Lifestyles Ideas Management - Go Bananas

Banana Cake is easy to make and delicious.
Bananas are rich in B group, vitamins, a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. They also contain plenty of carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy and are easy to digest. But for a cook, there are many more possibilities.
They are good in cakes, breads, muffins, or whipped up in a smoothie. For dessert, chop them into a fruit salad or you can have them grilled.
But it’s handy fact that when bananas lose their appeal raw, they are just right for a cake.
What you need for this are over-ripe bananas. That’s when their skin turns a duller yellow and becomes covered with brown spots. Such bananas, when mashed, do best in cakes and breads. Often when I buy bananas, a couple turn brown before they are eaten or cooked. If there’s no time to turn them into a cake, I slip them into a plastic bag and place them in the freezer until I need them for baking. They will keep frozen for about six months. For an indulgent dessert, try baking bananas in the oven after sprinkling with grated palm sugar or honey. Add a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg or coat with toasted shredded coconut. Serve with a dollop of yogurt, cream or ice cream.

Banana Cake

130g butter
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about two large bananas)
250g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of sode
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
120ml buttermilk
120g chopped walnuts (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degree C
Grease 1 20cm baking tin and line with baking paper
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the mashed bananas (add a little flour
if the little flour if the mixture starts to curdle)
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together into a bowl.
Then fold in the mixture along with the buttermilk and walnuts if you are using them
Turn the mixture into the baking pan and bake for around 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Turn out onto a rack and allow to cool
Either dust the top with icing sugar or top with lemon icing

Lemon Icing (optional)
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
Boiling water

Put icing sugar, lemon juice and butter into a small bowl
Add a tiny amount of boiling water – just enough to soften the butter
Mix ingredients till smooth and of a even consistency for spreading.
Add a little more water if mixture is too thick and more icing sugar if too runny
Spread even over the top of the cake.
By cynlow@sph.com.sg