Banana Cake

Moist Banana Cake 

Here is a simple recipe for a banana cake. The cake will keep well in a sealed cake tin while in the tropics, and may be stored in the fridge if room allows for even longer. That is of course if you can resist the delicious flavour when its time for a tea or coffee.

60g. Butter
1/2     Cup Sugar (caster)
1        Egg
2        Medium Bananas mashed (4 small work ok)
1 1/2       Cups Flour
3 tspn.    Baking powder
1 tspn.    Mixed Spice
1/4       Cup Milk

Using a hand whisk, in a mixing bowl cream the softened butter and sugar. Add egg and mix in well, fold in the mashed bananas with the sifted flour and baking powder, add spice and the milk, whisk until well combined. Place in a greased 20cm (8") tin or small loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven (175-180 deg C) for 25-30 min

Note: the cooking time is only a suggestion, I have found more banana requires slightly longer cooking time, test the cake with a skewer to check its cooked. 

Our cup measurement is 250 ml and Teaspoon (tspn.) is 5 ml
60g = 2.2 ozs.

You can use self raising flour, we don't because in the tropics the rising agent appears to be less active the longer it is onboard. 

This banana cake is a good keeper – wrapped in foil it will be good for four days or more in the fridge.

Cinnamon Crumble Cake

Cinnamon Crumble Cake

Cake:
2      Cups flour
4      Tbs baking powder
1      Pinch salt
85g. Butter or marg.
1/2   Cup castor sugar
1      Egg
3/4   Cup milk

Topping:
1/4   Cup flour
1/2   Tsp baking powder
1/4   Cup sugar
1/2   Tsp cinnamon
55g.  Butter

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add sugar and lightly beaten egg and milk and mix into a soft dough. Spoon mixture into a 8" cake tin.

Topping, Combine flour baking powder sugar cinnamon in a small bowl. Rub in butter with your fingers until mixture is soft and smooth. Push topping through a course sieve on to the top of the cake.

Bake a 175 C. for 40-45 min. (a skewer is clean when inserted and removed)

Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cup measurements: 1 Tsp (teaspoon) equals 5 ml; 1 Tbs (tablespoon) equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | Cups are lightly packed and all eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.