Boozy Banana Cake

Boozy Banana Loaf Cake

By Charlotte Benbow

This recipe was one I worked from in a busy cafe and adapted to make it my own. It ended up being the café’s bestseller for obvious reasons. So, banana enthusiasts, give this a go. I’m drooling already… Enjoy

Serves 8 INGREDIENTS • 1bruisingWindwardbanana(in season now), mashed • 3tbspvegoil • 1largeegg • 30gchocchipsorraisinssoaked overnight in spiced rum • 1tspvanillaessence • 60gsoftbrownsugar • 110gplainflour • 1tspbakingpowder • 1 handful nibbed sugar (not essential, just looks pretty) METHOD 1. Preheat your oven to 155C or Gas Mark 2 – low and slow for this! 2. Using the paddle attachment in your mixer, or a bowl and hand whisk, combine the mashed banana and oil until well mixed through. 3. Beat in the egg, then stir in the raisins and vanilla. 4. Beat in your dry ingredients until well combined and you have a smooth cake batter. The only lumps should be your raisins or choc chips. 5. Next grease your loaf tin (any supermarket loaf tin will do nicely) with a bit of butter or spray, then line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper. This ensures easy removal once baked. 6. Spoon or spatula the mixture into the tin and smooth it out to ensure an even bake. At this stage you can top it with sugar nibs, but that’s not essential. 7. Pop it into the pre-heated oven for 30-40 mins and bake until golden coloured and cooked all the way through. To check this, use a cake tester tool or everyday knife to pierce all the way through to ensure it’s cooked in the middle. If it comes out gooey, your loaf isn’t quite there yet, but fear not – just

leave it in the oven a little longer until fully baked. 8. Once it’s ready, take it out and leave to cool. Then pop it out of the tin and voilà – prepare to feast. 9. To serve your loaf taking it to the next level, slice it as you would toast, sprinkle one side with icing sugar then grill for 1 minute on high heat and – oh my goodness – you’ll be in heaven!

You can easily freeze this loaf to enjoy another day, but should get a good 3 days out of it fresh when kept in the fridge.

CHEF TIPS • If your bananas are too ripe (for this recipe the more speckled and bruised, the better), pop them in the oven for 6 to 8 mins at 180C to blacken the skin and soften the banana inside. • This recipe doesn’t have to

be alcoholic, that’s just my personal preference. You can also use chocolate chips of your choice (I’d lean towards dark) or just plain sultanas. • Everwonderedwhycoffeeshops and cafes have the fluffiest cakes? The industry secret is that we use combi ovens. This means we can set the oven to steam and roast at the same time – perfect for baking a cake while still keeping it moist and fluffy. You can still achieve this at home by putting a roasting tray ¼ full of boiling water at the bottom of the oven to create steam whilst roasting too. This method is also brilliant for baking breads. You can try this it for this recipe or do it without. • Ifyoufeellikeyourcakecrustis baking too much while the middle is still raw, simply cover with tin foil to avoid the top burning mid-bake.