Banana Honey Cake

A quick, easy, and simple tea cake. If you've followed this blog long enough or even for just a while, you'd know how much I love baking with bananas. Tea cakes/loaves are a favourite. They don't need a special occasion, nor laborious prepping; just a Sunday evening , a whisk and a bowl will do.

I found this banana honey cake recipe in Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book. This book is just a treasure, and of course it's a favourite in my kitchen bookshelf,  more about which, you can read here. Also, if you've ever watched her show and done a little reading about her, you'll see what an absolute darling this lady is.

The method for the cake is slightly unconventional, considering you start with blending the flour and butter together, but if Mary Berry suggests you do so, you do just that. Make sure the butter is softened to start with. This will make it much easier to mix the flour and butter. Also since the recipe uses bananas and honey for sweetness, there's little sugar you need to add to the recipe.

As is the norm while using bananas in baking, (at least for me), over ripe bananas are a perfect choice. They add to the sweetness and moistness of the cake.  I tweaked the recipe a bit, using all purpose flour instead of self raising, butter in place of margarine and adding some chopped nuts for crunch. Feel free to skip the nuts if you like; or use any kind you prefer. I used cashew nuts. Walnuts, almonds also make a great choice.


Banana Honey Cake

Adapted from Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book

Ingredients :
 225 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
100 gm butter (softened)
225 g bananas (peeled and mashed)
100 gm caster sugar
zest of 1 lime
2 large eggs
6 tbsp thick honey
A handful of chopped cashew nuts



Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 C. Lightly grease and line a medium sized loaf tin (900 g).
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg powder into a large bowl.
3. Add in the butter and mix it with the flour with an electric beater on low speed. You can also rub in the butter with your fingertips.
4. Add the mashed bananas, along with the sugar and lemon zest.
5. Beat in the eggs one by one. Add the honey. Add the chopped nuts, mix well.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Once the cake is baked, allow it to cool in the tin slightly, before turning it out on a wire rack to cool completely.