & vanilla.

4. Beat it well with a wooden spoon until smooth

5. Sift it flour - don't stir yet!

6. Add milk and mashed banana. Stir until only just mixed.

7. Spread evenly in tin and bake in centre of oven for 30 minutes.

Icing
When cold mix..
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon rind
a little hot water to mix.

[I find this icing a little rich, so either make a more watered down version, or just a simple icing sugar, teaspoon of butter with a little hot water.]

Yum yum yum. The only issue with this cake is it really doesn't last long - it's really moreish and quite light so fairly easy to polish a lot of it off! My neighbour makes this with added nuts and seeds which is also rather delicious.

Please let me know if you make it and what you think of it. 
 

Hummingbird Bakery Banana Loaf

Makes 8-10 slices

Ingredients

• 270g soft light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g peeled bananas, mashed
• 280g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 140g unsalted butter, melted

Grease a 23x13cm loaf tin and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / GM3


Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.


Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients ar well mixed. 


Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Hmm - not overly impressed with this one. Needless to say, it was polished off pretty darn quick, but at the same time a bit cinnamon & gingery for me. Nice, but not sure if I will make it again. I think I prefer banana cake with my black 'nanas.