I went to Lidl today and got the bargain box of items about to go out of date! In it were lots of bananas so I have tried out a few recipes this week - some worked really well and others were a total disaster!!!
This recipe was my favourite so I wanted to share it with you.
The cake is made from very ripe bananas and has chopped pecan nuts in the cake mixture for a bit of crunch.
This is a simple banana cake and it is topped with a delicious maple syrup drizzle.
To start line a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square cake tin with parchment.
Next you need to mash the bananas with a fork or in a food processor. I used my mini food processor and it worked really well but a fork or potato masher would work just as well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer weigh the stork margarine, light brown sugar and caster sugar.
Mix on a medium speed until it is light in colour and fluffy.
Then add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
Then add the mashed banana and 50g chopped pecan nuts.
Finally add the flour, baking powder and ground almonds.
Mix until everything is combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Level with a small spatula.
Decorate with the 25g chopped pecan nuts.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
To make the syrup melt the butter, maple syrup and water in a pan.
When the cake is cooked brush the syrup over the top.
Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Banana, Pecan & Maple Syrup Traybake
Sarah's servings: 16
Sarah's skill: Easy
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
250g Butter or Baking Margarine
100g Light Brown Sugar
100g Caster Sugar
4 large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
300g Mashed Ripe Bananas
250g Self Raising Flour
60g Ground Almonds
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
50g Chopped Pecan Nuts
25g Pecan Nuts roughly chopped for decoration
Syrup topping:
25g Butter
50g Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Water
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (160 Fan) or Gas Mark 4.
Line a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square cake tin with parchment.
Mash the bananas with a fork or in a food processor.
In the bowl of a stand mixer weigh the butter/ margarine, light brown sugar and caster sugar. Mix until it is light and fluffy.
Then add the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.
Next add the mashed banana and 50g chopped pecan nuts and mix.
Finally add the flour, baking powder and ground almonds and mix until fully combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and decorate with the 25g chopped pecan nuts.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
To make the syrup melt the butter, maple syrup and water in a pan.
When the cake is baked, brush the syrup over the top and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Sarah’s extra slice.....
This cake can be enjoyed cold or warm with cream.
I always prefer vanilla bean paste but vanilla extract will work just as well.
If you don’t have any pecan nuts you could use walnuts instead.
This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.