Banana Cake II - With Wholegrain Flour and Extra Fruit

I deliberately buy bananas and let them sit and ripen as an excuse to bake a banana cake. I do this so often the children have acquired a Pavlovian response of demanding a cake when they see the fruit lying around.

This is one of three banana cake recipes we enjoy, being moist, ludicrously easy, relatively healthy and so, so banana-rey. As it bakes it gets a slightly crunchy crust, which my children love topped with their favourite cream cheese icing which I present below.

• 3 eggs
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter (125g)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (white is fine)
• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour, sifted with
• 1 heaped tsp baking soda and
• 1 tsp baking powder, plus
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 very ripe, large bananas, mashed with a fork at the last minute

1. Cream the eggs, butter and sugar together till pale and fluffy
2. Sift the flour/soda/powder/salt into the butter mixture
3. Process till well combined, add vanilla
4. Fold in the mashed bananas
5. Pour into pre-oiled baking tin
6. Bake at 175C or 360F for 40 minutes
7. Ice as desired

Cream cheese icing

In a small processor, add

• 3 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 orange's zest
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1/2 stick butter

Blend all the above together till creamy, adding more icing sugar as needed I like to ice the cake while it's warm for a rustic, carelessly thrown-together look. Sprinkle with coconut shavings if desired.

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