Banana Bread Recipe You'll go, well...Bananas for

Since I'm in the mood for sharing my favourite recipes this week, & since this is my most baked cake.. so simple & so gratifying because you don't even need to plug in the mixer..


& what you're rewarded with is the most deliciously warming & comforting banana bread, which if I'm honest is far less like a bread & more like a cake. I like to add some sultanas to the mix which adds a real stickiness to the cake..


OK, spread it with butter & it's a bread, eat it nude & it's definitely a cake. This is a firm favourite here in the office, it's a Monday morning tradition as is the Sunday afternoon bake off..

I hope you like it:


75g softened unsalted butter
plus a bit extra for greasing

4 mashed ripe bananas

200g soft brown sugar

1 beaten egg

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

A pinch of salt

170g of flour (I always use wholemeal or spelt) by if you prefer white, that's fine.

Half a handful of sultanas or chocolate chips

Mix the bananas, butter, sugar, egg together in a large bowl

Add the flour, salt, bicarb & sultanas (or choc chips)

Mix together

Pour into a greased and lined standard size loaf tin.

Sprinkle a bit more brown sugar over the top of the cake mix just before putting it in the oven,
this will create a lovely fudgy, sugary crust

Bake for 1 hour 180 degrees
or Gas mark 4

Delicious.

Victoria Sponge. But not as we know it.

Now that January & most of February are well and truly out of the way & there is no more talk of abstinence, wagon, or festive overload we can get down to the proper business of cake making & baking once again..

The feeling here at Family Cakes this month is all traditional & perfecting classic, everyone's favourite cake flavours & recipes.

One.. of my all time ultimate treats has got to be a Victoria sponge.  The clue to the cake's history is in the name..

A cake created in the late 1800's because of the sinking feeling / hunger pangs experienced by some of Queen Victoria's household.. before long tea time became a favourite time of day & the little cakes often served at the great queen's tea parties evolved into the Victoria sponge that we ourselves have grown to love since childhood here in the UK.

There are so many versions of Victoria sponge.  I personally like mine with a very light sponge, a generous layer of buttercream & plenty of the best quality raspberry jam available.  If I'm feeling fruity & want to impress, I like to add some fresh raspberries to the filling just before putting the top sponge on.

I know the majority like whipped cream & strawberry jam, but each to her own.

I now know that real Victoria sponge purists would be appalled by this ... Can the real Victoria sponge please stand up...

I thought that for a change rather than give you one of our recipes I'd share the version created by another of my favourites.. the wonderful Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall of the River Cottage all the way down South.. His recipe is very proper & traditional, as it should be....

Enjoy.. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8776536/River-Cottage-Baking-recipes-family-cakes.html

What cake Whos Cake really a cake!

When is a cake not a cake????

I'll tell you when.. 

A cake is not a cake when it's a billowy pornographic mountain of fudgy chocolate delight filled with unctuous vanilla cream cheese & literally slathered with thick jammy morello cherries.

As if this was already not enough of a not cake (are you keeping up?) it's crowning glory is a very princely layer of chocolate frosting topped with embarrassingly sweet strawberries..

shameful infact.  Out & out rude!

 

Imagine a slice of this cake... on a plate... with a fork...and a dribble of cream...

Now that IS rude !