Banana Date Cake

This is one moist and scrumptious cake perfect for teas. I was skeptical at first since I've done a lot of these banana cakes that usually turn out a bit hard and more bread-like rather than cakey. But this one was a revelation so a definite keeper. I think the dates provided the needed moistness while the muscovado sugar imparted a delicious treacly taste in its personality. You can see in the picture that the edges of the top was definitely burned. Hehehe. I was too smug in my baking abilities and assumed that the baking temperature is the usual 180C/350F. Forty minutes after putting in the pan in the oven, I sneaked a peek in the recipe book and it said there - 160°C *not* 180°C. Yikes! That's a 20-degree difference! I lowered the temperature immediately good thing it did not singed to ashes the rest of it. :)

The nifty BBC books cookbook 101 Cakes & Bakes, provided the recipe I adapted.


Banana Date Cake

175 g  butter - softened
100 g  [1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp firmly packed] light muscovado sugar
3 Tbsp honey
2 eggs - beaten
225 g  [scant 2 cups] self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 medium, ripe bananas - mashed (about 1 cup)
100 g  stoned dates - chopped
50 g  walnuts - chopped

1. Grease and line the bottom and long side of a 1 kg/2 lb loaf pan. Preheat oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/325°F.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a big bowl, beat the butter with the muscovado sugar.
4. Add in 2 Tbsp of the honey and the eggs. Beat and mix well.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon.
6. Tip in the mashed banana and dates, mix until well blended.
7. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
8. Scatter the chopped walnuts evenly on top.
9. Bake for about 1 hour. Press the top lightly, it should be firm. If not, bake for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
11. Lift out of the pan and drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp honey on top. Cool completely.