"This recipe came from my lovely mum-in-law Val Stones senior, I've been making it for forty years and it always pleases. It has a rich banana taste with a crunchy sugary top. I add vanilla essence as I think it compliments the spices".
Set the oven 350F 160C fan gas mark 4
Line a 2lb loaf tin
- 250g self raising flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of mixed spice
- 85g soft margarine ( you could add 25g of unsalted butter in place of some of the margarine)
- 114g light soft brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs lightly beaten
- 2 medium sized bananas ( peeled and mashed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Demerara sugar to scatter on the top of the cake to give a crunchy topping
- 56g chopped pecans and a few extras to decorate the top
Method
- Sift the flour, spices and salt into a bowl
- Cream the margarine and sugar
- Beat in the eggs
- Stir in the bananas, sultanas, and pecans
- Fold in the flour
- Turn into the loaf tin ( you might like to use a round tin )
- Bake for 1 hour and then test to see if it's ready . You can listen to it but you can also test it with a squwer .
- Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then place the cake on a cooling rack until completely cool before packing in an airtight container