This Banana & Pineapple Cake is an excellent show piece and really delicious and moist and you can decorate it with beautiful edible flowers and enjoy in this fantastic sunshine with a glass of prosecco or on a rainy afternoon with a nice cup of tea. The recipe may sound a little complicated, however it is less complicated then it sound and is well worth the result! Just make sure you use ripe bananas. It makes all the difference.
Ingredients
Makes One
Large Cake
250 ml (1 cup) olive oil , plus extra for greasing
350 g (2 1/4 cups) self-raising flour (I use homepride)
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons of maple syrup or your normal sweetener
4 medium very ripe bananas
400g fresh pineapple cut into chunks or tinned chunks drained
2 large free-range eggs
1 vanilla pod seeds
50g walnuts
1 pinch of salt
For the topping:
200g white chocolate
1 vanilla pod seeds
300g cream cheese (I use low fat Puck)
1 lime zest
For the brittle:
1 tablespoon of agave syrup
50g walnuts
1 pinch of salt
Fruit or edible flowers to decorate
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Grease and line two 23cm round cake tins or one bunt tin very well oiled.
Sift the flour and add to the mixing bowl, then add the cinnamon and a large pinch of sea salt.
In a large bowl for for the wet ingredients: mash the peeled bananas and add them along with the pineapple chunks, olive oil, eggs and vanilla pod seeds.
Mix until combined, then fold into the dry mixture until smooth. Roughly chop the walnuts and gently fold in.
Pour evenly into the cake tins. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until risen, golden and the sponges spring back when touched lightly in the centre. If you are using a bunt tin 45-50 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge of the tins, it is best to leave in the cake tin to cool for around 10-15 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Meanwhile to make a brittle topping, place the agave syrup in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Stir in the walnuts with a small pinch of salt, spoon around to coat, when golden, pour onto a sheet of oiled greaseproof paper to set. Once cool, smash up into small chunks.
Once the cake has cooled you cake make the topping:
Melt the white chocolate (instructions below). once melted leave to cool a little.
Add the vanilla seeds to the melted white chocolate stir through and add the cream cheese and beat until smooth – it’s really important not to over-mix it.
To assemble the cake, place one sponge on a cake stand and spread with half the icing. Top with the other sponge, spread over the rest of the icing, then grate over the zest of the lime.
Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour. Scatter over the brittle dust and decorate with a few berries or edible flowers, I have used pansies.
Tip. If you will not be eating the cake the day you have baked it do not add the flowers until you are ready to serve, flowers will start to wilt so best added fresh on the day.
How to melt the chocolate:
Bring about an inch of water to a simmer in your saucepan. Break chocolate into pieces and add to a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the pot, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir chocolate occasionally as it softens. When you have just a few small unmelted chunks, remove bowl from heat (residual heat will melt the rest).
Have a lovely day and hope you enjoy. Hope you enjoy .
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