Recipe:
170g butter (butter makes the difference here rather than cooking spread)
3 large ripe bananas – the riper the better for easier mixing – plus half a fresh banana
90ml runny honey
3 eggs
140 fruit muesli – we use Alpen, but any brand will do – Plus 1 tablespoon of extra muesli.
50g dark chocolate – a block chopped up or good quality chips – not cooking chocolate.
100g walnuts
175g self-rising flour
50g sultanas
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom – optional
Pinch of cayenne pepper – optional
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Method:
Preheat your oven to 180c/170c fan oven/Gas mark 4/350f.
Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper or use a cake liner.
In a bowl mash your bananas till smooth and not lumpy.
Melt butter in a small pan over a gentle heat and add to bananas.
Add eggs, muesli, honey, chocolate, walnuts (broken up in your hand) flour, sultanas, salt, and optional spices (gives it that oomph – but optional) and mix till blended.
Pour batter into lined loaf tin. Cut slices of banana from your half of firmer banana and pop on the top and sprinkle over your 1 tablespoon of extra muesli. You do not have to do this, but we think it looks decorative.
Bake in oven for around 60 minutes – once again – test with a dry skewer – if skewer is still wet – give cake a few minutes more. Once skewer is dry – remove from oven. Take cake out of pan and cool on a cake rack.
Serve either cold as a cake or sliced with butter as a bread – or for the more decadent slightly warm with a nice cup of tea or coffee and celebrate another job done and a change from that standard 2020 cake