Healthy and delicious banana cake

After a month of hiatus, I'm finally able to get back here once again. I had a week of holiday and then I fell sick for the 2 weeks after that. And I'm just recovering on the last week. What a month!! 

During the whole time I wasn't feeling well, I was really feeling miserable. No matter what I ate, I just couldn't taste anything much at all. It was really sad. It was only then that I truly understand how much my tastebuds meant to me. The sense of smell, sense of taste and of course, visually how appealing the food was to me definitely have great links together.

 

And the first thing I could think to bake was of course, something to get my tastebuds back in order ;) I would definitely love a banana cake from Diana Henry to go with this week's "Suitable for the Screen". My usual screen food is caramel popcorn with coke so this time I'm going for something sweet - banana cake.

This recipe from Diana Henry can be found here and in April 2014 issue of Saga Magazine. See my modifications in blue.

 

Ingredients:

 

115g (4oz) butter, room temperature 
160g (5¼oz) soft light-brown sugar 
finely grated zest of 1 orange lemon 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
3 very ripe bananas (the skin should be almost black) 
3 tbsp plain yogurt  sour cream
100g (3½oz) 200g plain flour 
100g (3½oz) malted bread flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 
100g (3½oz) pecans walnuts, toasted and chopped 
2 tbsp sunflower poppy seeds 
1 tbsp linseed chia seeds 
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Mix in the zest and vanilla and beat in the eggs a little at a time. The mixture will look curdled, but don't worry; it will come together when you add the flour.
2. Mash the bananas, getting rid of as many lumps as possible, and stir into the butter and egg mixture, followed by the yogurt sour cream. Fold in the flours with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and three quarters of the nuts and seeds. Be careful not to overmix.
3. Spoon into a buttered and base-lined loaf tin measuring 23 x 13cm (9 x 5in) and scatter the rest of the nuts and seeds over the top. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for an hour. The cake should be gently risen and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. If the nuts and seeds are browning too much put some foil over the top.
4. Leave the cake in the tin to cool for five minutes, then run a knife along each side to loosen it and turn out on to a wire rack. Peel off the paper and leave to cool completely. You can sift a light dusting of icing sugar over the top, or just leave it as it is. Wrap in foil to keep it moist. It will keep well for four days.

 



I love how this banana cake is packed with full of healthy nuts and seeds. It is definitely a delicious snack fit for the screen.

 

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs for our "Suitable for the Screen" theme.

 

I'm also submitting this post to Cook-Your-Books#21 organized by Joyce of kitchenflavours.

I'm also submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up (March 2015 - BANANA) event organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy.