Cooking the books

Level up your banana bread with this grown-up recipe

This cake is perfect for when you’re feeling a little fancy, says Prudence Wade

Wednesday 09 March 2022 08:31 GMT
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Banana, tahini and rum cake from A Good Day To Bake (Laura Edwards/PA)
Banana, tahini and rum cake from A Good Day To Bake (Laura Edwards/PA) (Laura Edwards/PA)

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This banana cake feels very grown-up, and is perfect for when you’re feeling a little fancy,” says Benjamina Ebuehi, author of A Good Day To Bake.

“It’s spiked with dark rum and a generous glug of tahini for a more savoury, nutty profile, but is still just as easy to make as any other banana bread. All you need is a couple of bowls and a wooden spoon.”

Banana, tahini and rum cake

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 eggs

100g light brown sugar

100g dark brown sugar

75g tahini

300g bananas

3 tbsp dark rum

150g plain flour

100g wholemeal rye flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Walnuts, to decorate

For the glaze:

60g icing sugar

½ tbsp dark rum

½ tsp tahini

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform or loose-bottomed cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together for a minute or so until combined and just a little bit paler. Mix in the tahini. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with the rum. Add the bananas to your egg mixture and stir to combine. Add both the flours, the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until just combined.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 4-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool a little in the pan while you make the glaze.

4. To make the glaze, mix together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth and you have a pourable consistency. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen.

5. Pour the glaze over the warm cake and let it set for 10 minutes before turning the cake out onto a serving plate. Top with walnuts to decorate and let it cool completely before serving.

‘A Good Day To Bake: Simple Baking Recipes For Every Mood’ by Benjamina Ebuehi (published by Quadrille on 17 March, £22; photography by Laura Edwards). 

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